Long-Term National Trends in Outdoor Recreation Activity ...

Activity
Percent
of
population
participating
1982-1983 1994-1995 1999-2001 2005-2009 Trend
Total
participants
(millions)
Percent
participating
Total
participants
(millions)
Percent
participating
Total
participants
(millions)
Percent
participating
Total
participants
(millions)
Percent
change in
participants,
1982-1983
to
2005-2009
Change in
number
of participants
(millions),
'82-'83 to
'05-'09
Fishing 34.0 59.0 35.0 70.4 34.2 73.1 33.8 78.0 32.2 19.0
Primitive
camping
Canoeing or
kayaking
10.0 17.3 15.6 31.4 15.9 34.0 14.2 32.8 89.6 15.5
8.0 13.9 9.5 19.2 11.5 24.6 12.4 28.6 105.8 14.7
Backpacking 5.0 8.7 8.4 17.0 10.4 22.2 9.8 22.7 160.9 14.0
Golf 13.0 22.6 17.3 34.9 16.7 35.8 14.3 33.1 46.5 10.5
Sledding 10.0 17.3 13.7 27.7 15.1 32.3 11.6 26.8 54.9 9.5
Horseback
riding
9.0 15.6 10.3 20.7 9.7 20.7 9.7 22.4 43.6 6.8
Hunting 12.0 20.8 12.5 25.3 11.1 23.9 11.5 26.6 27.9 5.8
Downhill skiing 6.0 10.4 11.3 22.8 8.6 18.3 6.4 14.8 42.3 4.4
Waterskiing 9.0 15.6 11.3 22.7 8.0 17.1 8.3 19.2 23.1 3.6
Snowmobiling 3.0 5.2 4.8 9.6 5.5 11.8 3.8 8.7 67.3 3.5
Sailing 6.0 10.4 6.0 12.1 5.1 10.9 4.5 10.3 -1.0 -0.1
Cross country
skiing
Ice skating
outdoors
3.0 5.2 4.4 8.8 3.8 8.2 2.1 4.9 -5.8 -0.3
6.0 10.4 7.1 14.2 6.7 14.3 4.2 9.6 -7.7 -0.8
Tennis outdoors 17.0 29.5 14.0 28.2 10.5 22.5 9.7 22.3 -24.4 -7.2
(Source: National Survey on Recreation and the Environment, USDA Forest Service and University of Georgia,
Athens GA. Participation numbers and percentages reflect the population numbers estimated by the Bureau of
Census for the years shown.)
Table 2 provides estimates of the number of days on which activity participants did each activity
as reported in the 1982-83 Nationwide Recreation Survey and in the 2005-09 NSRE. Trends in
annual activity days are provided for those activities which appeared in Table 7 of the 1982-1983
NRS report (USDI 1986), and for which annual days was also asked in NSRE 2005-09. Annual
activity days for sports-related activities, such as golf and tennis, were not asked in the 2005-09
survey.
Activities listed in Table 2 are ordered in descending order by percent reporting more than 25
days of participation in 2005-09. Apparent changes for each activity are highlighted in yellow.
For birding, pool swimming, motor boating, and developed camping, the percentages of
participants by number of days of participation were pretty much consistent from the early 1980s
to now (2005-09). For day hiking and backpacking, there was an increase in percentages of
3