INVOLVEMENT IN ORGANISED SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
PURPOSE
To provide information about the extent of paid and unpaid involvement in organised sport and physical activity, the type of involvement and the characteristics of the people involved. This information was collected alongside information about Work in selected culture and leisure activities.
DESCRIPTION
The Involvement in Organised Sport and Physical Activity collection was conducted in April 2004 as part of the Monthly Population Survey (MPS) (see Labour force for more detail about methodology). The MPS covers all usual residents aged 15 years and over in both urban and rural areas of all States and Territories of Australia. However, persons living in remote and sparsely settled areas are excluded from the part of the survey relating to Involvment in Organised Sport and Physical Activity. This has only a minor impact on aggregate estimates produced for individual States and Territories, with the exception of the Northern Territory, where such persons account for approximately 20% of the population. Although persons staying in non-private dwellings are included in the MPS, the questions relating to Involvment in Organised Sport and Physical Activity were only asked of people residing in private dwellings. There were approximately 30,000 occupied private dwellings included in the sample for the MPS. The residents of seven-eighths of these were asked the questions relating to Involvement in Organised Sport and Physical Activity. Data about one randomly selected person, aged 15 years and over, were collected from any responsible adult in the household.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Australia
FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION
Every three or four years.
DATA ITEMS
As this survey was conducted as part of the Monthly Population Survey all of the data items shown in the Labour force entry in this directory, with the exception of occupation and industry of employment, are available for analysis alongside the data items shown below.
Also, see Work in selected culture and leisure activities for data items collected in the remainder of the survey.
Number of persons
The number of persons in Australia aged 15 years or more.
Involvement role in organised physical activities or organised sports in the last 12 months
Records all roles in which the person had been involved in the 12 months prior to interview, from the following list:
Participant, player or competitor
Coach, instructor or teacher
Referee or umpire
Committee member or administrator
Scorer or timekeeper
Provider of medical support
Any other role
None of the above
Note that two counting units are used in the output of this survey: persons and involvements. A person who is involved in sport as both a coach and a committee member will be counted once in a table on characteristics of persons involved, but twice (once as a coach and once as a committee member) in a table on types of involvement. In the 2004 survey, the number of people involved was 4,269,800, while the number of involvements was 5,917,800.
Payment for involvement role
For each involvement role in the last 12 months, whether the person:
Was paid, or expected to be paid, for involvement
Received, or expected to receive, goods and services as payment for involvement
Also had any unpaid involvement
Income received for involvement role
Income received, or expected to be received, for an involvement role in the last 12 months. Categories are:
No payment
Payment in goods and services only
Less than $5,000
$5,000 to $19,999
$20,000 to $39,999
$40,000 or more
Don’t know
Weeks of involvement
The number of weeks, in the last 12 months, in which each involvement role was undertaken.
Average hours of involvement
The average number of hours per week usually spent in each involvement role. The categories are:
Less than 3 hours
3 to less than 10 hours
10 to less than 20 hours
20 to less than 35 hours
35 hours or more
Course or qualification
For each non-playing role, whether the person had ever completed a course or any other qualification towards that role.
School or junior sport
For each non-playing role, whether any of the person’s involvement was for school or junior sport.
HISTORICAL DATA
Prior to the April 2004 survey, data were collected in 1993, 1997 and 2001. There were some changes in methodology and question wording between each of the first three surveys which may affect comparability of some results to varying degrees. However, it is expected that data regarding people involved in non-playing roles may be reasonably compared across the three surveys. Such tables are included in the 2001 and 2004 publications, along with details in the Explanatory Notes about the differences between the surveys. Data from the 2001 and 2004 surveys are comparable in their entirety.
DISSEMINATION
Publications
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005, Involvement in Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Australia, April 2004, Cat. no. 6285.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $24.00. Also available for 1993, 1997 and 2001.
Prior to the April 2001 survey, data were collected in 1993 and 1997. There have been some changes in methodology and question wording between each of these surveys which may affect comparability of some results to varying degrees. However it is expected that data on people involved in non-playing roles may be reasonably compared across the three surveys. Such tables are included in the 2001 publication, along with details in the Explanatory Notes about the differences between surveys.
DISSEMINATION
Publications
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002, Involvement in Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Australia, April 2001, Cat. no. 6285.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $20.50. Also available for 1993 and 1997.
Other
National Sport and Recreation Industry Database and Directory (NSRIDD).
CONTACT
In the first instance, refer to To obtain data or further information in the Introduction to this directory.
Sport and Recreation Contact Officer
National Centre for Culture and Recreation Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
GPO Box 2272
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Telephone: Adelaide 08 8237 7399
Facsimile: Adelaide 08 8237 7366
Email: nccrs@abs.gov.au
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