Favourite sports survey: comparing data example
27 October 2026
Children often take part in surveys at school to find out what their classmates like best. Favourite sports surveys are a common way to practise comparing sets of data in maths.
Worked example
A class does a survey to find out their favourite sport. 8 children pick football, 5 pick tennis, and 7 pick swimming.
Question: How many more children chose football than tennis?
Step 1: Look at the numbers. Football = 8, Tennis = 5.
Step 2: Subtract the number for tennis from football. 8 - 5 = 3.
Answer: 3 more children chose football than tennis.
Key insight: After working through this example, your child will be able to spot which sport is more popular and by how much. They can now try similar questions to build confidence in comparing data from surveys.
