It doesn’t take a three-day weekend to get Utahns into the great outdoors.
With many hitting the state’s mountain trails and reservoirs over the July 4 weekend, and Pioneer Day offering another reason to vacation just a couple weeks away, a new survey shows that the majority of Utah citizens participate in outdoor recreation at least once a week, and nearly 90 percent of them say outdoor recreation is very important to them.
The survey shows that across the board, Utahns agree that their state offers outdoor scenery and recreation second to none. Dan Jones & Associates, in conjunction with the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, conducted the statewide poll to determine Utahns’ sentiments regarding outdoor recreation in the state.
In another finding of the poll, over 90 percent of Utahns are satisfied with recreational opportunities currently available in Utah. Equally impressive is the frequency with which Utahns get outdoors to enjoy their favorite activities. Sixty-five percent of Utahns participate in outdoor recreation at least once a week. Conversely, just 12 percent of Utahns participate in outdoor recreation less than once a month or never.
Overwhelmingly, Utahns participate in hiking more than any other recreational activity (36)over bicycling (14%), running or walking (10%), and golf (10%) combined – the next three most common recreational activities. This may in large part be due to the high cost of some outdoor activities, such as skiing, golfing, or boating.
Despite the high cost of “wealthier” sports, skiing and snowboarding have been able to shake that stigma and gain broader appeal. According to the survey, while golf is played much more frequently by those with incomes greater than $100,000, skiing and snowboarding are more commonly enjoyed by Utahns across all income brackets. Natalie Gochnour, an associate dean in the David Eccles School of Business, commented, “Utah has the greatest snow on earth, which attracts tourists from all over the world and brings thousands of dollars to the Utah economy each year. Whether enjoyed by tourists or locals, the impact of outdoor recreation on Utah’s economy is significant.”
While 92 percent of Utahns are satisfied with outdoor recreation opportunities in the state, for some, improvements are possible. The most popular suggestions for improvement include constructing more walking paths (23%), building bike trails (14%), adding camping sites (14%), and developing more urban parks (10%). However, the suggestion to “do nothing” ranked second highest among survey respondents at 17 percent. Those that indicated the state should do nothing to improve recreation options stemmed predominantly from Utahns who identify as politically conservative—more than moderates and liberals combined. Jones stated, “The high rate of satisfaction with outdoor recreation in the state aligns with the opinion that state government doesn’t need to improve existing recreation infrastructure. On a related note, research shows that conservatives tend to want to leave capital improvement projects to private enterprise, which may be another reason for their support of the government abstaining from involvement.”