AusPlay research results highlight a change in the way Australians are getting active

New research from the Australian Sports Commission’s latest national AusPlay report highlights a change in the way Australians are getting active. The report shows Australians are motivated to move more to improve their mental health while also also highlighting that Australians are engaging in activities such as bush walking, yoga, pilates and exergaming which can be enjoyed at times and locations that suit them

According to the ASC, the AusPlay report provides vital participation insights for key demographic groups in Australia, with adults (ages 15 and up) reporting an increase in getting active for mental health reasons, almost doubling in five years from 16% in 2017 to 31% today.

Aside from the mental health benefits, Australians are increasingly participating in sport and physical activity for fun, social reasons and to be outdoors.

Worryingly, the percentage of people in the same cohort who say being active isn’t a priority has increased to 11% this year – the highest ever result in AusPlay.

Minister for Sport Anika Wells said AusPlay remains an important tool for the sector to track how and why Australians are being physically active and notes “Australians see the benefits of being active for their physical and mental health and we must continue to address the barriers that are stopping them from being active.”

ASC Chief Executive Kieren Perkins said the results highlight a change in the way Australians are getting active adding “we know many people are juggling multiple commitments and it’s important that our sports continue to explore how best to engage with Australians who are looking for flexibility to suit their lifestyles.”

Almost half (47%) or 2,363,000 children aged 0-14 are participating in organised outside-of-school sport or physical activity at least once a week, an increase from 42% the previous year as the nation continues to recover from the pandemic.

The most popular activities for boys are swimming, football/soccer and AFL, and swimming, dancing and gymnastics for girls.

Bush walking continues to be popular among males. 872,000 males went bush walking in the last 12 months, making it the third most popular non-sport activity for men after walking and fitness/gym.

Yoga stretched past bush walking as the third most popular non-sport activity for women with 1,291,000 participants, after walking and fitness/gym.

Martial arts and sailing also made the list for most popular sports for older Australians aged 55 and up, with 88,000 males sailing and 85,000 females participating in martial arts.

The National Sport and Physical Activity Participation Report November 2022 is available via The Clearinghouse for Sport.

Other key findings include:

• 22 % (340,000) of young adults aged 15-19 were involved in a non-playing role, most of which (76%) were volunteers. While this number has increased, it is still below pre-pandemic levels

• 43 % of inactive older Australians aged 55+ say poor health/injury is a barrier to being active

• The percentage of active Australians 18+ with a disability who are motivated by the physical (78 %), social (29%) and mental health (28%) benefits of physical activity has increased from the previous year

• 83% of Australians 15+ in major cities participate in sport or physical activity at least once a week compared to 76% in regional/rural areas