# A third of Americans have thought of themselves as athletes

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/sports/a-third-of-americans-have-thought-of-themselves-as-athletes/

> Indexed question in Sports.

## Reading

Verasight surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from September 25 to 30, 2026. At some point in their lives, 34.4% of Americans have considered themselves an athlete, and 65.6% never have.

The question asks whether people have ever considered themselves an athlete, not whether they do now.

## Topline

At any point in your life, have you considered yourself an athlete?

A third of Americans have thought of themselves as athletes.

- No: 65.6%
- Yes: 34.4%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: US adults age 18+
- Field dates: 2026-09-25 → 2026-09-30
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.4%
- Module: Technology, Security, and Global Affairs
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/2026-153-apsa-omnibus-report#q-151](https://reports.verasight.io/r/2026-153-apsa-omnibus-report#q-151)

## Citation

APSA Omnibus Survey #2026-153, fielded September 25-30, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/2026-153-apsa-omnibus-report#q-151](https://reports.verasight.io/r/2026-153-apsa-omnibus-report#q-151)