Personal Interest
Level of personal interest across sport and physical activity categories.
In 2024/25, Australians showed strong personal interest across a range of sport and physical activity categories. Casual sport and physical activity attracted the highest levels of interest, reflecting growing engagement with informal and flexible forms of exercise. Interest in elite sport, professional competitions, and organised sport also remained strong, with similar levels of interest across major sporting events, professional domestic leagues, and international sport.
Personal interest in [sports category]… (% very interested, rating of 7-10)
Definition of sport categories
- Casual sport and physical activity – Unstructured sport or physical activity that you can do at any time or place during the day, by yourself or with family/friends (for example, jogging, walking the dog, going to the gym, playing cricket in the park).
- Organised sport and physical activity – Structured organised sport ranging from A-grade club sport through to more social and junior sport, as well as all the types of organised physical activity that people do (for example, boot camp, gym or dance classes).
- Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games (OPC athletes) – Athletes who represent Australia at these events held every four years.
- Other Australian national athletes and teams – Athletes competing as Australia in international sport at World Championships, World Cups (excluding the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games).
- International professional athletes – Australian athletes playing professional sport around the globe (as an individual athlete or as part of a team) in competitions and events that include international events, but they do not compete as Australia.
- Australian professional sporting codes – All the codes of sport within Australia where athletes are paid, at least to some extent, to play (for example, AFL, AFLW, NRL, NBL, WNBL).
Casual sport and physical activity - 59% - 2023/24: 55% - 2022/23: 58% - 2021/22: 60% - 2020/21: 57% - 2019/20: 56%
Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes and teams - 43% - 2023/24: 42% - 2022/23: 43% - 2021/22: 45% - 2020/21: 43% - 2019/20: 42%
Australian professional sporting codes - 41% - 2023/24: 41% - 2022/23: 42% - 2021/22: 40% - 2020/21: 41% - 2019/20: 39%
Other Australian national athletes and teams - 38% - 2023/24: 40% - 2022/23: 39% - 2021/22: 39% - 2020/21: 38% - 2019/20: 38%
Organised sport and physical activity - 33% - 2023/24: 30% - 2022/23: 33% - 2021/22: 31% - 2020/21: 31% - 2019/20: 31%
International professional athletes - 32% - 2023/24: 33% - 2022/23: 34% - 2021/22: 32% - 2020/21: 33% - 2019/20: 31%
