CULTURE AND LEISURE GLOSSARY

Age

This is the person's age on their last birthday.

Aerobics/fitness

Includes callisthenics, gym, exercise bike and circuits

Attended cultural event(s) (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander)

Participation in traditional or contemporary Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander cultural activities and events in the 12 months prior to interview. Events include funerals, ceremonies, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander festivals and carnivals, arts, craft, music, dance, writing or telling stories, and involvement with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander organisations. Participation may be for payment or without payment.

Attendance rate (cultural)

For any group, this is calculated by expressing the number of people who attended a venue or event at least once during the year as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and over in the same group.

Birthplace

Classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Countries for Social Statistics (ASCCSS) (cat. no. 1269.0).

Constraints on sport participation

Reasons for non-participation or infrequent participation sought from persons who did not participate or participated 12 times or less in the 12 months prior to the interview.

Culture

For the purpose of this chapter the main focus will be on aspects of culture that are expressed through the arts. The definition equates culture with arts (film, broadcasting, visual arts, performing arts, literature, music etc.). Although culture can also be viewed in a broad sense as describing our way of life and shared values, such as an 'Australian culture', 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian' culture, or the culture of ethnic groups or social groupings within society, these aspects are not discussed here.

Cultural goods

Movable goods that cross Australia's customs frontier.

Cultural venues and events (children)

Refers to children's attendance at cultural venues and events outside of school hours and includes school excursions providing they were undertaken outside of school hours. It includes:

• public libraries (excluding school, university and other educational libraries)
• museums and art galleries
• performing arts events (including music concerts, drama productions, dance performances, operas and music theatre)
• school plays
• free performing arts concerts and community events.

Free Time

Time can been allocated into four categories: necessary time, contracted time, committed time, and free time. Free time is the amount of time left over when the previous three types of time have been taken out. Free time includes social and community interaction, and recreation and leisure.

Leisure

Leisure denotes activities undertaken by a person for enjoyment, refreshment, or relaxation. Leisure is normally associated with activities undertaken in 'free time', and leisure can be viewed as providing an opportunity to recover from pressures of work and other commitments, to bond with family and community members, to pursue interests and to reflect on life direction and meaning.

Main English speaking countries

Refers to 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 and Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America and South Africa.

Migrant

A person who was born overseas and obtained permanent Australian resident status prior to or after their arrival.

Motivators to sport participation

Reasons given for participating, sought from persons who participated 13 times or more in the 12 month period prior to the interview.

Organised sports and physical recreation

Those sports and physical recreation activities which were organised by a club or association. The club or organisation did not need to be a sporting body; it may have been a social club, church group, old scholars association or gymnasium. Persons may participate in more than one organised activity and also participate in non-organised activities.

Organised cultural activities (children)

Includes playing a musical instrument, singing, dancing and drama, outside of school hours. The activities include practising (organised or structured practice sessions only), having lessons and giving performances.

Participant (sport)

Those playing a sport or physically undertaking an activity. Persons involved solely as a coach, teacher, instructor, referee, umpire, administrator, club committee member are excluded from the data.

Participant rate (sport)

For any group, this is calculated by expressing the number of people who participated in an activity at least once during the year as a percentage of the population aged 18 years and over.

Regularity of sport participation

This is derived from data on the frequency of participation in all activities and the months of participation in all activities. The regularity items are subdivided into:

• Occasional participation - participated from 1-12 times and participated in from 1 to 12 months.
• Infrequent - part year participation - participated from 13-52 times and participated in from 1 to 11 months.
• Infrequent - full year participation - participated from 13-52 times and participated in each month.
• Frequent - part year participation - participated 53 times or more and participated in from 1 to 11 months.
• Once or twice a week participation - participated from 53-104 times and participated in each month.
• More than twice a week participation - participated from 105 times or more and participated in each month.

Remoteness area

Within a state or territory, each Remoteness Area represents an aggregation of non-contiguous geographical areas which share common characteristics of remoteness, determined in the context of Australia as a whole. The delimitation criteria for Remoteness Areas are based on the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA). ARIA measures the remoteness of a point based on the physical road distances to the nearest Urban Centre. Not all Remoteness Areas are represented in each state or territory.

There are six Remoteness Areas in this structure:

• Major Cities of Australia;
• Inner Regional Australia;
• Outer Regional Australia;
• Remote Australia;
• Very Remote Australia;
• Migratory (not in-scope of the 2008 NATSISS).

Resources

Defined broadly to encompass the full range of cultural, human, financial, environmental, social and personal resources and capital utilised in participating in cultural and leisure activities.

Rest of Australia

This category comprises people usually resident in areas outside of the six state capital city Statistical Divisions, including all residents of the Northern Territory (except those in very remote areas) and the Australian Capital Territory.

Sports attendance

The question on sports attendance asked the respondent which sports (matches or competitions) they had been to as a spectator, during the previous 12 months. The respondent's own definition of sport was accepted. A sport was included regardless of whether the event was paid for or free of charge, or if it was attended at an overseas venue; but it was excluded if it was a school or junior sport. A limit of five sports could be listed. Due to under-reporting of some sports specific questions were asked about attendance at motor sports, harness racing, horse races and dog races.

Sport and physical recreation

The question on sport and physical recreation participation did not prompt for particular activities, and whether an activity was regarded as a sport or physical recreation was left to the opinion of the respondent. However, activities such as gardening, housework, manual labouring and other forms of occupational physical activity were excluded from the data.