A participant in outdoor recreation is defined as an individual who took part in one or more of 42 outdoor activities at least once during 2017.
During the 2017 calendar year, a total of 30,999 online interviews were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals from the US Online Panel of over one million people operated by IPSOS. The total panel is maintained to be representative of the US population for people ages six and older. Over sampling of ethnic groups took place to boost response from typically under responding groups. Data is based on Nielsen’s measure of the population in the United States, ages 6 and up, which is 298,325,103 individuals.
The 2018 participation survey sample size of 30,999 completed interviews provides a high degree of statistical accuracy. All surveys are subject to some level of standard error — that is, the degree to which the results might differ from those obtained by a complete census of every person in the US. A sport with a participation rate of five percent has a confidence interval of plus or minus 0.27 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
A weighting technique was used to balance the data to reflect the total US population ages six and above. The following variables were used: gender, age, income, household size, region, population density and panel join date. The total population figure used was 298,325,103 people ages six and older.
Published June 30, 2018
Inspiring the outdoor habit in kids and families by connecting research, knowledge, people and programs. With the goal of everyone experiencing the fun and joy of the outdoors once a week.
Investigating the Thru-hiker Experience: A Study on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail
The phenomena of thru-hiking has been on a dramatic rise, spurring hikers to venture onto increasingly remote and challenging trails over extended periods of time. Despite the recent popularity of thru-hiking, the field remains relatively unstudied. In recreation, the expectations held beforehand have been linked to perceptions after an activity, but this has not been explored in thru-hiking.
Effects of Pack Weight on Endurance of Long-distance Hikers
This study evaluated pack weight to understand the limits of long-term load carriage. Participants were Appalachian Trail hikers who attempted to complete the entire trail in the 2012 season.
Benefits of Hiking: A Means-End Approach on the Appalachian Trail
The purpose of this research was to examine the outcomes prompting hiking along the Appalachian Trail (AT).
Exercise Intensity and Performance Aspects of Snow Biking through the Use of a Fat Bike
In recent years, fat bikes have become a popular option for mountain bikers. A fat bike is a mountain bike equipped with tires ranging from 9.3 – 10.1 cm wide, twice as wide as a traditional mountain bike tire (Barber, 2014). This allows them to be ridden at an inflation pressure as low as 27579 Pascal (4 PSI). The wide surface area, and low inflation pressure, of these tires allows for excellent handling of the bicycle while riding over sand, mud, and snow. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a traditional mountain bike to ride over such surfaces.
