Leasing is often associated with greater access and use (fig.29). Tiius, reductions in 

 private land access will not necessarily add pressure for use of public land. Aside 

 from the continuing loss of private rural acreage to other uses, private lands might 

 play a greater, not lesser future role in meeting recreation demand pressures. 



Issue Highlight— 

 Analysis of Customer 

 Diversity and the Future 

 Demand for Outdoor 

 Recreation 



Changes in the composition of the U.S. population may alter the demand for outdoor 

 recreation in the years ahead. Several demographic changes are occurring: the 

 average age is increasing, the proportion of the population classed as minority is 

 increasing, and the proportion of the population in urban areas is increasing. If these 

 changes affect the ways that the population recreates, they have many implications 

 for development of opportunities to recreate on both public and private lands. We 

 initiated a study to examine customer diversity in the future and its implications for 

 outdoor recreation (Dwyer, 1994). 



The study involved review and analysis of existing information on the relationship 

 between recreation participation and age, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural residence. 

 Recreation behavior is complex and difficult to explain and interpret. Individual 

 recreation behavior is driven by a wide range of important goals, in addition to the 

 sociodemographic charactehstics of individuals. These variables include the physical, 

 biological, managerial, and social attributes of recreation opportunities; individual and 

 group goals and preferences; the availability of equipment; sl<ills and experiences; 

 leisure time; companions to participate with; and knowledge of and accessibility to 

 recreation opportunities. Thus, demographic variables such as age, racial/ethnic 

 background, and urban/rural residence explain only a small portion of the variation in 

 participation in recreation activities. The following summarizes available information 

 about the effects of demographic variables on recreation participation. In this discus- 

 sion, participation rate means the proportion of a group of people that participates in a 

 recreation activity. 



Age — Leveling of participation rates in most activities seems to occur as the 

 individual reaches middle age. Participation in more physically strenuous 

 activities such as jogging and downhill skiing starts to decline at early ages, with 

 participation in other activities beginning to decline later in life. Exceptions are 

 walking and observing nature, which are apparently enjoyed by people of all 

 ages. Available projections from the Bureau of the Census indicate that the U.S. 

 population will continue to age. In 1980, the median age was 30. This is 

 projected to increase to 36 in 2000 and to 41 in 2025. 



Race/ethnicity — National data on the recreation participation patterns of 

 Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, and "other groups" indicated 

 significant differences by race/ethnic background. For example, Caucasians and 

 Hispanics had significantly higher participation rates than African Americans in 

 almost all recreation activities. In athletic activities such as jogging/running and 

 aerobics, participation rates for African Americans exceeded participation rates 

 for Caucasians, but not for Hispanics. African Americans also tended to stay 



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