Famous athletes are the most common type of role model for Indigenous children

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-02-13 03:00

Australia; TAS

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander boys overwhelmingly look up to their favourite athletes as role models, according to Australian research. The team surveyed 307 Indigenous children aged 10-12 from around Australia, asking them to name someone they looked up to and why. Of 169 boys, 91 named an athlete, with family members and professionals such as police officers and doctors also common choices. 38 out of 138 girls surveyed named a family member as their role model, with the categories of entertainer and athlete close behind. The researchers say the children overwhelmingly named role models of the same gender as them, and most role models named were either Indigenous, such as rugby player Greg Inglis and singer Jessica Mauboy, or people of colour from other countries such as Beyonce and Lebron James.