Anti-Doping Regulations and theSignificance of Public Opinion:
an Analysis of Public Opinion in Japan andthe UK on Issues of Fairness and Integrityin SportFebruary 2017
(FY2016)
Copyright©JAPAN Anti-Doping Agency | All Rights Reserved.

Table of content
Executive summary

31.0

Introduction

7

2.0

Public opinion and the law

83.0

Public opinion and doping in sport

15

4.0
Public opinion and integrity in sport in Japan and the United
Kingdom

18

5.055

Discussion and conclusions

References

57

Appendix62

Executive summary•••••••••••••

In general, law-making and rule-making follows public opinion although
there are occasions when the introduction of laws or rules can alert thepublic to a problem and the sanctions proposed can also indicate theseriousness of a problem.
Perceptions of morality are culture-specific usually to a state although
this can be mediated by other identities such as gender, religion,political views and age.
There is little evidence of the existence of universal moral principles.
Significant differences exist between countries and between-country
differences are more pronounced than within-country differences.
It is suggested that the necessary conditions for the successful
introduction of new laws/rules are: timing (when there is evidence ofpublic awareness/sympathy/concern); media support or at least
neutrality; supportive domestic lobby/campaigning organisations; andenthusiastic implementation/enforcement.
Japan and the UK share many similar opinions in relation to sport andethics although in Japan the reference point for moral judgments on
sporting issues tends to be broader social values based on social
obligations, trust and respect whereas in the UK the reference point forsporting issues is intrinsic to sport and sporting practice and theimportance of respect for formal rules.
In both countries there were differences in the assessments of themorality of sport issues with women being more concerned with theimpact of actions on others and men more influenced by impact on theathlete and the relationship of the action to the rules and values ofsport.
Research into public attitudes towards doping in sport is limited, butdoes suggest that across a range of countries (mainly rich and with astrong Olympic sporting history) there is strong support for anti-doping
rules and sanctions.
It is not clear precisely which factors influence changes in individualand collective judgments of behaviour as either acceptable orunacceptable, but cultural reference points such as religion (or similarideologies) and existing laws are considered to be important.
Sanctions are more important than incentives in conveying moralobligations.
Severity of sanctions convey to the public the seriousness of thebreach of moral norms.
From the limited data available there is strong public opposition todoping, but there is a lack of support for criminalization of PEDS use
and a preference for other sanctions such as withdrawal of public andcommercial sponsorship and public ‘naming and shaming’.
Existing data indicates more significant differences in opinion regarding
doping between males and females that ages although opposition to
doping tends to increase with age.
There is a high level of consistency within the two countries whether
compared by gender, age or the level of participation in sport.

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There is a high level of consistency of opinion within the two countries
whether compared by gender, age or the level of participation in sport.
In both Japan and the UK the most common bases for opposition to
doping were the values of sport or the spirit of fair play rather thanother possibilities such as potential damage to an athlete’s health.
When the data from the two countries were analysed by the extent ofparticipation in sport the most striking observation was the lack of
substantial variation in the assessments of fairness of the various
actions between those who participated frequently (once or more aweek or one to three times a month) and those who rarely if ever tookpart in sport or sport-related physical activities.
In assessing the qualities needed by elite athletes Japanese females
tended to give greater weight than Japanese men to affective qualities(including self-analysis, enjoyment, projection of joy, sincerity andconfidence) whereas Japanese men tended to give greater weight tothe personal (instrumental) qualities required for success (including,strong body, performance ability, competition success, strong
personality and decision-making ability). There is a similar pattern
among UK males and females but the contrast is not so pronounced.

‘Taking illegal substance as opponent had done the same’.
• There was little difference in the opinions expressed by Japanesemales and females with 86.1% and 82.5% respectively considering
the action ‘unfair’1.
• A wider gap was evident between UK males and females withalmost a quarter (23.3%) of UK males considering the action ‘fair’by comparison to only 13.9% of UK females.
• While the proportion of Japanese males (86.1%) who considered
the action to be ‘unfair’ was almost 10 percentage points higher
than UK males (76.7%) the pattern was reversed for Japanese(82.5%) and UK females (85.1%) with the latter being slightly more
inclined to consider the action ‘unfair’.
• With regard to changes in opinion with age the pattern in bothcountries was the same insofar as the proportion of respondents
that considered the action ‘unfair’ increased with age. However,there were interesting differences between the countries with there
being a wide gap in the 15-19 age group between the Japanese
respondents who considered the action ‘unfair’ (78.4%) and the UK
respondents (64.3%). However, the gap narrowed steadily with age
and was similar for the 60-79 age group (Japan 89.3%, UK 90.3%)‘Taking same PEDS but receiving longer ban than an athlete in anothersport’.
• A higher proportion of female respondents than male in bothcountries considered the action ‘unfair’ although the differenceswere not great. Differences by age were modest except among
1 In order to avoid extensive repetition in the text the terms ‘fair’ and ‘unfair’incorporate the survey responses ‘very fair’ or ‘very unfair’.

the 15-19 age group where the Japan cohort was ten
percentage points less likely to considered the action ‘unfair’.
‘Unable to sleep so take energy drink next morning before competition’.
• UK and Japanese females had similar opinions, but UK males(77.3%) were more likely to assess the action as ‘fair’ thanJapanese males (66.5%)• UK respondents were consistently more likely than Japanese
respondents to assess the action as ‘fair’ across the four age
groups. The gap in opinion between the two countries regarding
the action as ‘fair’ was widest for the 15-19 age group (UK88.5% and J-76.9%).
‘Access to latest technology and now winning’.
• Overall opinion is similar with just over one-third of the respondents
in both countries (Japan 38.9% and UK 35.8%) considering theaction ‘unfair’.
• However, Japanese males were almost 10 percentage points more
likely to consider the action ‘unfair’ than UK males. The responses
from females were reversed but the gap between the countries wasmuch narrower.
• The proportion considering the action ‘unfair’ generally declinedwith age although the change was not dramatic.
‘Had laser eye surgery and now winning’.
• There was a strong opinion in both countries that the action was‘fair’ (86.8% in Japan and 95% in UK).
• A larger proportion of both UK men and women and UK
respondents from all age groups than Japanese respondents
considered the action to be ‘fair’.
• In both Japan and the UK the proportion assessing the action as‘fair’ increased with age.
‘Lose preliminary round intentionally to avoid tough opponent’.
• A significantly higher proportion of Japanese respondents (41.6% - UK29.6%) considered this action to be ‘fair’.
• The gap was widest among females with 37% of Japanese femalesconsidering the action to be ‘fair’ in contrast with 21.1% of UK females.
• Males in both countries were much more likely than females to assess
this action as ‘fair’.
• The gap in opinion between the two countries, which was widest for the20-39 age group, closed slightly across the older age groups.
‘Intentionally put opponent at a disadvantage’.
• The UK respondents are much more likely than the Japanese
respondents to assess this action as ‘fair’.
• The highest proportion assessing the action as ‘fair’ was from UK
males (65%)

•There was a more complex pattern of opinion from the different age
groups with the 15-19 year old Japanese age group much more
likely to assess the action as ‘fair’ (55.6%) than the same UK age
group (40%).

‘Make fun of rival during competition’.
• Overall, a very similar set of responses in both countries.
• Male respondents in both Japan and the UK were more likely thanfemale respondents to assess the action as ‘fair’