5.0. PRSR 03-07-1990 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Trend Reports Issue No. 43, February 1990 5 Figure 2 Expenditures on Outdoor Recreation by Min- The Non-participants • nesota Economic Regions In millions of dollars(1985) Just as there are factors contribut- ing to how much time people $ spend on recreation and what ac- tivities they prefer,there are also j� factors contributing to little or no . participation. National surveys • /�/, 06s* show that ten percent of all /'%��/' Americans do not participate in ///// any kind of outdoor recreation. /, 4. Over the last two and a half V 4 .......,-.••••••••••.:::••':':: decades this percentage has not ;;;: Northeast changed. The people who do not j $633.2 participate are concentrated among #' � West the aging,nonwhite,non-car- 2 .0 owning segments of those sur- � Central veyed,and also among those with //%/, � � $186.6 less than a high school education. /'% , Metro Not much is known about why this ///�i' �` �, \\ $625.8 v/ �, fi ��.\ group of people does not paz- / i;�•R�rt# $175.Oa ticipate or what their outdoor M� recreation needs might be. ". ,vd,v4111111111111111111111111111 Changes in Other Factors Affecting Outdoor Recreation Though it is difficult to predict the • effect of changes in factors other than age and population growth on outdoor recreation,it is important to consider these factors and their possible impact. • Since 1970,there has been a growing number of households in which the head of the house- hold is single,with or without children;in 1988,24 percent of the heads of households in the U.S. lived alone,compared to 14 percent in 1963; • Leisure and work time are in a state of flux;the work week has increased from 43 hours in 1975 to 47 hours in 1984;on the other hand,the proportion of free time per week spent on outdoor recreation has steadily increased from 2 percent in 1954 to 3.5 percent(equivalent to 1.45 hours a week)in 1981; • The educated populace in Minnesota has increased,with 92 percent graduating from high school in 1987,up 7 percent since 1980. These and other socio-economic trends are indicating that future recreation needs may be different from those of the past. Dual income families,and single-parent and other nontraditional households may need facilities and programs that provide group dynamics other than those based on the traditional family,and more people may be participating in activities they can do alone,such as biking or cross-country skiing. An aging population that may be more affluent and better educated than previous aging groups may spend more money and time on outdoor recreation,especially with retirement time oc- curring in phases. For the non-participanting ten percent of the population,there is a lack of research as to whether they have unmet recreation needs. These and other factors,and possible signs of their im- pacts on outdoor recreation need to be monitored and addressed by recreation resource managers. Summary The current and projected trends in outdoor recreation participation in Minnesota indicate that the most pressure from increased activity will be on close-to-home resources,especially trail and water resources. There will be a need to manage these resources wisely with the cooperation of the users. Resources that 411 are the destination of Minnesota and nonresident tourists,such as the BWCA,the north central and the west and east central regions of the state,will also be the target of increased recreation activity,especial- ly where fishing,camping and canoeing take place. Finally,a new profile of the recreation participants Trend Reports , , ' . Minnesota State Plannin. A:enc ,