4172.0 - Arts and Culture in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2011  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/12/2011   
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Contents >> Participation and attendance >> Hobby Activities

HOBBY ACTIVITIES

Very little data exists on the types of hobbies in which people take part. The 2007 survey of Work in Selected Culture and Leisure Activities (ABS 2007c) included data on a limited set of cultural hobbies; Art and craft, Writing and Music.

For the purposes of the survey a hobby was defined as an activity that was undertaken only for oneself or for family or friends, that is, the output was not for general consumption. For example, a mother knitting a jumper for her child would include the activity as a hobby. If she knitted the jumper to sell, her activity would be considered a work involvement (work involvement is reported in Chapter 5).

The survey showed that in 2007 there were 2.1 million people aged 15 years and over in Australia who were involved in Art and craft as a hobby activity only; down from 2.5 million people in 2004. The survey also showed that there were 356,900 people involved in Writing as a hobby only and 265,000 involved in Music as a hobby only. This is up from 317,200 people and 158,700 people respectively in 2004.




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