![Sample our Social Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110822/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Social-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
It is still unknown how many top-level athletes use banned drugs or practices. In a www survey, we used the randomized response technique to shed light on this issue. With the question “Have you ever used banned substances or methods in order to enhance your performance?”, we established a lower interval limit of 25.8% and an upper limit of 48.1%. In the current season we found at the lower end of the scale 20.4% and at the upper end 38.7% of athletes who admit to using illegal drugs or methods. Throughout their whole athletic career, we calculated 51.9% honest non-dopers and in the current season 61.3%.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Werner Pitsch
Werner Pitsch is researcher for Sociology of Sport at Saarland University. His research interests cover the methodology of empirical research, sociology of organizations and individual decision modeling (contact: [email protected]).
Eike Emrich
Eike Emrich is Professor for Sociology and Economics in Sport at Saarland University. His research focuses on the sociology of organizations and institutional economics.
Markus Klein
Markus Klein is researcher for Sociology of Sport at Saarland University. Topics of his research are the social construction of crisis and relations between sport and health in childhood and adolescence.