Outdoor Activities at a Glance
Source: Outdoor Foundation, 2021 Outdoor Participation Trends Report.
During 2020, a total of 18,000 online interviews were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals from U.S. proprietary online panels representative of the U.S. population for people ages six and over. Strict quotas associated with gender, age, income, region, and ethnicity were followed to ensure a balanced sample. The findings were insightful, with their reason to be concerned. We must make each outdoor experience more enriching and exciting.
In 2020, 53 percent of Americans ages 6 and over participated in outdoor recreation at least once, the highest participation rate on record. As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged communities and forced a nationwide shutdown, outdoor spaces became places of refuge to safely socialize, improve physical and mental health, connect with family and recover from screen fatigue.
Remarkably, 7.1 million more Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020 than in the year prior. Despite these gains, nearly half of the U.S. population did not share in the proven, positive health outcomes of outdoor physical activity.
The average number of annual outings per participant continued a steady, long-term decline, falling from 87 in 2012 to just 71 in 2020. Despite significant industry efforts to address gender disparities, for the last eight years females have represented just 46 percent of outdoor participants, even though 51 percent of Americans were female
Households with children had much higher participation rates than those without children—60 percent versus 46 percent. Households with children ages 6 to 12 had the highest overall household participation rates at 62 percent. Households with children continued to drive participation growth. Without families and young participants the outdoor industry risks losing ground.
The youngest participants, children ages 6 to 17, were outdoors far less. In 2012, kids averaged 91 outings per participant versus just 77 in 2020. Young adults ages 18 to 24 exhibited similar declines.
In 2020, 53 percent of Americans ages 6 and over participated in outdoor recreation at least once, the highest participation rate on record. As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged communities and forced a nationwide shutdown, outdoor spaces became places of refuge to safely socialize, improve physical and mental health, connect with family and recover from screen fatigue.
Remarkably, 7.1 million more Americans participated in outdoor recreation in 2020 than in the year prior. Despite these gains, nearly half of the U.S. population did not share in the proven, positive health outcomes of outdoor physical activity.
- COVID-19 inspired huge participation growth. These one-year gains, however, did not fundamentally alter the long-term challenges faced by the outdoor industry.
- Research indicated that about one-quarter of new participants say they don’t want to continue their new outdoor activities, a number that may grow sharply as consumers return to pre-pandemic habits.
The average number of annual outings per participant continued a steady, long-term decline, falling from 87 in 2012 to just 71 in 2020. Despite significant industry efforts to address gender disparities, for the last eight years females have represented just 46 percent of outdoor participants, even though 51 percent of Americans were female
Households with children had much higher participation rates than those without children—60 percent versus 46 percent. Households with children ages 6 to 12 had the highest overall household participation rates at 62 percent. Households with children continued to drive participation growth. Without families and young participants the outdoor industry risks losing ground.
The youngest participants, children ages 6 to 17, were outdoors far less. In 2012, kids averaged 91 outings per participant versus just 77 in 2020. Young adults ages 18 to 24 exhibited similar declines.
Water Sports & Recreation Growing in Popularity.
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People are taking to the waterways in record rates:
1. Fishing is most popular sport with fly fishing being the preferred choice - 18% of the US population reporting having fished at least once in 2020. 2. Kayaking has overtaken canoeing as the preferred method of on-water recreation and sport. - Recreation kayaking is king with 4.3% of the population participating. - Recreation kayaking overtook canoeing in 2017. 3. Canoeing has softened since hitting its peak in 2010. - 3.2% of the population report having canoed in 2020, a slight uptick over 2018 and 2019. 4. Stand Up Paddling (SUP) has reported ten years of annual gains since first tracked in 2010. - SUP achieved a record 1.2% participation rate in 2020. |
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To view the entire Outdoors Activities 2007 - 2020 table, click on the attachment below:
| outdoor_activities_2007_-_2020.pdf |
To view the entire 27-page 2021 Outdoors Activities table, click on the attachment below:
| 2021-outdoor-participation-trends-report.pdf |
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Michigan Waterways Stewards
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