How happy are our trails?

American Demographics, Feb, 1996 by Rachel Dickinson

Most adults play outdoors once in a while. Affluent, well-educated Americans play most often.

Pleasure driving is one of America's most popular outdoor activities, along with walking, swimming, and picnicking. In fact, "the average duration of a visit to a park like Glacier National Park is the amount of time it takes to drive from one end to the other," says Derrick Crandall, executive vice president of the Recreation Roundtable.

Since 1989, the Washington, D.C.-based group has pondered big questions in the world of outdoor fun. Created by the nonprofit American Recreation Coalition and consisting of the industry's top-level executives, the roundtable represents companies as diverse as Harley-Davidson, Times-Mirror Magazines, and Walt Disney Attractions, all of which have a vested interest in learning how Americans spend $300 billion on outdoor recreation each year.

The roundtable's second annual Recreation Quality Index (RQI) serves as an ongoing barometer for the outdoor recreation community. The index measures Americans' perceived opportunity for, participation in, and satisfaction with a list of 30 "physical outdoor activities that involve the enjoyment and use of natural resources." Opportunity includes physical access to activities, as well as the extent to which people have the time and money to take advantage of them. The participation component measures activities in which people took part in the past year, vacations they took involving such recreation, and whether they plan to increase or decrease their participation in the next year. Satisfaction includes people's happiness with the value they receive for the money they spend, the quality of services provided by recreation site employees, and the level of activities and instruction available.

Using 1994 as a benchmark, the total RQI was up slightly in 1995, to 107 from 100, mostly because people logged a 19 percent increase in their satisfaction level. Overall, seven in ten American adults participated in at least one outdoor activity in the past year. The typical adult participated in three or four. Lack of time is the biggest barrier to participation, followed by cost and simple lack of interest.

Americans reject the notion that outdoor activities are only for the wealthy. After all, the most popular activities--walking and pleasure driving--require no special equipment. "Recreation is quite egalitarian in this country, and we hope to keep it this way," says Crandall. Even so, participation in outdoor recreation is noticeably greater among those with high levels of education and income. Residents of large urban areas and blacks (who are predominantly urban) indicate lower-than-average levels of participation and opportunity. This is not so much because they have less access to such activities as because they fear crime.

If crime fears are keeping children indoors, the recreation industry has cause for concern. Adults who say that outdoor recreation was very important when they were growing up are much more likely than average to be frequent participants today. Furthermore, those who participated in outdoor activities in adulthood and in their youth are more satisfied with virtually all aspects of their lives in the present. With this in mind, "recreation needs to continue to play a vital role in the life of every American," says Crandall. Even if it just means taking the kids on a Sunday drive through the park.

Roper Starch Worldwide of New York City conducted the 1994 and 1995 surveys. For more information on the study, contact Derrick Crandall, The Recreation Roundtable, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 726, Washington, DC 20004; telephone (202) 662-7420; fax (202) 662 7424.