Demography and Population Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
PLoS One. 2018 May 18;13(5):e0197549. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197549. eCollection 2018.
Crime and violence causes massive disruptions to the health, survival and development of populations. In South Africa, incredibly high rates of crime and violence are noted. The country also has a very large youth population whose health, survival and development are key to economic growth. Among other efforts to encourage healthy youth development and the promotion of social activities such as sports, youth groups, choirs and so forth. This study examines the relationship between perceived community safety and the uptake of social activities among youth in South Africa.
This paper uses data from the National Youth Lifestyle Survey (2008) with an unweighted sample of 4,391 youth (age12-22 years old). Using chi-square and logistic regression analysis the association between perceived community safety and social activity participation are tested.
The results indicate that youth participation in social activities in South Africa is high (55% of males and 45% of females). Among males, the most prominent activity is sports (51.8%), while for females there is high participation in choir and singing groups (55.68%). More than 50% of males perceive their communities as risky while less than half of females feel the same. Male youth are more likely to participate in social activities if they perceive their communities as risky (OR = 1.04). Females (OR = 0.83), youth have a negative view of their future (OR = 0.43) are less likely to participate in social activities.
There exists an association between youth's perception of community safety and their participation in social activities. Whether sports and groups are protective or enabling environments for youth from unsafe communities is moot. More in-depth research is needed on why youth participate in these clubs and groups to truly understand the role of social activities in South African societies.
犯罪和暴力对人群的健康、生存和发展造成了巨大的破坏。在南非，犯罪和暴力率高得令人难以置信。该国还有一个非常庞大的青年群体，他们的健康、生存和发展是经济增长的关键。除了鼓励青年健康发展和促进体育等社会活动之外，青年团体、合唱团等。本研究考察了南非青年对社区安全的看法与参与社会活动之间的关系。
本文使用了来自全国青年生活方式调查（2008 年）的数据，样本量为 4391 名青年（年龄 12-22 岁），未加权。采用卡方检验和逻辑回归分析，检验社区安全感知与社会活动参与之间的关系。
结果表明，南非青年参与社会活动的比例很高（男性为 55%，女性为 45%）。在男性中，最突出的活动是体育（51.8%），而女性则高度参与合唱团和歌唱团体（55.68%）。超过 50%的男性认为他们的社区存在风险，而不到一半的女性则有同样的感觉。如果男性青年认为他们的社区存在风险，他们更有可能参与社会活动（OR=1.04）。女性（OR=0.83），对未来持消极看法的青年（OR=0.43），不太可能参与社会活动。
青年对社区安全的看法与他们参与社会活动之间存在关联。体育和团体是否是来自不安全社区的青年的保护或促进环境，这还有待讨论。需要对青年参与这些俱乐部和团体的原因进行更深入的研究，以真正了解社会活动在南非社会中的作用。
