4156.0 - Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2008 (Edition 1)  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 01/02/2008   
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Contents >> Chapter 4 - Time spent >> Chapter 4.3 - Time Spent by Participants

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 Chapter 3, 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).



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