Skip to content

High School Sports Survey on Benefits of Playing Sports

We would like to learn more about your sports experiences as a high school student-athlete. To do that, the Aspen Institute's Project Play is conducting this national survey of high school-age athletes.

This survey is optional and will not ask you to provide any personal information that can be traced back to you. Your privacy and confidentiality will be protected. Choosing not to participate will have no negative consequences for you.

Please first answer some basic questions about your background and your experiences playing sports. Completing the survey should take about 5 minutes. Thanks for your participation.
1.Choose which gender you identify as:
2.Choose the race you identify as:
3.How old are you in years?
4.Choose your current high school class standing:
5.At what level do you play any of the following sports? (Check all that apply)
Play informally
Play junior varsity
Play varsity
Play club
Baseball
Basketball
Competitive Cheerleading
Cross Country
Football
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball
Wrestling
6.What would you consider to be your primary sport?
7.What is your home zip code?
8.How would you describe the setting of your high school?
9.At what age did you begin to focus most of your sports activity on your primary sport?
10.How many months a year do you currently play your primary sport?
11.Please rate whether you have had the following experiences in your primary sport:

Personal and Social Skills
Yes, definitely
Quite a bit
A little
Not at all
I became better at sharing responsibility
I learned that working together requires some compromising
I learned to be patient with other group members
I learned how my emotions and attitude affect others in the group
12.Please rate whether you have had the following experiences in your primary sport:

Cognitive Skills
Yes, definitely
Quite a bit
A little
Not at all
I have improved: Skills for finding information
I have improved: Academic skills (reading, writing, math, etc.)
I have improved: Computer/internet skills
I have improved: Artistic/creative skills
13.Please rate whether you have had the following experiences in your primary sport:

Goal-Setting
Yes, definitely
Quite a bit
A little
Not at all
I learned to find ways to achieve my goals
I set goals for myself in this activity
I learned to consider possible obstacles when making plans
I observed how others solved problems and learned from them
14.Please rate whether you have had the following experiences in your primary sport:

Initiative
Yes, definitely
Quite a bit
A little
Not at all
I learned to push myself
I learned to focus my attention
I put all my energy into this activity
I have improved athletic/physical skills
15.Please rate whether you have had the following experiences in your primary sport:

Health
Yes, definitely
Quite a bit
A little
Not at all
I felt like a happier person by playing this sport
I made more friends by playing this sport
I was more interested in being physically active
I have had an injury in the past year in my primary sport that caused me to miss at least one day of school
16.Please rate whether you have had the following experiences in your primary sport:

Negative Experiences
Yes, definitely
Quite  a bit
A little
Not at all
Adult leaders in this activity are controlling and manipulative
Adult leaders intimidate me
Adult leaders make personal comments that I find upsetting
Adult leaders encouraged me to do something I believed morally wrong
Youth in this activity got me into drinking alcohol or using drugs
I was treated differently because of my gender, race, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation