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Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia: 2011-12
ReportPrepared by the National Centre for Culture and Recreation
Statistics, Australian Bureau of Statistics for the Committee of
Australian Sport and Recreation Officials Research Group
Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation,
Australia
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
Report
2
© Commonwealth of Australia 2013
Unless otherwise noted this report is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. You are free to copy,
communicate and adapt this work, so long as you attribute the
source. For more information see
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au
Produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the Committee
of Australian Sport and Recreation Officials (CASRO) Research
Group.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
Report
3
Contents
SECTION 2 Introduction 9
SECTION 3 Glossary 10
SECTION 5 Participation in sport and physical recreation 16
5.1 Frequency of participation in sport and physical recreation
16
5.2 Median frequency of participation in sport and physical
recreation 17
5.3 Regular participation in sport and physical recreation 17
5.4 Duration of recent participation in sport and physical
recreation 19
5.5 Average number of different physical activities 21
5.6 Top ten physical activities 21
SECTION 6 Participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation 24
6.1 Frequency of participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation 24
6.2 Median frequency of participation in non-organised sport and
physical recreation 25
6.3 Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation 26
6.4 Top ten non-organised physical activities 27
SECTION 7 Participation in organised sport and physical recreation
29
7.1 Frequency of participation in organised sport and physical
recreation 29
7.2 Median frequency of participation in organised sport and
physical recreation 30
7.3 Regular participation in organised sport and physical
recreation 31
7.4 Type of organisation 32
7.5 Top ten organised physical activities 33
SECTION 8 Participation in sports club based sport and physical
recreation 35
8.1 Frequency of participation in sports club based sport and
physical recreation 35
8.2 Median frequency of participation in sports club based sport
and physical recreation 36
8.3 Regular participation in sports club based sport and physical
recreation 36
8.4 Top ten sports club based physical activities 37
SECTION 9 Participation in recreation club based sport and physical
recreation 38
9.1 Frequency of participation in recreation club based sport and
physical recreation 38
9.2 Median frequency of participation in recreation club based
sport and physical recreation 39
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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4
List of tables 40
10.2 State and territory tables 129
10.3 Individual state/territory tables 144
10.3.1 Australian Capital Territory tables 144
10.3.2 New South Wales tables 172
10.3.3 Northern Territory tables 200
10.3.4 Queensland tables 228
10.3.6 Tasmanian tables 284
10.3.7 Victorian tables 312
SECTION 12 Contacts 373
APPENDIX 2 Technical notes 376
APPENDIX 3 2011-12 MPHS Participation in sport and physical
recreation questionnaire 378
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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Page no.
1 PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By sex, 2005-06,
2009-10 and 2011-12 16
2 PERSONS, Sport and physical recreation — By frequency of
participation in any sport and physical recreation activity
16
3 PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — Median frequency of
participation, By sex and age 17
4 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By sex and
age 18
5 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By region
and sex 18
6 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By country
of birth and sex 19
7 PERSONS, Sport and physical recreation — Duration of recent
participation 20
8 RECENT PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — Median
duration of participation per week, By sex and age 20
9 PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — Mean number of
physical activities, By sex and age 21
10 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 physical activities 21
11 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 regular physical activities 23
12 PARTICIPANTS, Non-organised sport and physical recreation — By
sex, 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12 24
13 PERSONS, Non-organised sport and physical recreation — By
frequency of participation 25
14 PARTICIPANTS, Non-organised sport and physical recreation —
Median frequency of participation, By sex and age 25
15 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Non-organised sport and physical
recreation —By sex and age 26
16 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 non-organised physical activities 27
17 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 regular non-organised physical activities
28
18 PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation — By sex,
2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12 29
19 PERSONS, Organised sport and physical recreation — By frequency
of participation 30
20 PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation — Median
frequency of participation, By sex and age 30
21 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation —
By sex and age 31
22 PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation — Type of
organisation, By sex 32
23 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 organised physical activities 33
24 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 regular organised physical activities
34
25 PERSONS, Sports club based sport and physical recreation — By
frequency of participation 35
26 PARTICIPANTS, Sports club based sport and physical recreation —
Median frequency of participation, By sex and age 36
27 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sports club based sport and physical
recreation — By sex and age 37
28 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 sports club based physical activities
37
29 PARTICIPANTS, Recreation club based sport and physical
recreation — By frequency of participation 38
List of boxes
1 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 physical activities — 2005-06, 2009-10 and
2011-12 22
2 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 non-organised physical activities — 2005-06,
2009-10 and 2011-12 28
3 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 organised physical activities— 2005-06,
2009-10 and 2011-12 33
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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6
BACKGROUND
The ABS Multi-Purpose Household Survey (MPHS) Participation in
Sport and Physical Recreation module collects informa- tion on the
frequency, duration, nature and type of physical activities
participated in for exercise, recreation or sport by persons aged
15 years and over in Australia. Information on participation in
sport and physical recreation was collected by the MPHS in 2005-06,
2009-10 and 2011-12. In 2011-12 the module had a total of 13,630
respondents across Australia over the 12 month period. A summary of
key findings is provided below.
KEY FINDINGS
Participation in sport and physical recreation
• In 2011-12, an estimated 11.7 million persons aged 15 years and
over, or 65.0% of the population living in private dwellings,
participated at least once annually in sport and physical
recreation. This is the participation rate.
• An estimated 8.7 million persons aged 15 years and over, or 48.1%
of the population, participated at least once per week in sport and
physical recreation. This is the weekly participation rate.
• An estimated 4.6 million persons aged 15 years and over, or 25.6%
of the population, participated at least three times per week in
sport and physical recreation. This is the regular participation
rate.
• An estimated 2.4 million persons aged 15 years and over, or 13.1%
of the population, participated five times per week or more in
sport and physical recreation. This is the frequent participation
rate.
• The median frequency of participation in sport and physical
recreation for all persons (including non-participants) was 1.0
times per week. Males in the younger age groups of 15 to 17 and 18
to 24 years had higher median frequen- cies of participation (1.3
and 1.1 times per week respectively) than females in the same age
groups (0.8 and 1.0 times per week respectively).
• An estimated 8.2 million persons, or 45.4% of the population,
participated for two hours or more per week in the two weeks prior
to interview. An estimated 5.3 million persons, or 29.3% of the
population, participated for five hours or more per week in the two
weeks prior to interview.
• Except in the youngest (15 to 17 and 18 to 24 years) and oldest
age groups (65 years and over), females had higher regular
participation rates in sport and physical recreation.
• While females participated in sport and physical recreation more
regularly than males, males participated for a longer duration. The
median duration of participation in the two weeks prior to
interview was 3.0 hours for males and 2.5 hours for females. Males
had a higher median duration across all age groups.
• Among males, those who were born in non-main English speaking
countries had slightly higher regular participation rates (27.7%)
than those born in Australia (24.9%) or in main English speaking
countries (24.4%). Among females, those who were born in non-main
English speaking countries had the lowest regular participation
rates (18.3%), espe- cially when compared with those who were born
in a main English speaking country (34.1%).
• The number of different physical activities participated in was
strongly related to age for both males and females. Par- ticipants
aged between 15 and 17 years participated in an average of 2.0
different physical activities in the 12 months prior to interview,
whilst participants aged 65 years and over participated in an
average of 1.4 different physical activities.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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7
• The top ten physical activities in 2011-12 were walking for
exercise, fitness/gym, swimming/diving, cycling/BMXing,
jogging/running, golf, tennis (indoor and outdoor), soccer
(outdoor), netball (indoor and outdoor) and bush walking. An
estimated 4.3 million persons, or 23.6% of the population,
participated at least once in walking for exercise in
2011-12.
• In terms of the top ten physical activities, the largest increase
in participation between 2005-06 and 2011-12 was for
jogging/running, increasing by 100%.
• Of the top ten physical activities, bush walking experienced the
largest fall in participation between 2005-06 and 2011-12
(16.0%).
Participation in non-organised sport and physical recreation
‘Non-organised sport and physical recreation’ is physical activity
for exercise, recreation or sport that was non-organised in full or
in part (that is, not fully organised by a club, association or
other type of organisation).
• The participation rate for non-organised sport and physical
recreation was 52.8% in 2011-12. Of people who partici- pated in
sport and physical recreation, 81.2% engaged in partially or fully
non-organised physical activity.
