The results are in from the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) run AusPlay survey and give an interesting insight into the habits and lifestyles of today’s Aussies. Last week, the ASC released its findings for the period 2016 – 2022.
What is the AusPlay Survey?
The AusPlay survey first started in 2015 and it forms part of Sport 2030 – the Australian Government’s national sport plan. Sport 2030 is the first of its’ kind and AusPlay is a large-scale national survey that is conducted in order to track the physical activity behaviours of the Australian population.
It’s the job of the ASC to help strengthen the sports sector across the country and so this data collection tool is important in helping to identify trends and opportunities for growth.
The annual target sample sizes of 20,000 adults aged 15 and over and approximately 3,600 children aged 0-14 make this survey the most comprehensive of its kind ever to be run in Australia.
What did the latest AusPlay data show?
For one thing, the survey revealed that exercise and sports are an area where Aussies are happy to spend their money, despite the current tough economic pressures. The data showed that over 50% of adults and almost 75% of children were engaged in paid sport-related activities, with the median spending for females higher than males in both adults and children.
There are some really great infographics that present the data, which can be viewed here and while the snapshot below refers to gym and fitness centre figures, there are separate visual breakdowns for more specific exercise modalities such as Crossfit, Martial Arts or Yoga.
What does this mean for the Australian Fitness Industry?
The massive blow felt by the Australian fitness industry as a result of the pandemic shows (predictably) that expansion in the gym sector was reduced during the 2 years when shutdowns and restrictions were experienced.
In 2020, all gyms in Australia were forcibly shut down. The following year (2021) was marked by repeated shutdowns and intolerable pandemic restrictions. However, there’s a glimmer of hope in 2022-2023, with the Australian health and fitness industry showing signs of recovery. This is due to the fact that people are now more health-conscious and talking about fitness more than ever.
The fitness industry has experienced exponential growth in 2022, despite the absence of government funds and grants. Increased health awareness in the post-pandemic period played a significant role in saving the industry. Based on the positive response from the audience, experts predict that the fitness industry will continue to boom in 2023.
After considering the aforementioned details, it can be noted that Australia’s health and fitness industry raked in a revenue of $292 million in 2022. As per Statista, around 49.1% of young Australians (aged 18-24) were frequent patrons of fitness centres and gym facilities. With a burgeoning health culture on the rise, the fitness industry is projected to witness an annual growth of 3.7% from 2019 to 2024.
The thriving fitness industry in Australia has also opened up a plethora of job opportunities in the fitness sector. As per a survey, there has been a surge of around 23% in available jobs for gym and group instructors, personal trainers, fitness services coordinators, and so on. The Australians’ expenditure on fitness equipment and training was estimated to be 8 billion dollars in 2022.
The fitness industry in Australia has witnessed an increase of 11,000 job opportunities over the past five years. As the industry continues to grow at a rapid pace, government officials are encouraging importers of fitness equipment to bring in more products to Australia. Additionally, there has been a significant rise in fitness equipment sales in the post-pandemic era, with statistics indicating a 170% increase.
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