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Research and Data

Community Perceptions Monitor

Measuring Australians’ attitudes towards sport

The Australian Sports Commission measures Australians’ attitudes towards sport through its Community Perceptions Monitor (CPM).

The CPM is a monthly online survey of the general community about sport and physical activity in Australia. It surveys 500 Australian residents aged 18+ each month across metropolitan and regional Australia.

Topics covered in the CPM each month include:

  • Interest in different types of sport and physical activity, including elite, community and casual
  • Enjoyment of being physically active and following sport generally
  • Awareness of the value and benefits of sport
  • Feelings of pride and inspiration generated by Australian sport and athletes
  • Engagement in sport through spectating and supporter behaviours
  • Attitudes to government investment in sport
  • Sport in the community

This is complementary to AusPlay, which measures Australians' participation in specific sports and physical activities.

CPM summary report: Impact of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the Australian community

2024-25

2023-24

2022-23

2021-22

The CPM began as a one-off survey of 2,487 Australians aged 18+ in July 2019. It moved to a monthly survey of 500 in February 2020 and has continued in that format ever since.

The survey measures interest in and perceptions of the following six different 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 (e.g. jogging, walking the dog, going to the gym, playing cricket in the park with friends, etc.).

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 (e.g. boot camp, gym classes, dance classes, etc.).

Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes – Athletes who represent Australia at these events every four years.

Other Australian national athletes and teams – Athletes competing as Australia in international sport at World Championships, World Cups, etc (excluding the Olympics, Paralympics 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 that men and women play where they are paid, at least to some extent, to play (e.g. AFL, AFLW, NRL, NBL, WNBL, etc.)

In addition, extra questions are sometimes included for one month or more to address topics of interest at a particular time. Examples include:

  • Returning to sport after COVID-19
  • Experience of volunteering in sport
  • Interest in and engagement with major events, such as the Olympic/Paralympic Games, FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The CPM uses an online panel methodology. Quotas are set to ensure each monthly sample of 500 Australians is representative of the population in terms of gender, age and state/territory. Data are weighted to correct for any minor imbalances in representativeness that may occur.

The CPM consists of a core questionnaire, with the ability to add questions on salient topics at any time.

Any questions or requests for further information about the Community Perceptions Monitor can be directed to the Insights team at the Australian Sports Commission.

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