KEY FINDINGS
1) - Adults who participate in cultural and sports activities tend to have better physical and mental health, higher self-efficacy and higher life satisfaction.
2 - Increased engagement in arts activities is linked to better mental health; lapses in arts participation are linked to a relative worsening of mental health and life satisfaction .
3 - Taking up weekly sports is linked to better results for physical health and life satisfaction .
4 - Young people taking part in sports is linked with better health and wellbeing across all indicators: general health, perceptions of weight, happiness, self-esteem and personal pride .
5 - Arts and cultural engagement is linked with higher happiness and self-esteem, though the relationship between cultural engagement and self-esteem was stronger for girls than for boys.
6 - Lapses in arts engagement, particularly in reading and dance, are linked to lower levels of happiness . There was a particularly strong relationship between playing a musical instrument and feelings of personal pride.