• An estimated 3.8 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least three times per week in non-organised sport
and physical recreation, a regular participation rate of
20.9%.
• Females had higher regular participation rates in non-organised
sport and physical recreation (21.7%) than males (20.1%). The only
age groups where males had a higher regular participation rate were
those 18 to 24 years and 65 years and over.
• Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation was highest for those in the 55 to 64 years age group
and lowest for those in the 15 to 17 years age group.
• Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation was highest among those whose highest educa- tional
achievement was a graduate diploma or graduate certificate.
• Regular participation rates in non-organised sport and physical
recreation were lowest among persons who were born in a non-main
English-speaking country.
• The top ten non-organised physical activities in 2011-12, in
terms of total participation rate, were walking for exercise,
fitness/gym, cycling/BMXing, jogging/running, swimming/diving,
golf, tennis (indoor and outdoor), bush walking, fishing and surf
sports. Over 90% of participation in walking for exercise,
jogging/running, swimming/diving, bush walking, fishing and surf
sports was non-organised.
• Jogging/running had the largest increase in non-organised
participation between 2005-06 and 2011-12, increasing by
101%.
Participation in organised sport and physical recreation
‘Organised sport and physical recreation’ is physical activity for
exercise, recreation or sport that was organised in full or in part
by (1) a fitness, leisure or indoor sports centre that required
payment for participation, (2) a sports club or association that
required payment of membership, fees or registration, (3) a
recreation club or association, (4) a workplace, (5) an educa-
tional institution, (6) a physical activity course, (7) a community
fitness program or event, or any other type of organisation.
• The participation rate for organised sport and physical
recreation was 27.2% in 2011-12. Of people who participated in
sport and physical recreation, 41.8% engaged in partially or fully
organised activity.
• An estimated 827,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
at least three times per week in organised sport and physical
recreation, a regular participation rate of 4.6%.
• Overall, regular participation rates in organised sport and
physical recreation were slightly higher among females (4.7%) than
males (4.4%) in 2011-12. However, within some age groups males had
higher regular participation rates than females: 15 to 17 years
(15.1% and 10.7% respectively), 18 to 24 years (8.5% and 5.9%
respectively) and 35 to 44 years (5.1% and 4.5%
respectively).
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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• Regular participation in organised sport and physical recreation
was most common among persons aged 15 to 17 years, and
participation declined with age, in contrast to regular
participation in non-organised sport and physical recreation which
was lowest for the 15-17 years age group.
• Those whose highest educational achievement was Year 12 (6.3%) or
Year 11 (5.8%) had the highest regular participa- tion rates in
organised sport and physical recreation.
• The top ten organised physical activities in 2011-12, in terms of
total participation rate, were fitness/gym, golf, soccer (outdoor),
netball (indoor and outdoor), tennis (indoor and outdoor), football
sports, basketball (indoor and outdoor), lawn bowls, martial arts
and cricket (outdoor).
• In terms of the top ten organised physical activities, soccer
(outdoor) had the largest increase (30%) in total participation
between 2005-06 and 2011-12. The majority of this increase in
organised participation in soccer (outdoor) occurred between
2009-10 and 2011-12.
• Other top ten organised physical activities experiencing
increases in participation since 2005-06 were martial arts (13%)
and netball (indoor and outdoor)(6%).
• Of the top ten organised physical activities, cricket (outdoor)
experienced the largest fall (8%) in participation be- tween
2005-06 and 2011-12.
Participation in sports club based sport and physical
recreation
‘Sports club based sport and physical recreation’ is physical
activity for exercise, recreation or sport that was organised in
full or in part by a sports club or association that required
payment of membership, fees or registration. This was distinct from
fitness, leisure or sports centres that required payment for
participation, and from recreation clubs or associations.
• The participation rate for sports club based sport and physical
recreation was 15.4%.
• An estimated 289,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
at least three times per week in sports club based sport and
physical recreation, a regular participation rate of 1.6%.
• In sports club based sport and physical recreation, and in
contrast to non-organised sport and physical recreation, the male
regular participation rate (2.5%) exceeded the female rate
(0.7%).
• Regular participation in sports club based sport and physical
recreation was most common among persons aged 15 to 17 years
(6.8%).
• The top ten sports club based physical activities in 2011-12 were
golf, soccer (outdoor), tennis (indoor and outdoor), netball
(indoor and outdoor), lawn bowls, football sports, Australian rules
football, cricket (outdoor), basketball (in- door and outdoor) and
martial arts.
Participation in recreation club based sport and physical
recreation
‘Recreation club based sport and physical recreation’ is physical
activity for exercise, recreation or sport that was organised in
full or in part by a recreation club or association that required
payment of membership, fees or registration. This was dis- tinct
from fitness, leisure or sports centres that required payment for
participation, and from sport clubs or associations.
• The participation rate for recreation club based sport and
physical recreation was 1.8%.
• An estimated 109,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
at least once per week in recreation club based sport and physical
recreation, a weekly participation rate of 0.6%.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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9
SECTION 2 Introduction
This report presents results from the 2011-12 Australian Bureau of
Statistics (ABS) Multi-Purpose Household Survey (MPHS)
Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation module. For more
information on the MPHS please refer to section 11 Explan- atory
Notes.
This report replaces the Exercise Recreation and Sport Survey
(ERASS) Annual Report. The ERASS was run annually from 2001 until
2010 by market research firms contracted by the Australian Sports
Commission (ASC). In 2010 the ERASS was decommissioned following
The Future of Sport in Australia review by the Independent Sports
Panel in 2009. The ABS is now the primary provider of data relating
to participation in sport and physical recreation. The MPHS
Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation module has a time
series over three iterations, 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12. The
Committee of Australian Sport and Recreation Officials (CASRO) have
provided the ABS with funding to increase the frequency of the MPHS
Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation module from four
yearly to biennial. The next iteration of the module is scheduled
for 2013-14.
Data from the Exercise Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS) and the
MPHS Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation module are not
comparable due to methodological differences.
The MPHS collects information about the characteristics of persons
aged 15 years and over, living in occupied private dwellings. This
report presents details of persons who participated in a sport or
physical recreational activity as a participant at least once
during the 12 months prior to interview in 2011–12. The term
‘participant’ is defined as a player, competitor or person who
takes part in some other physically active role. Information on
involvement by people who participated solely as coaches, umpires
or club officials are excluded from the data in this report.
Activities such as gardening, housework, manual labouring and other
forms of occupational physical activity were excluded from the
data. Please see section 4 Physi- cal activity definitions for more
information on which activities were classified as sport and
physical recreation.
This publication presents information regarding the:
• frequency of participation
• facilities used by participants.
Information is available for all states and territories and for a
number of demographic variables.
Data is presented on the participation rate in sport or physical
recreational activities over the 12 month period. The par-
ticipation rate is based on the number of persons who have
undertaken an activity at least once during the previous 12 months.
This rate does not reflect the number of persons who are physically
active on a regular basis.
In the ERASS annual reports there was a focus on persons who were
physically active three times per week or more on av- erage over
the 12 month period. This is referred to as the regular
participation rate. Due to the method of collection of the
frequency of participation in the 2005-06 and 2009-10 iterations of
the MPHS Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation module,
time series data is not available on the regular participation
rate.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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10
SECTION 3 Glossary
Area of usual residence Two geographic classifications are used in
this publication to determine a person’s area of usual residence:
the Austra- lian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) and
the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).
Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) State
capital cities The areas determining the six state capital cities
are the Statistical Divisions for those capital cities defined in
the Australian Standard Geographical Classification, ASGC (cat. no.
1216.0).
Balance of state/territory This category comprises people usually
resident in areas outside of the six state capital city Statistical
Divisions (as defined in the Australian Standard Geographical
Classifica- tion, ASGC (cat. no. 1216.0)), including all residents
of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital
Territory.
Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Capital city The
areas determining the eight capital city regions (as defined in the
Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 – Main
Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2011
(cat. no. 1270.0.55.001)), includ- ing all residents of the
Australian Capital Territory and the Darwin Statistical
Division.
Rest of state/territory This category comprises people usually
resident in areas outside of the eight capital city Statistical
Divisions (as defined in the Australian Statistical Geography
Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 – Main Structure and Greater Capital City
Statistical Areas, July 2011 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.001)), exclud- ing
all residents in the ACT.
Couple Two people in a registered or de facto marriage, who usually
live in the same household.
Dependent Children All people aged under 15 years, and people aged
15-24 years who are full-time students, have a parent in the house-
hold and do not have a partner or child of their own in the
household.
Employed All persons aged 15 years and over who, during the week
prior to interview:
• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commis- sion or
payment in kind in a job or business, or on
a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account
workers)
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or
on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers)
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
• away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the
reference week
• away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the
reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week
period to the end of the reference week
• away from work as a standard work or shift ar- rangement
• on strike or locked out
• on workers’ compensation and expected to return to their job,
or
• were employers or own account workers, who had a job, business or
farm, but were not at work.
Employed full time All people who usually worked 35 hours or more a
week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less
than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference
week.
Employed part time All people who usually worked less than 35 hours
a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week,
or were not at work in the reference week.
Equivalised household income Equivalising adjusts actual income to
take into account the different needs of the households of
different sizes and compo- sitions. There are economic advantages
associated with living with others, because household resources,
especially housing, can be shared. The equivalence scale used to
obtain equivalised income is that used in studies by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and
is referred to as the ‘modified OECD scale’. The scale gives a
weight of 1.0 to the first adult in the household, a weight of 0.5
for each additional adult (persons aged 15 years and over) and a
weight of 0.3 for every child. For each household, the weights of
the household members are added together to form a household
weight. Total household income is then divided by the household
weight to give an income that a lone person household would need
for a similar standard of living. Equivalised household income can
be viewed as an indicator of the economic resources available to
each member of the household.
11
ERASS Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey. A quarterly tele-
phone collection conducted by ACNielsen Research (now The Nielsen
Company) from 2000 to 2007 and Newspoll from 2008 to 2010. The
overall aim of ERASS was to measure trends in physical activity by
Australians aged 15 years and over. Results were published annually
from 2001 to 2010. See Appendix 1 for a brief history of ERASS
annual reports.
Family Two or more people, one of whom is at least 15 years of age,
who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto),
adoption, step or fostering, and who usually live in the same
household. A separate family is formed for each married couple, or
for each set of parent-child relationships where only one parent is
present.
Fitness and leisure centre based sport and physical recreation
Physical activity for exercise, recreation or sport that was or-
ganised in full or in part by a fitness, leisure or indoor sports
centre that requires payment for participation. This includes
aerobics and fitness/gym participants. This is distinct from (1)
sports clubs or associations that required payment of membership,
fees or registration; and (2) recreation clubs or associations that
may, or may not have, required payment for participation.
Frequency of participation The number of times a person
participated in physical activ- ity for exercise, recreation or
sport in the 12 months prior to interview. Frequency of
participation per week is derived by dividing the number of times a
person participated in the 12 months prior to interview by the
number of weeks in a year (52). This provides an average of the
number of times persons participated per week. This calculation is
also used to derive ‘weekly participation rate’, ‘regular
participation rate’, ‘frequent participation rate’, and the
frequency catego- ries listed below.
Less than once per week — 1 to 51 times in the 12 months prior to
interview
Once per week or more — 52 times or more in the 12 months prior to
interview
Twice per week or more — 104 times or more in the 12 months prior
to interview
Three times per week or more — 156 times or more in the 12 months
prior to interview
Five times per week or more — 260 times or more in the 12 months
prior to interview
Once to two times per week — 52 to 155 times in the 12 months prior
to interview
Three to four times per week— 156 to 259 times in the 12 months
prior to interview
Frequent participation rate The number of persons who participated
‘at least five times weekly’ in the 12 months prior to interview,
expressed as a percentage of the population in the same group.
Frequency of participation per week is derived by dividing the
number of times a person participated in the 12 months prior to
interview by the number of weeks in a year (52). A ‘frequent
participant’ therefore participated at least 260 times in the 12
months prior to interview.
Household A group of two or more related or unrelated people who
usually reside in the same dwelling, who regard themselves as a
household, and who make common provision for food or other
essentials for living; or a person living in a dwelling who makes
provision for his/her own food and other essen- tials for living,
without combining with any other person.
Household composition Descriptions of the different types of
household composi- tion are provided below:
Couple only — A household consisting of a couple with no other
related or unrelated persons usually resident.
Couple with dependent children — A household consisting of a couple
and at least one dependent child usually resident in the household.
Related non-dependent children may also be present in the
household. Households which also have other related or unrelated
residents are included.
One parent with dependent children — A household consist- ing of a
lone parent and at least one dependent child usual- ly resident in
the household. Non-dependent children may also be present in the
household. Households which also have other related or unrelated
usual residents are included.
Lone person — A household consisting of a person living
alone.
Other — Comprises all other households, including multi- ple family
households, group households and households consisting of unrelated
adults, and other one family house- holds.
Labour force status A classification of the civilian population
aged 15 years and over into employed, unemployed or not in the
labour force, as defined. The definitions conform closely to the
interna- tional standard definitions adopted by the International
Conferences of Labour Statisticians.
Main English-speaking countries The list of main English-speaking
countries provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on
the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official
language of
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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12
each country. It is a list of the main countries from which
Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of
overseas settlers who are likely to speak English. These countries
comprise the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand,
Canada, South Africa and the United States of America. Non-main
English-speaking countries is a descriptor for people originating
from countries where a language other than English is likely to be
spoken. It is im- portant to note that being from a non-main
English-speak- ing country does not imply a lack of proficiency in
English.
Married Married persons are those who describe their marital status
as being married or in a de facto relationship.
Mean The mean is the sum of the value of each observation in a
distribution divided by the number of observations.
Median The median is the middle value in a distribution when the
values are arranged in ascending or descending order.
MPHS Multi-Purpose Household Survey
Non-main English-speaking countries See Main English-speaking
countries.
Non-organised sport and physical recreation Physical activity for
exercise, recreation or sport that was non-organised in full or in
part (that is, not fully organised by a club, association or other
type of organisation).
Non-participation rate The number of people who did not participate
in any activity at least once in the year as a percentage of the
population aged 15 years and over. For example, the
non-participation rate for males aged 15–17 years in NSW would be
the estimate of males aged 15–17 years in NSW who did not
participate ex- pressed as a percentage of all males aged 15–17
years in NSW.
Not in the labour force People who were not in the categories
‘employed’ or ‘unem- ployed’.
Not married Not married persons are those who describe their
marital status as being either separated, divorced, widowed or
never married.
Off-road cycleways or bike paths Includes off-road tracks or trails
that are surfaced (e.g. gravel or bitumen) or unsurfaced (e.g.
dirt). Excludes on-road bicycle lanes.
Organised sport and physical recreation Physical activity for
exercise, recreation or sport that was organised in full or in part
by (1) a fitness, leisure or indoor sports centre that required
payment for participation, (2) a sports club or association that
required payment of mem- bership, fees or registration, (3) a
recreation club or associ- ation, (4) a workplace, (5) an
educational institution, (6) a physical activity course, (7) a
community fitness program or event, or any other type of
organisation. Note that this classification system differs to that
used in previous ERASS reports (which included 5 categories).
Outdoor sports facilities Includes public swimming pools, outdoor
tennis, basketball etc. courts, bowling greens, ski resorts, BMX
tracks/courses, golf courses and athletics tracks. Excludes
residential and educational institution swimming pools.
Parks or reserves Includes open space or tracks or trails in nature
areas.
Participants Those persons playing a sport or physically
undertaking an activity. Persons involved solely as a coach,
teacher, instructor, referee, umpire, administrator or club
committee member are excluded from the data.
Participation rate The number of people who participated in an
activity at least once during the year as a percentage of the
population aged 15 years and over. For example, the participation
rate for males aged 15–17 years in NSW would be the estimate of
males aged 15–17 years in NSW who participated expressed as a
percentage of all males aged 15–17 years in NSW.
Per week Frequency of participation per week is derived by dividing
the number of times a person participated in the 12 months prior to
interview by the number of weeks in a year (52). This provides an
average of the number of times persons participated per week.
However, users should be aware that persons who are reported as
participating for example ‘once per week’, may not have
participated once per week each week throughout the 12 months prior
to interview, as their participation might be concentrated during
particular time periods. For example, an individual who
participates in cricket 52 times over three months, then in no
other activity for the other 9 months, would appear to participate
in phys- ical activity for exercise, recreation or sport ‘once per
week’.
