Abstract
This study aimed to examine the relationship between the motivation to exercise or participate in sports and socioeconomic status. While previous studies have demonstrated a link between socioeconomic status and exercise habits, there has been insufficient discussion about how motivations for exercise and sports vary with socioeconomic status.
This study conducted a secondary analysis of quantitative survey data. Respondents were first categorized into three groups: those with an exercise habit, engaging in vigorous exercise at least for 30 minutes a day two or more days a week; those who are physically active but do not meet the criteria for an exercise habit, yet exercise to some extent; and those who are physically inactive. The socioeconomic status of these three groups was then compared. Subsequently, the latent structure of motivation for exercise was analyzed for those with exercise habits and physical activity, and the relationship between motivation for exercise and socioeconomic status was examined. The following conclusions were drawn: First, individuals with exercise habits and those who are physically active have higher household income and educational attainment than physically inactive individuals. Individuals with exercise habits have higher incomes than physically active individuals. However, the pseudo R-squared is considerably small. Among physically active individuals, those who engage in physical activity for enjoyment and social interaction tend to have lower educational attainment, whereas those who pursue diverse goals and aim to improve their abilities tend to have higher annual household incomes. However, there was no statistically significant relationship between motivation and socioeconomic status within the “exercise habit” group.
