1.1–1.3 Barriers to user groups (different ethnic groups) GapFill

There are a number of different ethnic groups in UK society, with those at a minority finding it more difficult to participate in sport. An ethnic minority is an  exhaustiveinclusiveindividualunder-represented group in society whose people share a common religion, culture or  nationalityhobbysportidea. Although the share of the total population of ethnic minorities is increasing, they remain very much at a minority. For example, the 2019/20 Active Lives survey shows that compared to mixed ethnicities there are 11% fewer Chinese people and 15% fewer black people meeting the 150+ minutes per week physical activity guidelines. As such, they face many unique barriers to participation in sport.

There is significant inequality in the  activity provisionliving costsindirect incomedisposable income – the amount of money available for saving or spending – of different ethnic groups in the UK. In 2019 the Department for Work and Pensions stated that 76% of Pakistani households were in the lowest income group (after housing costs were deducted) and over half of households from Bangladeshi, Asian other, black and other ethnic groups were in the lowest two income groups. With a lack of available money after the deduction of essential living costs, many ethnic minorities may not be able to afford participation in some sport and physical activity. They may not have money available to pay for  interestcommissionhandoutssubs to cover the cost of training kit, equipment, venue hire and affiliate fees to leagues. Additionally, they may not be able to afford gym or fitness club membership  finesinflationupkeepfees.

Furthermore, some ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of feeling segregated from the rest of the local community or may face communication barriers. This means that they may not have an idea of the types of activity that are currently  ethicaluncommonavailableappropriate in their local communities, thus preventing them from getting involved. In addition, certain activities which are more popular with some ethnic groups than with others (e.g. dance with black Africans and racquet sports with Chinese people) may not be available in the area, which may discourage participation.

Ethnic minorities have historically been subjected to  gamesmanshipsportsmanshipinclusiondiscrimination in society. Despite there being significant improvements in eradicating it, a sense of it may still persist, and this would present a perceived barrier to participation in sport. A lot of religions and cultures may also require further commitments to prayer, rituals and events, e.g. Ramadan, or have more traditional views, e.g. the role of women as caregivers. This can reduce the amount of free  groupstimepromotionsplans available for participating in sport and physical activity. Some religious groups will also have certain traditions, such as Muslim women wearing the hijab and not being free to mix with men when they are not married. This can prevent them from accessing mixed-group sessions and certain sports. The reason a lot of people become involved in sport is through associating themselves with positive significant others known as  commentatorsrule modelsprincipalsrole models. These may come in the form of teachers, coaches or professional sportspeople. If there is a lack of  authoritypersonalitygender equalityethnic diversity in significant others, then people from an ethnic minority may be lacking the necessary inspiration to participate in that sport. Furthermore, the disparity in equal  paynumbersrightsmedia coverage of majority ethnic groups in society and minority ethnic groups may further discourage participation. For example, the ethnic imbalance in punditry and presenting, such as that on Sky Sport's Soccer Saturday and the BBC's Question of Sport have resulted in reshuffling of the line-ups on each respective show.