Physical activities See section 4 Physical activity definitions for
physical activi- ty groups featured in this publication.
Public playing fields and ovals Grounds that consist of wide
expanses of grass, dirt or sand
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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with any marked lines, goals/goal posts or other sport-spe- cific
infrastructure, such as football fields.
Quintiles Groupings that result from ranking all households or
people in the population in ascending order according to some
characteristic such as their income and then dividing the
population into five equal groups, each comprising 20% of the
estimated population.
Recent participants Respondents are asked about their recent
participation in regards to the three physical activities for which
they reported the highest frequency of participation in the 12
months prior to interview. Persons who participated in at least one
of these physical activities in the two weeks prior to interview
are ‘recent participants’.
Recent physical activity Physical activity for exercise, recreation
or sport undertak- en in the two weeks prior to interview.
Respondents are only asked about their recent participation in
regards to the three physical activities for which they reported
the highest frequency of participation in the 12 months prior to
interview.
Recreation club based physical activity Physical activity for
exercise, recreation or sport that was or- ganised in full or in
part by a recreation club or association that may, or may not have,
required payment for participa- tion. This is distinct from (1)
fitness, leisure or sports centres that required payment for
participation; and (2) sports clubs or associations that required
payment of membership, fees or registration.
Regular participants Persons who participated ‘at least three times
weekly’ in the 12 months prior to interview, expressed as the
percentage of the population in the same group, are referred to as
‘reg- ular participants’. Frequency of participation per week is
de- rived by dividing the number of times a person participated in
the 12 months prior to interview by the number of weeks in a year
(52). A ‘regular participant’ therefore participated at least 156
times in the 12 months prior to interview.
Regular participation rate The number of persons who participated
‘at least three times weekly’ in the 12 months prior to interview,
expressed as a percentage of the population in the same group.
Frequency of participation per week is derived by dividing the
number of times a person participated in the 12 months prior to
interview by the number of weeks in a year (52). A ‘regular
participant’ therefore participated at least 156 times in the 12
months prior to interview.
RSE The relative standard error (RSE) is the standard error ex-
pressed as a proportion of an estimated value. See section 11.7
Reliability of estimates for further information.
Schools and educational facilities Includes swimming pools in
educational facilities.
Sports club based sport and physical recreation Physical activity
for exercise, recreation or sport that was organised in full or in
part by a sport club or association that required payment of
membership, fees or registration. This is distinct from (1)
fitness, leisure or sports centres that required payment for
participation; and (2) recreation clubs or associations that may,
or may not have, required payment for participation.
Sport and physical recreation Respondents were not advised what
activities they should include as sport or physical recreation.
However, activities such as gardening, housework, manual labouring
and other forms of occupational physical activity were excluded.
See Section 4 Physical activity definitions for physical activity
groups featured in this publication.
SE The standard error (SE) indicates the amount of variation be-
tween any estimated value based on a sample and the true value of
the population.
Unemployed People aged 15 years and over who were not employed
during the reference week, and:
• had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time
in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were
available for work in the reference week, or
• were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of
the reference week and could have started in the reference week if
the job had been available then.
Weekly participation rate The number of persons who participated
‘at least once a week’ in the 12 months prior to interview,
expressed as a percentage of the population in the same group.
Frequency of participation per week is derived by dividing the
number of times a person participated in the 12 months prior to
interview by the number of weeks in a year (52). A ‘weekly
participant’ therefore participated at least 52 times in the 12
months prior to interview.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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The following physical activity groups are featured in this
publication.
Aerobics Excludes aqua aerobics.
Aqua aerobics
Australian rules football
Bush walking
Canoeing/kayaking Excludes dragon boat racing and canoe polo.
Estimates on the individual activities of canoeing and kayaking
have been provided in selected tables.
Carpet bowls
Cricket (indoor)
Cricket (outdoor)
Cycling/BMXing
Includes bike riding and mountain bike riding. Excludes exercise
bike cycling and spin cycling.
Dancing/ballet Includes ballroom dancing, bellydancing, boot
scooting, callisthenics, dance sport, folk dancing, Latin dancing,
line dancing, salsa, swing dancing and dancing (other).
Darts
Fencing
Fitness/gym Includes boot camp, circuits, exercise biking,
exercising, fit- ness classes, gym classes, gym workouts, RPM, spin
cycling, treadmill activities, weight training and zumba.
Football sports Includes Gaelic football, gridiron, Oztag, touch
football, and other football sports. Excludes rugby, soccer and
Australian rules football. Estimates on the individual activities
of Oztag and touch football have been provided in selected
tables.
Frisbee/boomerang throwing Includes ultimate frisbee and flying
disc games.
Golf Excludes minigolf.
Hockey (indoor and outdoor) Excludes inline hockey.
Horse riding/equestrian activities/polo Includes dressage, polo
cross and show jumping. Excludes rodeo and horseracing. Estimates
on the individual activ- ities of horse riding and polo cross have
been provided in selected tables.
Ice/snow sports Includes bobsledding, broomball, ice hockey,
ice-skating, snowboarding, skeleton, snow skiing and ice sport
(other).
Jogging/running Includes running (for exercise).
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Lawn bowls
Martial arts Includes aikido, Chi Kung, judo, jujitsu, karate,
kendo, kick- boxing, ninjitsu, taekwondo, Tai Chi, and martial arts
(other).
Minigolf
Motor sports Includes car racing, motorbike racing, speedway, drag
rac- ing, go-karting and motor sports (other).
Netball (indoor and outdoor)
Pilates Excludes yoga.
Rope skipping
Rugby union Includes rugby sevens.
Sailing
Scuba diving/snorkelling
Shooting sports Includes bird, clay, clay pigeon, crossbow, duck,
pistol, rifle, running target, shotgun, trap and target shooting,
hunting (with gun), paintball, skirmish and shooting sports
(other). Excludes archery and bow hunting.
Skateboarding/inline hockey/roller sports Includes inline hockey,
rollerblading, rollerskating, skate- boarding and roller sport
(other).
Soccer (indoor) Includes futsal.
Surf sports Includes surfing, bodyboarding and surf sports (other).
Excludes wind surfing, sailboarding or surf lifesaving. Estimates
on the individual activity of surfing have been provided in
selected tables.
Swimming/diving Includes springboard diving and platform
diving.
Table tennis
Walking for exercise Excludes bush walking.
Water polo Excludes canoe polo.
Waterskiing/powerboating Includes jet skiing and wakeboarding.
Estimates on the individual activity of waterskiing have been
provided in selected tables.
Water volleyball/canoe polo/rafting/other water sports Includes
underwater hockey, white water rafting, rafting, dragon boat
racing, and water sports (other).
Weight lifting/body building Excludes weight training or
circuits.
Wind surfing/sailboarding Includes kite surfing.
Yoga Excludes Pilates.
Additional sport/physical activity groups were collected, but did
not receive sufficient responses to enable them to be included in
this publication. These activities were: handball, harness racing,
horse racing, korfball, lacrosse (indoor and outdoor, including
softcross), marching, rodeo, wood chop- ping and wrestling.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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During the 12 months prior to interview in 2011-12:
• An estimated 11.7 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once annually in sport and physical
recreation, a participation rate of 65.0% (Table 1).
• The 2011-12 total participation rate was higher than in 2009-10
(63.6%), but lower than in 2005-06 (65.9%) (Figure 1 and Table
10).
Figure 1 PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By sex,
2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12
5.1 Frequency of participation in sport and physical
recreation
• An estimated 8.7 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once per week1 in sport and physical
recreation, a weekly participation rate of 48.1% (Table 4).
• An estimated 4.6 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated three times per week or more, a regular partici-
pation rate of 25.6% (Table 4).
• An estimated 2.4 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated five times per week or more, a frequent partici-
pation rate of 13.1% (Table 3).
• An estimated 6.3 million persons aged 15 years and over did not
participate in any sport or physical recreation in the 12 months
prior to interview in 2011-12, a non-participation rate of 35.0%
(Table 3).
Figure 2 PERSONS, Sport and physical recreation — Frequency of
participation in any sport and physical recreation activity
1 See glossary for information a bout how per week statistics are
calculated.
