The Long-Run Effects of Sports Club Vouchers for Primary School Children

Arbeitspapier

Starting in 2009, the German state of Saxony distributed sports club membership vouchers among all 33,000 third graders in the state. The policy's objective was to encourage them to develop a long-term habit of exercising. In 2018, we carried out a large register-based survey among several cohorts in Saxony and two neighboring states. Our difference-indifferences estimations show that, even after a decade, awareness of the voucher program was significantly higher in the treatment group. We also find that youth received and redeemed the vouchers. However, we do not find significant short- or long-term effects on sports club membership, physical activity, overweightness, or motor skills.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 14246

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health Behavior ; Health and Inequality ; Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health ; Education: Government Policy ; Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs ; Sports Economics: Policy ; State and Local Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
• Subject: physical activity ; voucher ; primary school ; obesity ; habit formation ; objective health measures ; school health examinations ; windfall gains ; crowd-out ; taxpayer subsidies

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Marcus, Jan ; Siedler, Thomas ; Ziebarth, Nicolas R.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2021

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/236277
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET