New Zealanders belong to a sporting nation

Almost two-thirds of New Zealanders belong to a club or organisation, according to recently released information from Statistics New Zealand.

In keeping with a nation that takes great pride in the All Blacks, Silver Ferns, and All Whites, sporting clubs are the most popular.

New analysis from the 2014 New Zealand General Social Survey shows 64% of New Zealand adults belonged to a club, and 6% of us belonged to four or more clubs.

The article shows 28% of club members belonged to a sporting club, followed by 21% in religious organisations. Only 2% of adults said they belonged to a political group.

Statistics New Zealand Social Statistics Manager Diane Ramsay explains “we know that being part of a club helps build a sense of solidarity between people.

 “People in clubs develop friendships with people from diverse backgrounds, and also gain access to a greater variety of support and resources than they can have as individuals.”

Most club members (3 out of 4 people) preferred talking to each other face to face as their main way of staying in contact with each other.

Ramsay added “we also found that older people - 65 years and over - were the most likely to be members of a club, although for sports, this does tail off with age.

“By contrast, people of prime working and parenting age - 25 to 44 years - had the lowest club membership – possibly because they’re more likely to struggle to find the time.”

Click here for more information on New Zealanders’ belonging to clubs.

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