60
62
64
66
68
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5.2 median frequency of participation in sport and physical
recreation
All Persons aged 15 years and over
• The median frequency of participation in sport and physical
recreation for all Australians aged 15 years and over (including
zero frequency) was 1.0 times per week in 2011-12 (Table 5).2
• For all females, the median frequency of participation was 1.0
times per week in 2011-12 (Table 5).3
• Male median frequency of participation was 0.9 times per week in
2011-12 (Table 5).4
• The median frequency of participation was highest for males in
the 15 to 17 and 18 to 24 years age groups (1.3 and 1.1 times per
week respectively) (Table 5).5
Participants
• Among those who did participate in sport and physical recreation
(excluding zero frequency), the median frequency of participation
in any physical activity was 2.2 times per week in 2011-12 (Table
6).6
• Median frequency of participation was 2.5 times per week for
female participants and 2.0 times per week for male par- ticipants
(Table 6).7
• Amongst participants, those in the age groups 45 to 54 years (2.8
times per week), 55 to 64 years (2.9 times per week) and 65 years
and over (2.9 times per week) had the highest median frequency of
participation (Figure 3 and Table 6).8
Figure 3 PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — Median
frequency of participation, By sex and age
5.3 Regular participation in sport and physical recreation
Regular participation in sport and physical recreation is defined
as those participating three times per week or more, on
average.9
• The regular participation rate in sport and physical recreation
in 2011-12 was 25.6% (Table 16).
2 , 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 See glossary for information about how per
week statistics are calculated
0
1
4
2
Females Persons
15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group (years)
65 and over55 to 64
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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Age and sex
• In 2011-12, regular participation rates (three times per week or
more) in sport and physical recreation were higher for females than
males (26.5% and 24.7%, respectively) (Table 16).
• Females were generally more regularly active as they got older,
peaking at 55 to 64 years old (30.5%), and then declin- ing again
for those aged 65 years or older (20.9%) (Figure 4 and Table
16).
• Males in the age groups 15 to 17, 18 to 24 and 65 and over
(26.1%, 27.6% and 25.8% respectively) were more regularly active
than females of the same age group (Figure 4 and Table 16).
Figure 4 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By
sex and age
Labour force status
• Labour force status had some impact on the regular participation
rate in 2011-12, with part-time employed persons having the highest
regular participation rate (28.6%), compared with persons who were
full-time employed (26.3%), unemployed (24.3%) and not in the
labour force (23.0%) (Table 16).
Regional status
• The regular participation rate in sport and physical recreation
among persons living in capital cities was slightly higher than for
those living in the balance of state/territory (26.5% and 23.9%
respectively) (Table 16).
• In both geographic areas, regular participation was higher for
females than for males (Figure 5 and Table 16).
Figure 5 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By
region and sex
0
10
20
40
30
Percent (%) Males Females Persons
15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group (years)
65 and over55 to 64
0
10
30
20
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Education
• The regular participation rate was highest for those whose
highest educational attainment was a graduate diploma or graduate
certificate (36.8%), a bachelor degree (35.1%), or a postgraduate
degree (33.7%). The regular participation rate was lowest for those
whose highest level of educational attainment was Year 10 or
below10 (16.9%) (Table 16).
Country of birth
• Among males, there was little difference in regular participation
rates between those who were born in Australia (24.9%) and those
born in main English-speaking countries11 (24.4%). Males in both
groups had slightly lower regular participation rates than males
who were born in non-main English-speaking countries (27.7%)
(Figure 6 and Table 16).
• Among females, those who were born in non-main English-speaking
countries had the lowest regular participation rate (18.3%),
especially when compared with those who were born in a main
English-speaking country (34.1%) (Figure 6 and Table 16).
Figure 6 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — By
country of birth and sex
5.4 Duration of recent participation in sport and physical
recreation
• An estimated 9.4 million people, or 52.1% of the population aged
15 years and over, participated in sport and physical recreation at
least once in the two weeks prior to interview12 in 2011-12 (Table
11). These people are described as ‘recent participants’ in this
report 13.
• Just under half of all persons (47.9%) did not participate in
sport and physical recreation 14 in the two weeks prior to
interview in 2011-12 (Figure 7).
• The majority of recent participants, an estimated 5.3 million
people, or 29.3% of all persons, participated for five hours or
more per week in the two weeks prior to interview (Table 11).
• An estimated 1.2 million people, or 6.5% of all persons,
participated for less than two hours per week in the two weeks
prior to interview in 2011-12 (Table 11).
10 Including those with no educational attainment. 11 See glossary
for definitions of main and non-main English speaking countries. 12
Includes persons who answered ‘Don’t know’ to the number of
sessions participated in during the previous two weeks. 13 See
glossary for more information about how ‘recent participants’ are
defined. 14 Did not participate in one of their ‘top three’
activities for 2011-12 in the two weeks prior to interview.
0
10
40
30
20
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Figure 7 PERSONS, Sport and physical recreation — Duration of
recent participation
Whilst females were more likely to be ‘regular participants’ 15 in
sport and physical recreation (see section 5.3 Regular par-
ticipation in sport and physical recreation), males participated
for a longer duration than females. Figure 8 shows ‘recent
participants’ 16 median duration in hours of sport and physical
recreation per week.
• Almost two-thirds of males (60.3%) who participated in sport and
physical recreation during the two weeks prior to interview did so
for five hours or more per week (Table 12). The median duration of
participation for males was 3.0 hours per week (Table 15).
• Among females, 52.2% who participated in sport and physical
recreation during the two weeks prior to the interview did so for
five hours or more per week (Table 13). The median duration of
participation for females was 2.5 hours per week (Table 15).
• Among males, median duration of participation in sport and
physical recreation was highest among those aged 18 to 24 years and
those aged 65 years and over (both 3.5 hours per week). Median
duration was lowest for males aged 35 to 44 years (2.8 hours per
week) (Figure 8 and Table 15).
• Among females, median duration of participation in any physical
activity was highest among those aged 45 to 54 years (2.9 hours per
week). Median duration was lowest for females aged 25 to 34 and 35
to 44 years (both 2.3 hours per week) (Figure 8 and Table
15).
Figure 8 RECENT PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation —
Median 17 duration of participation per week, By sex and age
15 See glossary for more information about how ‘regular
participants’ are defined. 16 See glossary for more information
about how ‘recent participants’ are defined. 17 Median calculation
excludes participation in activities for which the respondent
reported ‘Don’t know’ to the average duration of each session of
the specific activity participated in within the two weeks prior to
interview.
0
10
50
40
20
30
Percent (%)
Two hours or more but less than five hours
Five hours or more
Females Persons
15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group (years)
65 and over55 to 64
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5.5 Average number of different physical activities
Participants took part in an average (mean) of 1.7 different
physical activities in the 12 months prior to interview (Table
7).
• This peaked at 2.0 different physical activities for the 15 to 17
year age group and was lowest for the 65 years and over group at
1.4 different physical activities (Figure 9 and Table 7).
• Males participated in an average of 1.8 different physical
activities, compared with an average of 1.7 different physical
activities for females (Table 7).
Figure 9 PARTICIPANTS, Sport and physical recreation — Mean 18
number of physical activities, By sex and age
5.6 Top ten physical activities
• Of all physical activities, walking for exercise had the highest
participation rate (23.6%). This excludes bush walking, which is
categorised separately and had a participation rate of 2.4%.
• Other physical activities with relatively high participation
rates were fitness/gym activities (17.1%), swimming/diving (7.8%),
cycling/BMXing (7.6%) and jogging/running (7.5%) (Figure 10 and
Table 30).
Figure 10 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 physical activities
18 Mean calculation excludes participation in activities for which
the respondent reported ‘Don’t know’ to the number of times
participated in the specified activity in 12 months prior to
interview.
0
0.5
1.0
2.5
1.5
2.0
no. Males Females Persons
15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group (years)
65 and over55 to 64
0
5
10
15
25
20
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Walking for exercise had the highest participation rate for both
males (16.5%) and females (30.4%)(Table 31).
• For males, the physical activities with the highest participation
rates were walking for exercise (16.5%), fitness/gym activities
(15.1%), cycling/BMXing (9.8%), jogging/running (8.7%), golf
(8.2%), swimming/diving (7.5%) and tennis (indoor and outdoor)
(4.9%) (Table 31).
