Recreation (& Sport) Participation Data

Overall Participation

• The annual population estimate for Adults 15+ participating in Bush Walking was 1,174,049 (or 5.8% of the Adult 15+ population).
• Adult participation was very gender balanced with 576,132 men (or 5.8% of the male population) and 597,918 women (or 5.9% of the female population) taking part in Bush Walking. This represents an almost equal (49%/51%) gender split in overall participation.
• Bush Walking was most popular in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (10.6% of the ACT Adult 15+ population participated in Bush Walking) and Tasmania (10.2%).
• Interestingly, participation in Bush Walking was significantly higher in major cities (5.9%) and inner/outer regional areas (6.2%) compared to remote and very remote locations (3.9%).
• Not surprisingly, only 11% of Bush Walking participation was organised.
• Unlike recreational Walking, which showed peak participation rates at later stages of life (55+), peak participation rates for Bush Walking was at 25-34 years of age for women (7.8%). Men’s participation was similarly high at the same age (6.5%) but peaked at 55-64 years of age (7.7%).

Frequency & Duration

• Adults 15+ who participated in Bush Walking had a median frequency of 12 sessions per annum (about once per month) and the median session duration was 180 minutes.

Motivations for Participation (Adults 15+)

• The main motivations to participate in Bush Walking were ‘Fun/enjoyment’ (35%), ‘To be outdoors/to enjoy nature’ (34%) and ‘Physical health or fitness’ (32%).
• ‘Social reasons’ were also a motivator by just less than one in five (18%) participants.
• ‘To be outdoors/enjoy nature’ was clearly the dominant motive for younger participants.
• ‘Fun/enjoyment’ is slightly more prevalent at middle age and
• ‘Physical health/fitness’ becomes the primary motivation for older Bush Walkers aged 65+.

Reasons For Dropping Out of Participation

• The dominant reason for dropping out of Bush Walking participation was ‘Poor health or injury’ (25%) but other notable reasons were ‘Don’t like it’ (16%) and ‘Not a priority anymore’ (14%).

Growth & Opportunities

• Net growth market opportunity is average to low