Commemorating Anzac Day with a dawn service could be a thing of the past, with new research showing more than half of Australians will opt to spend the day with friends or family.
A survey by family history website Ancestry found 58 per cent of Australians are not traditionally commemorating the day, but 64 per cent still claim it is "a day to remember".
However, Australian social analyst David Chalke said the other 42 per cent of the population commemorating the day traditionally is "phenomenal".
"Can you imagine any other thing you'd get 40 per cent of the population to do something for?" he said.
Mr Chalke drew attention to the resurgence of "secular public communion", which was evident in the Martin Place siege memorial, and during the rise of the "Je suis Charlie" slogan.
Mr Chalke said Australians were making Anzac Day more personal by honouring names they recognised at smaller, local memorials, rather than attending large, city sites.
He anticipates 300 to 400 people will pay tribute to the 48 names honoured at his local memorial, an increase of about 100 on last year's attendance.
Additional coverage, due to the Anzac centenary, has piqued the interest of Australians and provided them with a better understanding of what the day is about, according to Mr Chalke.
He predicts interest roused by the centenary will be sustained in future years, as Australians continue to recognise "the pioneers' spirit".
He said the day is Australia's "foundation legend".
"It is the story of us," he said.
"Anzac Day is the second most important day, after Christmas.
"It's part of us, and we need to treasure it."
Until Sunday, April 26, Ancestry.com.au has opened up 12 million WWI records for Australians to search, free of charge, for their own WWI descendants. Visit www.ancestry.com.au/anzac100.
