Beyond membership: how active sports club participation shapes happiness

Happiness has become an important public health and policy concern, and physical activity is increasingly viewed as a relevant lifestyle-related factor. Against this background, this study examines whether the association between sports club participation (SCP) and happiness depends on active participation rather than nominal membership alone. Its contribution is to distinguish formal membership from actual engagement in sports clubs and to examine whether the SCP-happiness association is statistically linked to two behavioral dimensions of physical activity: leisure-time sports participation (LTSP) and venue-based exercise (VBE).

Using data from the 2023 Chinese General Social Survey, the analysis distinguishes among non-members, inactive members, and active members. Ordinary least squares regression, ordered logit models, propensity score matching, and bootstrap-based parallel mediation analysis were applied to examine the association between SCP and happiness and the statistical indirect pathways through LTSP and VBE.

The results show that active SCP is positively associated with happiness (β = 0.151, p < 0.001), whereas inactive membership is not. After LTSP and VBE are introduced, the coefficient for active SCP declines but remains significant (β = 0.098, p < 0.05). Both LTSP and VBE are positively associated with happiness and statistically mediate the association between active SCP and happiness.

These findings suggest that the relevance of sports clubs for happiness is not attached to formal membership alone, but is mainly observed when membership involves active engagement and greater participation in physical activity. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associational rather than causal evidence.