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Source data:
Day to Day Travel in Australia 1985/86
2015 National Cycling Participation
Australian Bureau of Statistics single year population 2015
Note: the tabulated data below is based on Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates of single year of age populations in each state on 30 June 2015 and the results are thus different from Australian cyclist numbers and population 1985/86 - 2015 which uses a 30 June 2014 population baseline.
Day to Day Travel in Australia 1985/86 alternatively provides a breakdown of cyclist age groups:
Day to Day Travel in Australia 1985-86 (p217)
The 1985/86 data above is tabulated below and different age groups are compared with corresponding demographics from the 2015 National Cycling Participation survey figures higher on this page:
The age breakdown demonstrates how daily recreational cycling exercise in the formative child and teenage years has declined almost 60% since the pre-law 1985/86 survey, with 30yo+ numbers increasing strongly because of ageing baby boomers who learned to cycle before participation was discouraged by Australia's 1990-92 bicycle helmet law enforcement.
In 1985/86, there were almost five times more daily bike trips among 9-17yo than among 30yo+ Australians.
In 2015, there were 20.7% fewer daily bike trips among 9-17yo than among 30yo+ Australians.
In 2015, an unknown proportion of the NCP survey respondents were also breaking the law by cycling without a helmet.
Footnote: most data above should be regarded as approximations rather than accurate statistics. Each participation survey has different formulae to estimate daily cycling averages and available variants don't necessarily apply to all age groups, such as the National Cycling Participation averages of "times per week" to calculate daily bike trips. However, calculations based on the available survey estimates allow approximate comparable averages for different years that confirm a decline in per capita Australian cycling.
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