PERSPECTIVES ON SPORT


Latest edition of Perspectives on Sport

Perspectives on Sport, Nov 2011 (cat. no. 4156.0.55.001) was released late last year. The Perspectives on Sport series aims to address interesting and topical issues within sport and physical recreation in Australia. Featured in this edition are the articles:

• Physical Recreation.
• Who Doesn’t Participate in Sport or Physical Recreation?
• Sport and Culture.

‘Physical Recreation’ analyses the characteristics of people aged 15 years and over who participated in six popular sport and physical recreation activities. These activities are commonly undertaken as either sports or for exercise and recreation. In light of the Australian Government’s numerous campaigns advocating healthier choices, the article uses data from the 2005-06 and 2009-10 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia, 2009-10 (cat. no. 4177.0) to look at participation in:

• aerobics/fitness/gym
• cycling/BMXing
• jogging/running
• swimming/diving
• walking for exercise
• weight training.

The article examines changes between the two surveys for these activities and found jogging and running increased from 4% in 2005-06 to 6% in 2009-10 while walking for exercise dropped in popularity with a change in participation rate from 25% in 2005-06 to 23% in 2009-10. The article also examines how participation varies with age, labour force status, weekly personal income, remoteness area, months of participation, organised and non-organised participation and number of times people participated in the above activities.

‘Who Doesn’t Participate in Sport or Physical Recreation?’ addresses the important topic of physical inactivity amongst Australians. According to data collected in the ABS Participation in Sport and Physical Recreation, Australia, 2009-10 (cat. no. 4177.0) the following characteristics were likely to be present amongst those who had not participated in sport or physical recreation:

• female
• aged 65+ years
• born in a non main English-speaking country
• lived in South Australia
• lived in a regional area (outside Australian capital cities)
• not in the labour force.

‘Sport and Culture’ explores the interrelationship between sport and culture by comparing sport participants and sports non-participants in terms of their attendance at sporting and cultural events. The article found that those people who participate in sport have higher attendance rates at sporting events and cultural venues and events than do non-participants, regardless of age, labour force status and the type of cultural activity.

Please refer to Perspectives on Sport, Nov 2011 (cat. no. 4156.0.55.001) for more information.