August 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 15

ward to picnics/barbeques, going for
walks/hikes and exploring nature.
We followed up on this theme in July,
inquiring about summertime events that
Americans were likely to enjoy this year.
We timed this poll question to coincide
with the Independence Day holiday.
Six in seven Americans have attended
and/or will attend outdoor events in their
community this summer, with many of
these activities operated or sponsored
by local park and recreation agencies.
The most widely cited outdoor activities
Americans look forward to attending this
summer are holiday celebrations, such as
festivities surrounding the Fourth of July
holiday (56 percent). Beyond holiday celebrations, survey respondents indicate
that they have attended or will attend
farmers markets (46 percent), outdoor
movies/concerts (34 percent), carnivals/
fairs (33 percent), food festivals (31 percent) and arts/crafts fairs (25 percent)
during the warm-weather season.
Boomers are most likely to attend a
farmers market this summer (54 percent). The percentages of Millennials
and Gen Xers planning on the same are
38 percent and 45 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, adults between the
ages of 18 and 35 indicated a greater
likelihood than those between the ages
of 51 and 70 to attend outdoor movies/
concerts, carnivals/fairs, food festivals
and cultural festivals this summer. Similarly, households with children are more
likely than those that are childless to partake in a holiday celebration, catch an
outdoor movie or concert, attend a carnival or fair, or discover a new culinary
delight at a food fair. Women are more
likely to attend farmers markets or arts/
crafts fairs than are men.
August's poll looks at whether watching athletic competition, whether it
be this month's Summer Olympics or
cheering on a favorite local sports team,
motivates an individual to be more phys

ically active. The answer is a resounding " yes. " Three in five Americans say
they are inspired to be more active after
watching sporting events. Twenty percent of survey respondents say watching athletic competitions " highly " motivates them with another 41 percent
indicating that they are " somewhat "
motivated. The younger the person, the
more likely they are inspired to be more
physically active. Seventy-eight percent
of Millennials and 60 percent of Gen
Xers say they are motivated to be more
physically active after watching sporting
events, compared to a still-robust 51 percent of Baby Boomers. The percentage
indicating the same is also higher for
those with children (69 percent) versus
those without (57 percent).
In all, NRPA Park Pulse gives an opportunity to reach out to the media, key
stakeholders and the general public to
talk about the power of park and recreation in our communities. In the case of
the Zika results, NRPA was able to communicate to the media and general public about the steps park and recreation
agencies are taking to educate the community about Zika and mitigate against
its harmful effects. The poll results on
favorite outdoor activities and summertime events provided an opportunity for
NRPA to remind the public how they
interact with their local park and recreation agencies in the context of Park and
Recreation Month.
I encourage you to use the NRPA Park
Pulse results at your agency, too. The poll
results provide a chance to reach out to local media, policymakers and constituents
to talk about the tremendous impact your
agency has on the community. I also encourage you to share your ideas for future
NRPA Park Pulse questions. If you have
a suggestion for a future question, drop
me a line at kroth@nrpa.org.
Kevin Roth is NRPA's Vice President of Research
(kroth@nrpa.org).

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August 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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