Overall trends
- The following tables highlight those sports and active leisure activities in which significant changes have occurred in the participation of adults and young people in each activity between 1997 and 2001. Activities that have not had significant changes in participation rates are not shown.
- The tables show, for example, that since 1997 the proportion of all adults participating in walking has increased significantly by 4.8% to 74.8% (ie 70.0% of all adults participated in 1997), although there has been no significant change among women since 1999. On the other hand, participation in gardening among women has significantly decreased since 1997, by 3.6% to 65.5% in 2001 (participation rate of women in gardening was 69.1% in 1997).
- Sports and active leisure activities that have had the most substantial changes to participation since 1997 include walking, with participation among all adults increasing by 4.8% between 1997 and 2001, and increasing by 6.2% of men and 3.5% of women; and running/jogging (increasing 3.3% for all adults, 3.8% among men and 2.8% of women).
Changes in adults’ participation in sports and active leisure activities since 1997
| All sports and active leisure in the last 12 months |
Participation rate in 2001 |
Increase/(Decrease) since 1997/1999 |
| All |
Men |
Women |
All |
Men |
Women |
| 2001 |
2001 |
2001 |
1997 |
1999 |
1997 |
1999 |
1997 |
1999 |
| % |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
| Any walking |
74.8 |
65.2 |
83.7 |
4.8 |
2.8 |
6.2 |
3.4 |
3.5 |
|
| Gardening |
58.8 |
51.6 |
65.5 |
(2.7) |
|
|
|
(3.6) |
|
| Exercising at home |
32.5 |
29.6 |
35.2 |
3.2 |
|
5.8 |
|
|
|
| Exercise classes |
20.0 |
18.8 |
21.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
3.0 |
| Running/jogging etc. |
15.9 |
19.6 |
12.5 |
3.3 |
|
3.8 |
|
2.8 |
2.3 |
| Recreational cycling |
15.5 |
18.2 |
13.0 |
|
|
2.7 |
|
|
|
| Tramping |
13.4 |
15.5 |
11.5 |
2.8 |
|
3.2 |
|
2.5 |
|
| Tennis |
10.9 |
11.8 |
10.0 |
|
|
(2.8) |
(3.2) |
|
|
| Touch football |
8.6 |
12.1 |
5.3 |
(1.6) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Outdoor cricket |
7.3 |
11.5 |
3.4 |
(2.0) |
|
(3.5) |
|
|
|
| Netball |
6.6 |
3.9 |
9.1 |
|
|
|
|
(2.3) |
|
| Basketball |
6.5 |
8.3 |
4.7 |
|
1.1 |
|
|
|
|
| Skiing |
6.2 |
7.4 |
5.0 |
|
1.3 |
|
|
|
1.8 |
| Mountain biking |
6.2 |
8.9 |
3.7 |
|
|
|
(2.1) |
|
|
| Shooting |
6.1 |
11.5 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
|
2.5 |
|
|
|
| Soccer |
5.6 |
9.1 |
2.4 |
1.4 |
|
2.7 |
|
|
|
| Aquarobics |
5.1 |
1.8 |
8.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1.7 |
| Yachting/sailing etc. |
4.9 |
7.1 |
2.8 |
|
|
|
|
(1.3) |
(1.3) |
| Indoor bowls |
3.8 |
4.5 |
3.2 |
|
|
|
|
(1.2) |
|
| Outdoor bowls |
3.5 |
4.9 |
2.2 |
(1.0) |
|
|
|
(1.4) |
|
| Softball |
1.6 |
1.9 |
1.3 |
|
|
|
|
(0.9) |
|
| No. surveyed |
3052 |
1401 |
1651 |
5471 |
4046 |
2358 |
1869 |
3113 |
2177 |
- Among young people, sports and active leisure activities that have had the most significant changes in participation in club activities5 include soccer, in which overall participation has increased significantly by 5.9% of all young people since 1997 to 17.4% in 2001 – the increased participation of girls in particular has driven this change, increasing by 9.2% to 20.1% over this period. Boys’ participation in rugby union has declined significantly since 1999, from 18.1% to 11.1% (a decline of 7.0%).
Changes in young people’s participation in sports and active leisure activities in clubs since 1997
| All sports and active leisure in clubs |
Participation rate in 2001 |
Increase/(Decrease) since 1997/1999 |
| All |
Boys |
Girls |
All |
Boys |
Girls |
| 2001 |
2001 |
2001 |
1997 |
1999 |
1997 |
1999 |
1997 |
1999 |
| % |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
% |
| Basketball |
2.5 |
2.7 |
2.2 |
(2.7) |
|
(3.5) |
|
|
|
| Gymnastics |
4.9 |
1.4 |
10.0 |
|
(4.4) |
|
|
|
|
| Hockey |
3.9 |
3.3 |
4.6 |
|
|
(4.3) |
|
|
|
| Rugby Union |
7.7 |
11.1 |
2.6 |
|
|
|
(7.0) |
|
|
| Rugby League |
2.3 |
3.0 |
1.3 |
|
|
(3.9) |
|
|
|
| Soccer |
17.4 |
20.1 |
13.4 |
5.9 |
|
|
|
9.2 |
|
| Combat sports |
7.3 |
6.1 |
9.0 |
|
|
|
|
5.9 |
|
| No. surveyed |
325 |
206 |
119 |
587 |
431 |
347 |
259 |
240 |
172 |
5 Sports and active leisure activities for young people were not identified in settings other than in clubs in the 1997/98 Sports and Physical Activity Survey; therefore, trends cannot be reported.