Inevitable? Doping Attitudes among Berliners in 2011— The Role of Socialist State Socialization and Personal Factors

Background: In order to design effective and commonly accepted policies against Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PED), it is crucial to understand general attitudes towards doping in the population. Little is known about both attitudes toward doping, and the factors that shape such attitudes. Individual-level predictors of this study include age, gender, and whether respondents were former amateur athletes. A particular focus is on whether socialist or capitalist state socialization matters. Methods: IPSOS MOPRI carried out a web-based survey in the city of Berlin in fall 2011. Specifically designed, the survey elicited doping attitudes, socio-demographics and state socialization histories among 5,877 Berlin residents. Multivariate regression methods identified doping attitude predictors. Results: Former amateur athletes are a statistically significant 5ppt more often (i) in favour of heavy state sanctions for doping offenders and (ii) think that athletes can be successful without doping. Former athletes socialized in the GDR are a statistically significant 8ppt more likely to believe that (iii) doping is inevitable in sports. Younger people and females are significantly less likely to support (iv) heavy sanctions for doping offenders as compared to older people and males. Conclusions: Socio-demographics such as age, gender and athlete experience are significant determinants of doping attitudes. They operate in interaction with state socialization in shaping attitudes.