Celebrating America's Youth: The Facts Are Positive

Young people participate in extracurricular activities

Young people who participate in extracurricular activities—whether athletic, musical, or artistic—generally have higher self-esteem, perform better academically, and complete school successfully.

Athletics: A majority of young people report participating in organized sports, an activity associated with increased levels of self-esteem and motivation, overall psychological well-being, and better body image.

• High school students who participated in sports were more likely to have volunteered and to have registered to vote.5
  
  
• In 2003, about two-thirds (65 percent) of 8th graders played school athletics, as did nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of 10th graders.6
  
  
• During the last decade, the gap between girls’ and boys’ participation in sports decreased. For example, among 10th graders, the difference between the percentage of boys and girls who engaged in school athletics shrunk from 17 percentage points in 1991 to 6 percentage points in 2003.7

Performing arts: Many researchers have found a positive association between arts participation and various academic and social outcomes, such as improved school grades and a decrease in negative social behaviors.

• In 2003, nearly half (48 percent) of 8th graders, 40 percent of 10th graders, and 41 percent of 12th graders participated in school music or performing arts programs.8

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