QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY


INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) are released in accordance with the conditions specified in the Statistics Determination section of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 (CSA). This ensures that confidentiality is maintained whilst enabling micro level data to be released. More information on the confidentiality practices associated with CURFs can be found in How is CURF data confidentialised?.

For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.


RELEVANCE

The Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS) is a supplement to the monthly ABS Labour Force Survey (LFS) and is designed to provide annual statistics for a number of small, self-contained topics. Information is collected from one person selected at random in each selected household. This Expanded CURF, from the 2009–10 MPHS, contains microdata for the following topics:

• Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation
• Spectator Attendance at Sporting Events
• Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events.

These culture and recreation statistics provide important measures of the social and physical wellbeing of the population.

For the 'Participation in sport and physical recreation' topic, the survey collected data about the characteristics of persons aged 15 years and over who participated in sport or physical recreation activities for the purposes of sport, recreation and exercise only. It did not include any physical activity undertaken in the course of general day-to-day activities such as home or garden maintenance or while working. The survey is solely aimed at providing information about the characteristics of persons who participated in sport or physical recreation activities as players, competitors or persons who physically took part in the activities. It therefore also excludes persons involved only in non-playing roles such as coaches, umpires or club officials.

Details on the number of persons who participated in sport and physical recreation activities in the 12 months prior to interview are available, together with the socio-demographic characteristics of participants; the types of sports and physical recreation activities participated in; the frequency of participation; the types of facilities used; and whether the sport or physical recreation activity was organised by a club, association or other organisation. A maximum of 6 sports and physical recreation activities were recorded in the survey for each respondent.

For the 'Spectator attendance at sporting events' topic, details available include the socio-demographic characteristics of attendees; the types of sporting events attended in the last 12 months; and the frequency of attendance. A maximum of 9 events attended could be recorded in the survey for some respondents.

For the 'Attendance at selected cultural venues and events' topic, details available include the socio-demographic characteristics of attendees; the types of venues or events attended in the last 12 months; and the frequency of attendance. Respondents in the survey were asked whether they had attended any of 13 selected venues or events.

Information describing the level of detail provided on the CURF can be referenced in the data item list.


TIMELINESS

The 2009–10 MPHS sample was accumulated over the twelve month period from July 2009 to June 2010. Initial summary results from the survey were published on 21 December 2010 in the following publications:

• Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4177.0)
• Spectator Attendance at Sporting Events, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4174.0)
• Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4114.0)

A CURF is generally released around two months after the release of the initial summary publication.


ACCURACY

The Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation CURF contains individual person level data (unit records or microdata). Microdata are the most detailed information available from a survey and are generally the answers to most individual questions on the questionnaire or the data derived from the responses to two or more questions. Consequently, the CURF contains much finer levels of detail for most data items than what is otherwise published. For more information on the level of detail provided in the CURF, please refer to the data item list.

Steps to confidentialise the data made available on the CURF have been taken in such a way so as to maximise the usefulness of the content while at the same time maintaining the confidentiality of the respondents in the survey. As a result, it may not be possible to exactly reconcile all the statistics produced from the CURF with published statistics.

All sample surveys are subject to error which can be broadly categorised as either sampling error or non-sampling error.

Sampling error occurs because a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed. One measure of the likely difference resulting from not including all dwellings in the survey is given by the standard error. There are about two chances in three that a sample estimate will differ by less than one standard error from the figure that would have been obtained if all dwellings had been included in the survey, and about nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two standard errors.

Non-sampling error arises from inaccuracies in collecting, recording and processing the data. Every effort is made to minimise reporting error by the careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and supervision of interviewers, and efficient data processing procedures. Non-sampling error also arises because information cannot be obtained from all persons selected in the survey.

For more information on the survey methodology, concepts and definitions see Technical Manual: Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Expanded CURF, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4177.0.55.001).


COHERENCE

Information on 'Participation in sport and physical recreation' was previously collected in the 2005–06 MPHS, in the General Social Survey (GSS) in 2002 and, prior to that, in a series of surveys from 1993 to 2000 using the Population Survey Monitor. Data relating to 'Spectator attendance at sporting events' was collected in the 2005–06 MPHS, in the GSS in 2002, and in the Monthly Population Survey (MPS) in 1995 and 1999. And data relating to 'Attendance at selected cultural venues and events' was collected in the 2005–06 MPHS, in the GSS in 2002 and 2006, and in the MPS in 1991, 1995 and 1999.

However, due to the different methodologies used in these various survey vehicles, comparisons can only be made between 2009–10 and 2005–06 MPHS data. Furthermore, care should be taken when comparing 2009–10 Northern Territory data with equivalent data from 2005–06 as the sample size for NT in the 2005–06 MPHS limits the reliability of the estimates.

Overall, the data collected on each of the topics in both the 2009–10 and 2005–06 surveys is largely the same. The 'Participation in sport and physical recreation' topic in the 2005–06 MPHS provided information on the motivators and constraints of non-participants and low level participants. This information was not collected in 2009–10 but was replaced with questions about the types of facilities used for sport and physical activities.

The Explanatory Notes section in each of the summary publications provides further information about the comparability of each topic over time. Microdata from the 2005–06 MPHS were released in February 2007 (Microdata: Multipurpose Household Survey, Expanded CURF, Australia, 2005–06 (cat. no. 4100.0.55.001)).


INTERPRETABILITY

The Technical Manual: Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Expanded CURF, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4177.0.55.001) is the key source for reference when using the CURF. It includes information about survey objectives, methods and design; survey content; data quality and interpretation; information about comparability with previous surveys; and the content of the CURF files. The Excel spreadsheet that accompanies the Technical Manual contains a complete list of all the data items included on the CURF. Further information about the survey can also be found in the Explanatory Notes section in each of the summary publications:

• Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4177.0)
• Spectator Attendance at Sporting Events, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4174.0)
• Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events, Australia, 2009–10 (cat. no. 4114.0).

ACCESSIBILITY

CURFs can only be accessed by organisations or individuals who have been given prior approval by the ABS. An application to access a particular CURF can be submitted through the ABS's secure on-line CURF application and management system MiCRO. Information about the steps required to apply for CURF access is provided in Technical Manual: Managing ABS Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs): a Step by Step Guide, Aug 2009 (cat. no. 1406.0.55.004). All CURF users are required to read and abide by the Responsible Access to ABS Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) Training Manual (cat. no. 1406.0.55.003). A full list of all available CURFs can be viewed via the List of Available CURFs.

The 2009–10 Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation Expanded CURF can be accessed through the ABS Remote Access Data Laboratory (RADL) or the ABS Data Laboratory (ABSDL). Further details regarding types and modes of access to CURFs can be found in CURF Access Modes and Levels of Detail.

The CURF Microdata Entry page contains links to all the information required for understanding and accessing CURFs. However, if other information is required, please contact the Microdata Access Strategies Section of the ABS at <email: <microdata.access@abs.gov.au> or phone: (02) 6252 7714.