• For females, the physical activities with the highest
participation rates were walking for exercise (30.4%), fitness/gym
activities (19.1%), swimming/diving (8.0%), jogging/running (6.4%),
cycling/BMXing (5.4%), netball (indoor and out- door) (4.5%) and
tennis (indoor and outdoor) (3.4%) (Table 31).
Walking for exercise also had the highest participation rate across
all age groups over 34 years (Table 32).
• The participation rate for walking for exercise increased with
age, peaking at 55 to 64 years (36.3%) and declining moderately
among those aged 65 years and older (27.5%) .
• In the youngest age group (15 to 17 year olds), soccer (outdoor)
(13.3%), swimming/diving (10.2%), fitness/gym activ- ities (9.6%),
basketball (indoor and outdoor) (9.2%) and tennis (indoor and
outdoor) (9.1%) had the most participants (Table 32).
• Participation in soccer (outdoor) tapered off quickly, with only
5.6% of people aged 18 to 24 years participating. There were even
lower participation rates in older age groups (Table 32).
• In the oldest age group (65 years and older) the most popular
activies were walking for exercise (27.5%), fitness/gym (8.6%) and
golf (7.5%) (Table 32).
Top ten physical activities: A time series comparison of 2005-06,
2009-10 and 2011-12
• In terms of the top ten physical activities, jogging/running had
the largest increase in total participation between 2005-06 and
2011-12 (99.7%). The majority of this increase in participation in
jogging/running occurred between 2005-06 and 2009-10 (Box 1).
• Other physical activities in the top ten to experience large
increases compared with 2005-06 included:
• Cycling/BMXing (35.0% between 2005-06 and 2011-12)
• Soccer (outdoor) (16.6% between 2005-06 and 2011-12) (Box
1)
• Of the top ten physical activities, bush walking experienced the
largest fall in participation between 2005-06 and 2011-12, down
16.0% (Box 1).
Box 1 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 physical activities(a) — 2005-06,
2009-10 and 2011-12
2005-06 2009-10 2011-12 % change 2005-06—2011-12 (b)
NUMBER (‘000)
Fitness/gym .. .. 3,089.3 ..
Tennis (indoor and outdoor) 768.9 702.4 750.3 -2.4
Soccer (outdoor) 419.6 401.0 489.1 16.6
Netball (indoor and outdoor) 431.0 445.8 450.2 4.5
.. Not applicable. Category is not comparable across
iterations.
(a) The top 10 ranked physical activities for Australia in terms of
total participation in 2011-12.
(b) To calculate the percentage change in the number of
participants between 2005-06 and 2011-12, the following formula was
used: ((N2011-12 – N2005-06) / N2005-06) x 100.
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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Top ten regular physical activities
• Of all physical activities, walking for exercise had the highest
regular participation rate (10.2%). An estimated 1.8 million
persons aged 15 years and over participated in walking for exercise
at least three times per week in the 12 months prior to interview
(Figure 11 and Table 34).
• Other physical activities with relatively high regular
participation rates were fitness/gym (3.8%), jogging/running
(1.3%), cycling/BMXing (1.2%) and swimming/diving (0.7%) (Figure 11
and Table 34).
Figure 11 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 regular physical activities
Frequency of specific activities
People participated most frequently in walking for exercise. The
median number of times participated per year in walking for
exercise was 150 (Table 33), or 2.9 times per week. 19
Other physical activities20 that people frequently participated in
were:
• Weight lifting/body building (median of 122.1 times per year, or
2.3 times per week)
• Fitness/gym activities (median of 100 times per year, or 1.9
times per week)
• Skateboarding/inline hockey/roller sports (median of 100 times
per year, or 1.9 times per week)
• Jogging/running (median of 88.5 times per year, or 1.7 times per
week)
• Lawn bowls (median of 52 times per year, or 1.0 times per
week)
• Martial arts (median of 52 times per year, or 1.0 times per week)
(Table 33).
19 See glossary for information about how ‘per week’ statistics are
calculated. 20 Activities included in this analysis refer only to
those activities that are participated in by 50,000 or more persons
aged 15 years and over in 2011-12.
0
2
6
8
12
10
4
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SECTION 6 Participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation
During the 12 months prior to interview in 2011-12:
• An estimated 9.5 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once annually in sport and physical rec-
reation that was non-organised21, a participation rate in
non-organised activity of 52.8% (Table 1). Over three-quar- ters
(81.2%) of all persons who participated in sport and physical
recreation undertook at least some non-organised physical
activity.
• The 2011-12 participation rate in non-organised sport and
physical recreation (52.8%) was higher than in 2009-10 (52.2%), but
lower than in 2005-06 (53.7%) (Figure 12).
Figure 12 PARTICIPANTS, Non-organised sport and physical recreation
— By sex, 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12
6.1 Frequency of participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation
• An estimated 7.0 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once per week22, in a non-organised sport and
physical recreation, a weekly participation rate of 38.9% (Table
17).
• An estimated 3.8 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated three times per week or more, a regular partici-
pation rate in non-organised sport and physical recreation of 20.9%
(Table 17).
• An estimated 1.9 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated five times per week or more, a frequent partici-
pation rate in non-organised sport and physical recreation of 10.8%
(Figure 13, Table 17).
• An estimated 8.5 million persons aged 15 years and over did not
participate in any non-organised sport and physical recreation in
the 12 months prior to interview in 2011-12, a non-participation
rate of 47.1% (Figure 13, Table 17).
21 See glossary for the definition of non-organised sport and
physical recreation. 22 See glossary for information about how per
week statistics are calculated.
50
52
54
56
58
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Figure 13 PERSONS, Non-organised sport and physical recreation — By
frequency of participation
6.2 Median frequency of participation in non-organised sport and
physical recreation
Note that the median data in this section is based only on those
people who participated in non-organised physical activity.
• The median frequency of participation among non-organised sport
and physical recreation participants23 was 2.3 times per week in
2011-12 (Table 18). This was higher than that of organised sport
and physical recreation (1.0 times per week) (See section 7.2
Median frequency of participation in organised sport and physical
recreation) (Table 18 and Table 22).
• For female participants, the median frequency of participation in
non-organised sport and physical recreation was 2.8 times per week
in 2011-12 (Table 18).
• For male participants, the median frequency of participation in
non-organised sport and physical recreation was 2.0 times per week
in 2011-12 (Table 18).
Figure 14 PARTICIPANTS, Non-organised sport and physical recreation
— Median24 frequency of participation, By sex and age
* estimate for females aged 15 to 17 years has a relative standard
error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
23 All those not participating in non-organised sport and physical
recreation (frequency=0) and participants who responded ‘Don’t
know’ are excluded from this calculation. 24 Median calculation
excludes participation in a non-organised activity for which the
respondent reported ‘Don’t know’ to the number of times
participated in the specified activity in the previous 12 months.
All those not participating in non-organised sport and physical
recreation (frequency=0) are also excluded from this
calculation.
0
10
20
30
40
0
1
4
2
Females Persons
15 to 17* 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group
(years)
65 and over55 to 64
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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6.3 Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation
Regular participation in sport and physical recreation is defined
as those participating three times per week or more, on
average25.
• The regular participation rate in non-organised sport and
physical recreation in 2011-12 was 20.9% (Table 19), while
organised sport and physical recreation was 4.6% (Table 24; also
see section 7.3 Regular participation in organised sport and
physical recreation).
Age and sex
• More females than males regularly participated in non-organised
sport and physical recreation in 2011-12 (21.7% and 20.1%,
respectively) (Table 19).
• Among females, regular participation in non-organised sport and
physical recreation was lowest among those aged 15 to 17 years
(12.5%) and highest in the age group 55 to 64 years (26.1%). Among
females aged 65 years or older, the regular participation rate in
non-organised sport and physical recreation was 18.8% (Figure 15,
Table 19).
• Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation was higher for females than males in age groups other
than those aged 18 to 24 years and 65 years and over. The gap
between males and females was largest in the 45 to 55 years age
group (Figure 15, Table 19).
Figure 15 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Non-organised sport and physical
recreation — By sex and age
* estimate for males aged 15 to 17 years has a relative standard
error of 25% to 50% and should be
used with caution
Labour force status
• Part-time employed persons had the highest rate of regular
participation in non-organised sport and physical recre- ation
(22.4%), followed closely by full-time employed persons (21.4%)
(Table 19).
