Investigating the effect of financial incentives on the decision to participate in physical activity and sports

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of financial incentives on the decision to participate in physical activity and sports. The research method was descriptive-correlation. The statistical population of the present study included all Iranians aged 15 to 65 years living in the country who had access to the Internet and virtual media of Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram and were not physically and medically restricted to participate in physical activities. 810 people answered the questionnaires and finally 572 questionnaires were used as the basis for statistical analysis. The required information was collected through a researcher-made questionnaire and its face and content validity was confirmed by experts (9 people). Its reliability was also calculated using Cronbach's alpha test (0.83). The process of distributing and collecting questionnaires has also been through cyberspace. STATA16 software has been used for statistical analysis of variables and estimation of research model parameters. The results showed that offering a discount card or shopping cart, immediate rewards and giving rewards to charity by individuals, had a positive and significant effect on the decision to participate in sports and physical activities. But delayed reward has not had a significant. In general, providing incentives can be a good way to develop and promote physical activity and sports and according to the results obtained in the final section, it is better to provide financial incentives to young people, single people, women and people with low income levels to increase its effectiveness.