The Institute of Statistics of Quebec (ISQ) unveils the results of theStudy on the experiences of adolescents in sports environments in Quebec(EVAQ), conducted among 19,642 high school students from November 7, 2022 to June 16, 2023 in Quebec public and private schools. Among these respondents, 9,221 young people aged 14 and over play an organized sport.
The following results bear uniquely on the young respondents and respondents who play organized sports; they cannot be inferred to all young people in secondary school.
Violence suffered from a person in a position of authority during the sporting journey
Approximately 40% of young respondents have been victims of at least one form of violence from a person in a position of authority. More precisely :
- 11% were victims of at least one act of physical violence, i.e. 13% of boys and 9% of girls;
- 8% have been victims of at least one act of sexual violence, i.e. 9% of girls and 6% of boys;
- 26% were victims of at least one act of psychological violence or neglect, i.e. 30% of girls and 23% of boys.
Among male victims of at least one act of physical violence from a person in authority, the majority (85%) indicated having suffered this violence from male people.
Among female victims of at least one act of physical violence, 53% reported having suffered this violence from female people, 36% from male people and 11% from both.
Among the victims of at least one act of sexual violence:
- 28% experienced one for the first time at age 10 or before;
- 33%, between 11 and 13 years old;
- 39%, at age 14 or later.
Violence suffered from a peer during sports
Approximately 45% of young respondents have been victims of at least one form of violence from a peer. More precisely :
- 20% were victims of at least one act of physical violence, i.e. 24% of boys and 15% of girls;
- 14% have been victims of at least one act of sexual violence, i.e. 16% of girls and 11% of boys;
- 36% were victims of at least one act of psychological violence, i.e. 38% of girls and 34% of boys.
Among the victims of at least one act of sexual violence:
- 25% experienced one for the first time at age 10 or before;
- 40%, between 11 and 13 years old;
- 36%, at age 14 or later.
To see examples of manifestations of violence in a sporting context that were the subject of the study, consult the examples of manifestation of violence in context sporty of the page presenting the results.
Limitations of the study
It is important to know that unlike the results of surveys or studies usually carried out by the ISQ, the results of the EVAQ cannot be generalized to all high school young people practicing a sport. In fact, the results only provide a portrait of young people who responded to the study questionnaire.
The ISQ exceptionally carries out exploratory studies like this when they fill a lack of information on a little-studied issue. What’s more, no study on the subject in the world had previously been carried out with a sample of this magnitude. The results of the EVAQ allow us to know how and in what context young people who say they have experienced violence experienced it. Thanks to this new data, the Ministry of Education and the Safety and Integrity in Sports Environment Research Chair at Laval University, partners in the study, will be able to take a closer look at violence experienced in a sporting context, a subject of great concern. public interest.
