1. The Rationale of the Choice of Topic and The Aim of Research
Hungarian sports has always been characterised by extremes. On the basis of our top athletes’ achievements, Hungary is considered worldwide, to be a real sports empire. However, as for leisure sports and physical recreation, which improve the quality of life and condition of health, there is not so much to be proud of. The aim of my dissertation was to highlight the rules and tendencies that are characteristic of the leisure time structure and sporting habits of the Hungarian population, and to focus on the various angles of the problems by employing an interdisciplinary approach. Looking at the history of leisure time philosophies and body culture, I explored the connections that feature modern sports and the management of society. This way I found that in the developed world, sports, once a hobby of a few, has turned into a necessity of many. In fact, it was the technical advancement of science that created the need and the opportunity for many people to compensate their passive lifestyle with recreational sports. When examining the terminology used in connection with sports, I found that so far there has been no common interpretation of the terms sports, leisure sports, physical recreation, fitness and wellness in Hungary. This, in my view, is one of the obstacles in the modern understanding and institutional support of public leisure sports. Sports has always been affected by the political and economic changes of various eras, and being a subsystem of the society, its reaction to the changes is slower. In the examined time period, efforts were made to make sports independent of politics but these attempts have never proved to be successful. There was a time when nationalisation of sports was an issue, at another time incorporating sports into the society was in focus, but still, this important field has always remained under central control. The interviews about past sports political issues suggested that for a long time we have not been able to talk about sports as one concept, since competitive sports and leisure sports or physical recreation differ from each other both in their aims and their functions. The dissertation describes the changes that occurred in the leisure time structure of the population, in sports and it shows what difficulties people faced during their slow adaptation to the changed functions. At the same time, it attempts to explore what impact the political, economic and social changes of the examined time period had on sports. Furthermore, it examines how the population’s leisure time structure – with special emphasis on physical recreation and sports – changed in the year 2000. The paper also focuses on finding an answer to how gender, age, qualifications, the economic activity, the structure of the household and
the urbanisation level of the dwelling place influence the sporting activity of the population. It was interesting to analyse the differences between the lifestyle of people who pursue sports activities and of those who do not; it was equally exciting to see what characterised the days when the respondents did some kind of physical recreation activity.
2. Research Methods
Various research methods were used in the dissertation, primary and secondary data collection as well as the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. The data were grouped around two information sources. The first one being the previous lifestyle studies and use of time analyses performed by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), which enabled me to have an insight into former eras. At the same time, research carried out by other companies and institutions were also analysed in order to get a more precise picture. The other information source was the data records of the lifestyle studies and use of time analyses conducted by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office between 1999 and 2000. The four-part survey conducted on a rather large sample provided me with a lot of information about how leisure time is spent. The recent data recording allowed me to have a relatively upto-date picture of the physical activity – especially the sporting activity – of various strata of e society. During document analysis, the given time period’s sports documents and legal regulations were examined. In order to complement the above information, structured interviews were conducted on the political issues concerning leisure sports and on those matters that had relevance to the institutional system of leisure sports. These were primary data collection techniques employing qualitative methods.
3. Research Findings
3.1. The findings of the leisure time structure and physical activity studies
On the basis of the secondary analysis of the given time period’s use of time analysis, we may establish that: ?
between 1963 and 1993, the worktime spent in full- time employment in the case of men continuously decreased, while the work necessary to supplement the full-time income doubled;
?
looking at the differences in leisure time in the various dwelling places, we can see that those in the capital have the most leisure time while village dwellers have the least, and only in 1993 did this latter group reach the 1977 amount of leisure time of those living in the capital;
?
the time spent in front of the television screen continuously grew to the detriment of other leisure time activities, and by 1986, in the case of women, it neared the percentage of all the other activities together. In the case of men, this tendency reached this level only in 1993;
?
students form one of the largest group of media consumers. The average student spends 17.5 hours per week watching television;
?
despite the fact that the leisure time grew gradually until 1993, the proportion of active leisure time activities declined, which was mainly influenced by the settleme nt’s level of urbanisation. This means that those living in the least urbanised dwelling places do the least sports.
3.2 The findings of the secondary analysis concentrating on the physical activity of Questionnaire no. 2 of the 1999-2000 use of time studies conducted by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office ?
70.3% of the Hungarian population between 15 and 84 do not perform any sports activities whatsoever;
?
24% of those with an elementary school qualification and 54% of those with a university qualification do sports activities with some kind of regularity;
?
67% of those under 20, while 6% of those over 70 perform some kind of sports activity;
?
the regional differences are also noticeable, since 40% of those living in the capital do sports, as opposed to only 22% of those living in small community settlements;
?
if we examine the economic activity, we find that students, active income earners and interestingly pensioners working part-time do the most sports;
?
only one-tenth of the population pursue more than one sport;
?
if we consider all sporting activities or exercising, we find that most people ride the bicycle, gymnastics or aerobics come second on the list, while swimming comes third;
?
the Hungarian population does mainly aerobic sports (20%), then come ball games (7%) and nature sports (2.7%);
?
the percentage of those playing ball games is nearly the same in all demographic groups, while mainly those with higher-education qualification and those in the capital do aerobic sports;
?
we can find the most competitive athletes among those playing ball games, while the fewest among those doing aerobic sports.
3.3 The findings of the time use and the sports activity analyses
The key findings of analysing the „A”, „B” and „C” data type used in the use of time data provision: ?
those men who do sports, in all age groups use less time for satisfying their physiological needs;
?
the amount of social time as well as the working capacity of those who do sports is higher than that of their inactive peers;
?
the socially bound time of those women who do not do sports is significantly higher than that of their sporting peers, therefore we can presume that their greater workload prohibits sporting activities to be incorporated into their everyday life;
?
most men and women who do sports have more free time than their inactive peers;
?
in the economically active age groups of men who do and who do not do sports, the strong dominance of income earning work can be observed, this dominance is even stronger in the case of sporty men between 40 and 59 than in the case of their inactive peers of a similar age;
?
the fact that in all age groups of both sexes who do sports spend less time watching television, sleeping and passive relaxation, demonstrates the more active use of their leisure time;
?
in all age groups of men and women who do sports, the percentage of the time spent watching television within the leisure time is significantly lower even on an average day of the year.
4. Conclusions ?
The time spent in front of the television screen continuously grew to the detriment of other leisure time activities, and by 1986, in the case of women, it neared the percentage of all the other activities together. In the case of men, this tendency reached this level only in 1993. This is the main reason for the decrease of leisure time spent actively, which is an important finding of the study.
?
The study clearly shows that the time spent on active leisure time activities significantly decreased, especially in the time period of 1977 and 1986. This coincides with previous data that suggested the dominance of watching television in the continuously increasing amount of leisure time. This means that within the increase amount of leisure time, time spent actively, with sports is lower not in percentage but also in absolute proportion compared to the 1977 level.
?
70.3% of the Hungarian population between 15 and 84 do not perform any sports activities whatsoever in one year, and the number of those regularly doing sports is even lower than this. Therefore, we can establish that only one-third of the population is motivated by what leisure sports facilities can offer, the reason for which should be further examined.
?
While the difference in the regularity of sporting activities between men and women in all age groups is approximately 10%, as for qualifications, this difference is less for women with a secondary school qualification, and those women with university qualifications do sports in a higher proportion than men (52-56%). It seems that academic qualifications is one of the key factors in influencing women’s sporting activity. It would be useful to further examine the factors influencing the sporting habits, sporting activities and the passivity of women.
?
Regional differences are significant also, since 40% of those living in the capital do sports, while this proportion is 22% in the case those living in community settlements. In recent years, this difference is reducing because those with higher-education qualifications are moving into agglomerations.
?
Only one-tenth of the population do more than one sports with some kind of regularity. This data can be interpreted in various ways but perhaps it would be worth examining the sports available in public education institutions and exploring the popularity of so-called fashion sports.
?
While younger men who do sports are less active in rearing children, their older counterparts, sporting fathers and grandfathers spend more time with their children or grandchildren. This data points towards the self-exploitation and work-centred lifestyle of younger generations.
?
In one year the lifestyle of those doing sports in all age groups is more active, both physically and mentally, they are more open to social relations and social institutions than those counterparts who do not do sports. Sporting people’s positive attitude towards social life – as one of the beneficial impacts of sports – should be emphasized more by those leading the society.
We can conclude, therefore, that although sport in itself does not eliminate the features of the lifestyle that characterise ageing or the increase of age but an active life delays these negative tendencies in many ways and reduces their effects, therefore – among others – their economic implications are also invaluable.
