DLRG – German Life Saving Society
Bad Nenndorf
- Children from poorer backgrounds are more affected
- Swimming badge: 58 percent of ten-year-olds are not yet confident swimmers
- DLRG President calls for nationwide swimming lessons in schools
- Rural areas: swimming pools are less accessible
The number of primary school children in Germany who cannot swim has doubled. This was the result of a representative survey conducted by forsa last year. The German Life Saving Society (DLRG) commissioned the survey again after 2017. At that time, according to the parents, ten percent of children between the ages of six and ten could not swim. Now it’s 20 percent. “The difference is serious, but given the developments over the past two to three years, it’s not surprising,” said DLRG President Ute Vogt.
During the corona pandemic, practically no swimming training was able to take place for long periods of time. As a result, 37 percent of boys and girls of primary school age do not yet have a swimming badge – not even the seahorse that prepares them for swimming: the proportion of children with the popular badge has fallen from 69 in 2017 to 54 percent. “The DLRG and others have already done a lot since the summer of 2021 to catch up,” Vogt points out. The DLRG President therefore warns once again: “Just as boys and girls learn to read, write and do arithmetic, they must also learn to swim. We must ensure that every child can swim safely by the end of primary school.” This also applies now in the energy crisis, in which a whole range of municipalities are considering closing their bathrooms.
Many more non-swimmers in poorer households
The survey commissioned by the DLRG also clearly showed that boys and girls in families with a low household income are much more likely to be non-swimmers. Half (49%) of children from households with a net monthly income of less than €2,500 cannot swim. On the other hand, with a net household income of more than 4,000 euros, it is twelve percent. Vogt: “Being able to swim shouldn’t be a question of money. It’s all the more important that every school is able to teach swimming appropriately.” Since schools reach all children, such disparities could be reduced. In future, it would also be avoided that people with a secondary school leaving certificate (14%) are three times as likely to be non-swimmers and people with a migration background (9%) as twice as often as the average population aged 14 and over (5%).
Number of safe swimmers almost unchanged
At 57 percent, the number of children who are classified by their parents as safe swimmers has remained roughly the same (2017: 59%). However, this assessment is difficult for many parents. “Mothers and fathers are still all too often of the opinion that their child can swim if it has the seahorse,” says the head of training in the DLRG Presidium, Christian Landsberg. “But they are on the wrong track. The seahorse certifies that you have mastered important basics. Only those who have passed the free swimmer, i.e. the bronze swimming badge, can swim safely,” Landsberg continues. The DLRG assumes based on the information on the swimming badges that six out of ten children at the end of primary school (58%) are not confident swimmers.
Half of the 2,000 respondents aged 14 and over stated that they could swim well or very well themselves. There is no significant difference between men and women. Only 35 percent of people with a secondary school leaving certificate judged themselves to be good swimmers (high school graduates: 54%), and 38 percent of people with a migration background (without: 52%). And people over the age of 60 are also less confident in the water on average (37% good swimmers). The survey also showed that older people, people with a migration background and people with less formal education only learn to swim later.
Signs of a further decline in pool supply
After all, 87 percent of those surveyed have a swimming pool in the vicinity that is easy to reach. In 2017 it was 92 percent. For people from places with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, the value has dropped from 90 to 78 percent. “These results indicate that the trend in pool supply continues to go in the wrong direction,” says DLRG boss Ute Vogt and demands: “The federal, state and local governments must now finally come together at a round table.” This should initiate a nationwide needs analysis, which will create the basis for later systematically remedying the deficiencies in the pool infrastructure.
Further results from the representative survey “Swimming ability of the population 2022” commissioned by the DLRG by forsa can be found at dlrg.de/forsa2022
About the DLRG
With over 1.8 million members and sponsors, the DLRG is the largest water rescue organization in the world. Since it was founded in 1913, its mission has been to save people from drowning. Patron is Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The DLRG is the largest private provider of swimming training and number one in lifeguard training in Germany. From 1950 to 2020, she has completed nearly 23 million swim exams and over five million lifeguard exams. In around 2,000 organizations, the voluntary helpers provide around 6.8 million hours of voluntary work for the people of Germany every year. The core tasks of the DLRG are swimming and lifeguard training, education about water hazards and the water rescue service. Around 45,000 members watch over the safety of bathers and water sports enthusiasts for almost 2.5 million hours a year.
Press contact:
Martin Holzhause
Head of DLRG press office
Telephone: 05723 955 442
Mobile: 0162 175 12 04
Email: [email protected]
Original content from: DLRG – German Life Saving Society, transmitted by news aktuell