• Unemployed persons had the lowest rate of regular participation
in non-organised sport and physical recreation (18.5%) (Table
19).
• Females participating in the labour force had higher regular
participation rates in non-organised sport and physical recreation
than males across all categories. For those not in the labour
force, males had a regular participation rate in non-organised
sport and physical recreation of 20.7% in comparison with 18.7% for
females (Table 19).
25 See glossary for information about how per week statistics are
calculated.
0
10
30
20
Percent (%) Males Females Persons
15 to 17* 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group
(years)
65 and over
55 to 64
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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Regional status
• Regular participation rates in non-organised sport and physical
recreation were slightly higher among people living in capital
cities than for those living in the balance of state/territory
(21.5% and 19.6% respectively) (Table 19).
Education
• Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation was highest among people whose highest level of
educational attainment was a graduate diploma or graduate
certificate (31.7%), a postgraduate degree (29.2%) or a bachelor
degree (29.0%) (Table 19).
• Those whose highest level of educational attainment was Year 10
or below (13.8%) had the lowest regular participa- tion rates in
non-organised sport and physical recreation (Table 19).
Country of Birth
• Regular participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation was highest for those born overseas in a main
English-speaking country (27.9%), lowest for those born overseas in
a non-main English-speaking country (16.1%), with the participation
rate for people born in Australia (21.0%) sitting in the middle.
This was true for both males and females (Table 19).
6.4 Top ten non-organised physical activities
• Of all non-organised physical activities, walking for exercise
had the highest participation rate (23.3%). An estimated 4.2
million persons aged 15 years and over participated in
non-organised walking for exercise in the 12 months prior to
interview. This excludes non-organised bush walking, which is
categorised separately and had a total participation rate of 2.3%.
Almost all participation in walking for exercise was non-organised
(Table 30).
• Other non-organised physical activities with relatively high
total participation rates were fitness/gym (12.3%), cycling/ BMXing
(7.3%), jogging/running (7.3%) and swimming/diving (7.2%) (Figure
16 and Table 30).
• Over 90% of participation in jogging/running, swimming/diving,
bush walking, fishing and surf sports was non-or- ganised (Table
30).
Figure 16 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 non-organised physical
activities
0
5
10
15
25
20
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• In terms of the top ten non-organised physical activities,
jogging/running had the largest increase in total partici- pation
between 2005-06 and 2011-12 (100.9%). There majority of this
increase in participation in jogging/running occurred between
2005-06 and 2009-10 (Box 2).
• Cycling/BMXing also experienced a large increase between 2005-06
and 2011-12 (32.9%) (Box 2).
• In terms of the top ten non-organised physical activities, bush
walking experienced the largest fall in participation, down 13.5%
between 2005-06 and 2011-12 (Box 2).
Box 2 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 non-organised physical activities (a) —
2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12
Top ten regular non-organised physical activities
• Of all non-organised physical activities, walking for exercise
had the highest regular participation rate (10.1%). An esti- mated
1.8 million persons aged 15 years participated in walking for
exercise at least three times per week, on average, in the 12
months prior to interview (Figure 17 and Table 34).
• Other non-organised physical activities with relatively high
regular participation rates were fitness/gym (3.1%), jog-
ging/running (1.3%), cycling/BMXing (1.2%), and swimming/diving
(0.6%) (Figure 17 and Table 34).
Figure 17 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 regular non-organised physical
activities
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should
be used with caution
0
4
6
8
12
10
2
NUMBER (‘000)
Fitness/gym .. .. 2216.8 ..
Tennis (indoor and outdoor)
518.4 484.1 509.5 -1.7
Fishing 230.7 232.5 238.8 3.5
Surf sports .. 221.5 221.1 ..
.. Not applicable. Category is not comparable across
iterations.
(a) The top 10 ranked non-organised physical activities for
Australia in terms of total participation in 2011-12.
(b) To calculate the percentage change in the number of organised
participants between 2005-06 and 2011-12 the following formula was
used: ((N2011-12 – N2005-06) / N2005-06) x 100).
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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SECTION 7 Participation in organised sport and physical
recreation26
During the 12 months prior to interview in 2011-12:
• An estimated 4.9 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once annually in sport and physical
recreation that was organised by a club, association, fitness
centre or other type of organisation. This translates to a
participation rate in organised sport and physical recreation of
27.2% (Table 1). Over a third (41.8%) of those partici- pating in
sport and physical recreation did so on a partially or fully
organised basis.
• The 2011-12 total participation rate was higher than in 2009-10
(26.0%), but lower than in 2005-06 (27.5%) (Figure 18).
Figure 18 PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation —
By sex, 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12
7.1 Frequency of participation in organised sport and physical
Recreation
• An estimated 2.7 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once per week in organised sport and physical
recreation, a weekly participation rate of 15.1% (Table 21). This
was less than half the weekly participation rate in non-organised
sport and physical recreation (38.9%) (See section 6.1 Frequency of
participation in non-organ- ised sport and physical recreation)
(Table 17).
• An estimated 827,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
in organised sport and physical recreation three times per week or
more, a regular participation rate of 4.6% (Table 21). This was
about one-quarter of the regular participation rate in
non-organised sport and physical recreation (20.9%) (See section
6.1 Frequency of participation in non-organised sport and physical
recreation) (Table 17).
• An estimated 276,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
in an organised sport and physical recreation five times per week
or more, a frequent participation rate of 1.5% (Figure 19 and Table
21).
• An estimated 13.1 million persons aged 15 years and over did not
participate in any organised sport and physical recreation in the
12 months prior to interview in 2011-12, a non-participation rate
of 72.8% (Figure 19 and Table 20).
26 See glossary for the definition of organised physical
activities.
20
22
24
26
28
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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Figure 19 PERSONS, Organised sport and physical recreation — By
frequency of participation
7.2 Median frequency of participation in organised sport and
physical recreation
Note that the median data in this section is based only on those
people who participated in organised sport and physical
recreation.
• The median frequency of participation in organised sport and
physical recreation among participants27 was 1.0 times per week in
2011-12 (Table 22).28
• Amongst male participants the highest median frequency of
participation in organised sport and physical recreation was for
those in the 15 to 17 years age group (1.3 times per week) and
lowest for the 45 to 54 age group (0.8 times per week) (Figure 20
and Table 22).29
• Amongst female participants the highest median frequency of
participation in organised sport and physical recre- ation was for
those in the 45 to 54 years age group (1.9 times per week) followed
by the 15 to 17 years age group at 1.6 times per week (Figure 20
and Table 22).30
Figure 20 PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation —
Median31 frequency of participation, By sex and age
27 All those not participating in organised sport and physical
recreation (frequency=0) and participants who responded ‘Don’t
know’ are excluded from this calculation. 28,29,30 See glossary for
information about how per week statistics are calculated. 31 Median
calculation excludes participation in an organised sport and
physical recreation for which the respondent reported ‘Don’t know’
to the number of times participated in the specified activity in
the 12 months prior to interview. All those not participating in
organised sport and physical recreation (frequency=0) are also
excluded from this calculation.
0
20
60
80
40
Percent (%)
0
1
5
3
2
4
Females Persons
15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group (years)
65 and over
55 to 64
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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7.3 Regular participation in organised sport and physical
recreation
Regular participation in sport and physical recreation is defined
as those participating three times per week or more, on
average32.
• In 2011-12, the regular participation rate in organised sport and
physical recreation was 4.6% (Table 24). This was considerably
lower than for non-organised sport and physical recreation (20.9%)
(see section 6.3 Regular participation in non-organised sport and
physical recreation) (Table 19).
Age and sex
• On average, more females than males regularly participated in
organised sport and physical recreation in 2011-12 (4.7% and 4.4%,
respectively) (Table 24).
• Regular participation in organised sport and physical recreation
was higher for males than females in the 15 to 17, 18 to 24, and 35
to 44 years age groups; and higher for females in the 25 to 34, 45
to 54 and 55 to 64 years age groups (Figure 21 and Table 24).
• For all persons, regular participation in organised sport and
physical recreation decreased with age (Figure 21, Table 24).