5. Publications
Gáldi G. szerk.(1988):FITT 88 Tudományos konferencia eloadásai Somogy megyei Tanács Társ. Pol. Fooszt. Kaposvár Gáldi G.(1988):Külföldi látogatók véleménye a Siófoki Szabadido Klub tevékenységérol In: FITT 88 Tudományos konferencia eloadásai Gáldi G. (1989/a): A szabadidosport iránti érdeklodés vizsgálata különbözo társadalmi csoportokban egy új klub muködése kapcsán (TF közleményei 1989/3 11-31.)(1989/b) 42.o. Gáldi G. (1989):Szabadidosport-klub vállalkozási formában ( egy empirikus vizsgálat tapasztalatai ) In: I. Országos Sporttudományos Kongresszus kiadványa Bp. Gáldi G.-Kovács T. (1991): Rekreáció I. (ELTE TFK Budapest) Gáldi G.(1995): Leisure Time and Sport Clubs Sport in Space and Time (A 11. Nemzetközi Sportszociológiai Kongresszus kiadványa, Vienna University Press Wien) Gáldi G.(1997):Sportrekreáció szakképesítés központi programja (programfüzet) OTSH Gáldi G.(1999):Szabadidosport Magyarországon egy vizsgálat tükrében in: III. Országos Sporttudományi Kongresszus I. kötet Bp. Gáldi G. (2002/a): Fizikai aktivitás Magyarországon az ezredfordulón (Magyar Sporttudományi Szemle 2002/3-4. 7.)
Gáldi G. (2002/b): A magyar lakosság szabadidos aktivitásának változásai 1963-93 között az idomérleg-vizsgálatok tükrében In. Válogatott tanulmányok a rekreációs képzés számára (Szerk. Dobozy L. 198.) Gáldi G. (2003): A szabadidorol alkotott elméletek áttekintése In. Sport és társadalom (Szerk. Földesiné Szabó Gy., Gál A. MSTT Budapest 55-98.) Gáldi G. (2003): Testkultúra és szabadido in: Szívügyem az egészségem Szerk.: Kislászló Csaba BAZ Megyei Szabadidosport Szövetség, Miskolc 6. Lectures
Gáldi G. Freizeitsportklubs in Ungarn XI. Nemzetközi Sportszociológiai Kongresszus 1993. Bécs Gáldi G. Szabadidosport és vállalkozás I. Országos Sporttudományi Kongresszus 1989 Bp. Gáldi G. Freizeitsport Organizationen in Ungarn Nemzetközi Szabadidosport Szeminárium a FICEP rendezésében 1991. St. Pölten, Ausztria Gáldi G. A sportrekreációs szakemberképzés tematikája Sportrekreációs Sportoktatók 1. Országos Találkozója 1993 Bp. Gáldi G. Labdás sportok a szabadidoben Sportrekreációs Sportoktatók 2. Országos Tanácskozása 1994. Bp Gáldi G. Ki a felelos az egészségéért? Sportrekreációs Sportoktatók 3. Országos Tanácskozása 1995. Bp Gáldi G. Újszeru oktatási formák a rekreációban Sportrekreációs Sportoktatók 4. Országos Tanácskozása 1996. Bp. Gáldi G. A középfokú sportrekreációs szakemberek képzésének tartalmi kérdései Sportszakember képzéssel foglalkozó munkatársak országos tanácskozása 1996. Gyula Gáldi G. A sportrekreáció kialakulásának történelmi és társadalmi vonatkozásai Nemzetközi Szabadidosport Szeminárium 1994. Esztergom Gáldi G. Az utóbbi évek életmódvizsgálatainak tapasztalatai Magyarországon.Zánka 95 . Magyar-Osztrák Sportturisztikai és sportrekreációs konferencia1995. Zánka Gáldi G. A rehabilitáció és a rekreáció határterületi kérdései Magyar Sportorvos Kongresszus 1997. Bp. Gáldi G. A sport idoszeru társadalmi kérdései Mozgásbiológiai Konferencia 1997. Agárd Gáldi G. 1. Rekreációs hallgatók gyakorlati képzésének néhány problémája Savaria ’98 Nemzetközi Sporttudományi Konferencia 1998. Szombathely
Gáldi G. Szabadidosport Magyarországon Sporttudományi Kongresszus 1999. Bp.
egy
vizsgálat
tükrében
III.
Országos
Gáldi G. A KSH idomérleg- vizsgálatainak tapasztalatai A Magyar Szociológiai Társaság éves közgyulése, 2000. Szeged Gáldi G. A magyar lakosság fizikai aktivitásának vizsgálata 1963-1993. A Magyar Szociológiai Társaság éves közgyulése, 2001. Székesfehérvár Gáldi G. Fizikai aktivitás az ezredfordulón A Magyar Szociológiai Társaság Kongresszusa, 2002. Szeged Gáldi G. A magyar lakosság fizikai aktivitása IV. Országos Sporttudományi Kongresszus, 2003. Szombathely
Gabor Galdi
The Structure of Leisure Time and Physical Recreation in Hungary Between 1963 and 2000, in the Light of the Use of Time
Thesis
