Abstract
In this article we investigate the effects of parental, individual and partner characteristics on the starting of a sport. Employing event history models we analyze 72,491 person-years of 2276 individuals from the Family Survey Dutch Population 1998 and 2003. Our results show that growing up in a family in which sport is common increases the likelihood of starting a sport. We further conclude that parents from the higher social classes more often stimulate their children to start participating in a high status sport. Our results also indicate that a respondent’s educational attainment is positively related to enrollment in sports. The importance of a spouse is particularly demonstrated, as a sport-playing partner expresses a positive influence on a respondent’s sport participation. Moreover, in starting a sport it is more favorable not having a partner, even than having a non-sporting spouse.
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