Figure 21 REGULAR PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical
recreation — By sex and age
Labour force status
• Persons employed part-time and full-time had the highest regular
participation rate in organised sport and physical recreation (5.4%
and 5.1% respectively), when compared with those who were not in
the labour force (3.6%) (Table 24).
Regional status
• Regular participation in organised sport and physical recreation
was higher in capital cities (5.0%) compared with the balance of
the state/territory (3.8%) (Table 24).
Education
• Participants whose highest educational achievement was Year 12 or
Year 11 had the highest regular participation rates in organised
sport and physical recreation (6.3% and 5.8% respectively) (Table
24).
• Participants with a bachelor degree as their highest level of
educational attainment also had a relatively high regular
participation rate in organised sport and physical recreation at
5.4% (Table 24).
32 See glossary for information about how per week statistics are
calculated.
0
5
20
10
15
Percent (%) Males Females Persons
15 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 45 to 5435 to 44 Age group (years)
65 and over
55 to 64
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Country of Birth
• Among males, there was a small difference in regular
participation rates in organised sport and physical recreation
between those who were born in Australia (4.8%) and those born in
main English-speaking countries33 (4.3%).
• Among females, those who were born in non-main English-speaking
countries also had the lowest regular participa- tion rate in
organised sport and physical recreation (2.1%), especially when
compared with those who were born in a main English-speaking
country (6.3%). Females born in Australia had a regular
participation rate in organised sport and physical recreation of
5.1% (Table 24).
7.4 Type of organisation
In terms of the type of organisation behind organised physical
activity:
• An estimated 2.8 million persons, or 15.4%, participated at least
once in 2011-12 in sport and physical recreation organised by a
sports club or association (Figure 22 and Table 23).
• An estimated 1.5 million persons, or 8.6%, participated in sport
and physical recreation organised by a fitness, leisure or indoor
sports centre (Figure 22 and Table 23).
• Relatively few people participated in sport and physical
recreation organised by a recreation club or association (325,000
persons, or 1.8%), community fitness programs/events (308,000
persons, or 1.7%) an educational institution (258,000 persons, or
1.4%), their workplace (99,000 persons, or 0.5%) or physical
activity courses (91,000 persons, or 0.5%) (Figure 22 and Table
23).
• More females than males participated at least once in sport and
physical recreation organised by a fitness, leisure or indoor
sports centre (11.5% and 5.5%, respectively) (Figure 22 and Table
23).
• More males participated at least once in physical activity
organised by a sports club or association than females (19.9% and
11.1%, respectively) (Figure 22 and Table 23).
• Participation in physical activity organised by a sports club or
association was highest among the 15 to 17 and 18 to 24 years age
groups (36.5% and 22.9% respectively) (Table 23).
Note that all aerobics and fitness/gym participants describing
their participation as being through a sports club or associ- ation
or a recreation club or association were recoded to a fitness,
leisure or indoor sports centre. See section 3 Glossary or section
11 Explanatory notes for more information.
Figure 22 PARTICIPANTS, Organised sport and physical recreation —
Type of organisation, By sex
* estimate for males has a relative standard error of 25% to 50%
and should be used with caution
33 See glossary for definitions of main and non-main English
speaking countries.
0
15
5
10
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7.5 Top ten organised physical activities
• In 2011-12, the organised physical activity with the highest
total participation rate was fitness/gym (6.0%). An estimat- ed 1.1
million persons aged 15 years and over participated in fitness/gym
in an organised environment at least once in the 12 months prior to
interview (Figure 23 and Table 30).
• The other organised physical activities that attracted the
greatest number of participants were golf (2.2%), soccer (out-
door) (2.1%), netball (indoor and outdoor)(2.1%), tennis (indoor
and outdoor)(1.7%), football sports (1.4%), basketball (indoor and
outdoor)(1.3%), lawn bowls (1.3%), martial arts (1.1%) and cricket
(outdoor) (1.1%) (Figure 23 and Table 30).
Figure 23 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 organised physical activities
Top ten organised physical activities: A time series comparison of
2005-06, 2009-10 and 2011-12
• In terms of the top ten organised physical activities, soccer
(outdoor) had the largest increase in participation be- tween
2005-06 and 2011-12 (29.7%). The majority of this increase in
organised participation in soccer (outdoor) occurred between
2009-10 and 2011-12 (Box 3).
• Other physical activities in the top ten to experience increases
since 2005-06 included:
• Martial arts (12.9% between 2005-06 and 2011-12)
• Netball (indoor and outdoor) (6.5% between 2005-06 and 2011-12)
(Box 3).
• Of the top ten organised physical activities, cricket (outdoor)
experienced the largest fall in participation between 2005-06 and
2011-12, down 7.6% (Box 3).
Box 3 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 organised physical activities(a) —
2005-06, 2009-10 amnd 2011-12
0
4
8
2
6
Fitness/gym .. .. 1080.0 ..
Soccer (outdoor) 287.1 288.4 372.5 29.7
Netball (indoor and outdoor) 348.5 391.1 371.0 6.5
Tennis (indoor and outdoor) 315.8 272.6 309.9 -1.9
Football sports .. .. 245.3 ..
Lawn bowls 235.4 225.2 229.7 -2.4
Martial arts 182.4 178.3 206.0 12.9
Cricket (outdoor) 219.1 197.2 202.4 -7.6
.. Not applicable. Category is not comparable across
iterations.
(a) The top 10 ranked organised physical activities for Australia
in terms of total participation in 2011-12.
(b) To calculate the percentage change in the number of organised
participants between 2005-06 and 2011-12 the following formula was
used: ((N2011-12 – N2005-06) / N2005-06) x 100).
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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Top ten regular organised physical activities
• In 2011-12, the organised sport and physical activity with the
highest regular participation rate was fitness/gym (1.1%) (Figure
24, Table 34). An estimated 202,000 persons aged 15 years and over
participated in fitness/gym in an organised environment at least
three times per week, on average, in the 12 month prior to
interview (Table 34).
• The other organised sport and physical activities that attracted
the greatest number of ‘regular participants’ were walking for
exercise (0.2%) and jogging/running (0.2%).
Figure 24 PARTICIPANTS, Top 10 regular organised physical
activities
* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should
be used with caution ** estimate has a relative standard error of
greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general
use
0
0.75
1.25
0.25
0.50
1.00
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SECTION 8 Participation in sports club based sport And physical
recreation34
Persons participating in organised physical activity were asked
what type of club, association or organisation organised the
activity. Responses could include a fitness, leisure or indoor
sports centre that required payment for participation, a sports
club or association that required payment of membership fees or
registration, a recreation club or association, work, an
educational institution, physical activity courses, community
fitness programs/events or any other organisation. Persons saying
they participated in physical activity organised by a sports club
or association are discussed in this section. Partici- pants in
sports club based physical activity are a subset of organised
participants discussed in section 7. Note that all aero- bics and
fitness/gym participants describing their participation as being
through a sports club or association were recoded to fitness,
leisure or indoor sports centre and thus excluded from the
following analysis. See section 3 Glossary or section 11
Explanatory notes for more information.
During the 12 months prior to interview in 2011-12:
• An estimated 2.8 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once annually in sport and physical rec-
reation that was organised by a sports club or association, a
participation rate in sports club based sport and physical
recreation of 15.4% (Table 23).
8.1 Frequency of participation in sports club based sport and
physical recreation
• An estimated 1.4 million persons aged 15 years and over
participated at least once per week in sports club based sport and
physical recreation, a weekly participation rate of 7.8% (Table
25).
• An estimated 289,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
in sports club based sport and physical recreation three times per
week or more, a regular participation rate of 1.6% (Table
25).
• An estimated 108,000 persons aged 15 years and over participated
in sports club based sport and physical recreation five times per
week or more, a frequent participation rate of 0.6% (Figure 25,
Table 25).
• An estimated 15.3 million persons aged 15 years and over did not
participate in any sports club based sport and phys- ical
recreation in the 12 months prior to interview in 2011-12, a
non-participation rate of 84.6% (Figure 25, Table 25).
Figure 25 PERSONS, Sports club based sport and physical recreation
— By frequency of participation
34 See glossary for the definition of sports club based sport and
physical recreation.
0
20
80
100
40
60
Percent (%)
PARTICIPATION IN SPORT AND AC TIVE RECREATION, AUSTRALIA 2011-12
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8.2 Median frequency of participati
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