TIME SPENT
TIME SPENT BY PARTICIPANTS
While 99.1% of Australians aged 15 years and over had participated in Recreation and leisure activity in their free time, only 27.1% had participated in Sport and outdoor activity. More males (29.8%) participated in Sport and outdoor activity than females (24.5%).
Table 4.2 shows the average time that participants spent on selected free time activities. The Time Use Survey results relate to the number of persons participating in activities on a single day and are derived from data that take into account all days of the week and all seasons of the year. Other surveys, cited in Participation, ask about participation in sports and physical recreation during a 12 month period, and hence those participation rates tend to be higher.
According to the Time Use Survey, participants who spent time on Sport and outdoor activity did so for 1 hour 43 minutes per day on average. This accounted for 20.4% of time spent on Recreation and leisure.
4.2 AVERAGE TIME SPENT ON FREE TIME ACTIVITIES, All activities by sex - Participants(a) - 1997 |
| |
| | Males | Females | Persons | |
Purpose of activities | minutes per day | minutes per day | minutes per day | |
| |
Social and community interaction | 98 | 90 | 94 | |
| Socialising | 118 | 96 | 106 | |
| Visiting entertainment and cultural venues | 129 | 114 | 120 | |
| Attendance at sports events | 164 | 133 | 150 | |
| Religious activities/ritual ceremonies | 103 | 85 | 92 | |
Recreation and leisure | 508 | 502 | 505 | |
| Sport and outdoor activity | 117 | 87 | 103 | |
| Games/hobbies/arts/crafts | 107 | 103 | 105 | |
| Reading | 79 | 73 | 76 | |
| Audio/visual media | 277 | 265 | 271 | |
| Attendance at recreational courses | 150 | 105 | 123 | |
| Talking (incl. phone) | 157 | 167 | 162 | |
| |
(a) Refers to persons aged 15 years and over on a single day. |
Source: Time Use on Culture/Leisure Activities, 1997 (cat. no. 4173.0). |
In 1997, participants spent an average of 2 hours 27 minutes per day on formal sport - organised sport undertaken with a club or as a competition, or with a commitment to skill development, including practice and training. In comparison, participants spent an average of 2 hours 3 minutes each day on informal sport - sport undertaken for recreation or socialising rather than with the commitment needed for competitive sport.
4.3 AVERAGE TIME SPENT ON SPORT AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, All activities by sex - Participants(a) - 1997 |
| |
| Males | Females | Persons | |
| minutes per day | minutes per day | minutes per day | |
| |
Sport formal | 155 | 129 | 147 | |
Sport informal | 131 | 104 | 123 | |
Exercise | 64 | 55 | 60 | |
Walking | 61 | 53 | 57 | |
Hiking | 93 | 66 | 79 | |
Fishing | 249 | 196 | 239 | |
Holiday travel, driving for pleasure | 151 | 148 | 150 | |
| |
(a) Refers to persons aged 15 years and over on a single day. |
Source: Time Use on Culture/Leisure Activities, 1997 (cat. no. 4173.0). |