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Abstract
The present article focuses on the questionnaires of three national surveys on physical and sports practises in France in 1985, 2000 and 2010 (as 2020 has just been completed, the documentation is not yet available). Applying the process of the history of science, it analyzes the list of questions asked for each survey and the connected documentation, with the aim of identifying the descriptive intentions behind the drawing up of each questionnaire. The article demonstrates that there existed three descriptive goals that followed one another : tastes and ways of life (1985 questionnaire), the evolution of individually-organized sports practices (2000 questionnaire) and the standardization of a statistical tool including important ministerial preoccupations (2010). On the one hand, it draws the conclusion that translating an institutional request into a survey questionnaire always implies a mismatch. On the other hand, it also draws the conclusion that in France the national survey has evolved from being a descriptive academic tool of physical and sports practices to being a more multi-purpose descriptive tool that today gives an important role to concerns regarding management of physical and sports activities.
Cet article s’intéresse aux questionnaires des trois enquêtes nationales sur les pratiques physiques et sportives en France de 1985, 2000 et 2010 (l’enquête de 2020 venant de s’achever, sa documentation n’est pas encore disponible). En adoptant une démarche d’histoire des sciences, il analyse la liste de questions de chaque enquête et la documentation qui s’y rapporte pour identifier les intentions descriptives qui ont guidé la rédaction de leur questionnaire. Il montre que trois intentions descriptives se sont succédé: les goûts et les styles de vie (questionnaire 1985), l’évolution des usages sportifs auto-organisés (questionnaire 2000), la standardisation d’un outil statistique incluant de fortes préoccupations ministérielles (2010). Il conclut, d’une part, en soulignant que traduire une commande institutionnelle en questionnaire d’enquête ne se fait jamais sans un décalage. Il conclut, d’autre part, en montrant qu’en France l’enquête nationale a évolué d’un outil de description académique de l’activité physique et sportive vers un outil de description plus polyvalent qui aujourd’hui donne une place importante à des préoccupations de gestion des activités physiques et sportives.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. These examples are taken from the periodical publication ‘Chiffres clefs du sport’ (Key figures for sport) issued by the Ministry of sport. This document, which brings together various statistical figures, was regularly published by Stat-Info between 2002 à 2017.
2. Each of these national surveys in its own way left a mark on academic research. First of all, because each of them in its time defined the rate of national physical and sports practices, generally studied and commented on by sport sociologists, statisticians at the INSEE, journalists, etc. (Aubel et Lefèvre, Citation2015). Secondly, because these results were regularly used as data for determining academic studies and government reports, thus contributing to structuring analysis on physical and sports activities in France (Michot, Citation2021). Finally, each of these surveys also led to a certain number of publications : survey reports, academic publications, scientific or press articles, etc. In this article, these publications will be presented at the same time as each of the three surveys, this study not being, however, exhaustive, since the article focuses on the study of the content of the questionnaires of each survey and not on the assessment of their scientific impact.
3. The 2020 survey is not taken into consideration. The data arising from this survey are not yet accessible in the public archives.
4. Among the documentation available concerning these surveys, a large number of articles discuss the definition of sport, its means of questioning and its range. To a certain extent, even though these topics also cover the description of sport, they are not dealt with in the present article, since the process concerned is based on an ‘epistemology of truth’ (Latour et Woolgar, Citation2013), and not, as is the aim of this article, on the intention to document the activity of research as meticulously as possible.
5. This survey took a sample of 1,190 persons aged 15 to 70 and used a questionnaire of 60 questions focusing on opinions, conceptions, motivations, performances and practice (Irlinger et al., Citation1989).
6. Resulting from the law entitled ‘la loi Avice’ dated 16 July 1984.
7. These seven question modules can be found from pages 667 to 703 in the book Les pratiques sportives des Français : Usages sportifs du temps libéré Tome 2 (Irlinger et al., Citation1987b).
8. According to Aubel and Lefèvre (Aubel et Lefèvre, Citation2015), this means of questioning was also directly linked to the theory that was to be confirmed.
9. For example, for module 4, a closed question was asked : “During the whole of YOUR LEAVE or YOUR HOLIDAYS in 1985, have you practised any sport, gymnastics, physical fitness or other activities of a similar kind? (question 60) Then, in the event of the answer being ‘Yes’, the questioning continued with an open question : “What physical or sports activities have you practised during YOUR LEAVE or YOUR HOLIDAYS in 1985?” (question 61).
10. This survey assessed the rate of national practice at 68% for French people aged 14 to 65 and a rate of practice outside sports structures at 40 % for French people aged 18 to 65.
11. The questionnaire for the 2000 survey was provided by the INJEP archives, as it is not available online or in the literature on the 2000 survey.
12. In their article “The Comparability Of Quantitative Survey On Sport Participation In France (1967–2010)” (Aubel et Lefèvre, Citation2015), Aubel and Lefèvre mention that one of the intentions of the 2000 ENPPS survey was to assess the application of the law entitled la loi Buffet (6 July 2000) concerning “the organisation and promotion of physical and sports activities,” the objective of this law being “[…] to ensure equal access for all to all sports activities; to contribute to public health and social integration through sports activities […]”. Even though we have found no explicit reference to this aim in public documentation, it does indeed seem to have influenced the elaboration of parts of the questionnaire and notably the end of module 3 and the whole of module 4 where, as indicated above, the questions focused on obstacles to practice, ceasing activity, etc.
13. This survey was carried out by the Ministry of youth and sports, the Ministry of Culture and the Insee (Inserm; 2008).
14. Institut national de prévention et d’éducation pour la santé (National institute for prevention and health education).
15. The 2010 survey questionnaire is available on the Quételet Progedo diffusion platform at the following link : https://data.progedo.fr/studies/doi/10.13144/lil-0734?tab=documents.