Personal Values and Sports Consumption of Hungarians – At Home and in the USA

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Between 1985 and 2005 several surveys had been conducted – by the Hungarian State Offices and EU institutions – to monitor changes in consumer values of Hungarians following the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Sport is an organic part of culture as well as its strong ties to social, educational, political, ideological and economic developments of a country. Similar studies had also been carried out in the US with a specific focus on minorities’ and ethnic groups’ sports participation and consumption.

While sport symbolizes some values of individualistic character such as success, health, achievement, and performance, it also represents values of social belongingness and collective achievements. If personal values serve as ‘path to meaning’ (Powell & Royce, 1978), a promising approach for studying sport behavior is to investigate the linkage between personally held values and their contribution to participating in sport and physical activity under the specific timeframe.

The aim of this presentation is twofold. First, it aims to give an overview of change in personal values in Hungary during the transition period, specifically those related to sport consumption. Second, it compares and contrasts these findings with the results of the research conducted on Hungarian-Americans’ sport consumption and behavior.



Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
2006, Ph.D. in International Sport Management from The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. 2009, Assistant Prof. of Sport management, St. John's U., NY