December 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 15

What did we learn? Americans cherish
their local public park and recreation services, seeing them as valuable features of
their communities, towns and cities. In
fact, Americans almost unanimously agree
that their communities benefit from their
local public parks, even if they themselves
are not regular park users. This passion
for local public parks has gone unabated
during the past 25 years even as our nation
and the ways we interact and entertain
each other have dramatically evolved.
Read the full report and dig deeper
into the data with a series of interactive
tools at www.NRPA.org/americanssupport-parks.
Americans' Engagement
with Parks Survey
NRPA Research launched a new annual
study that probes Americans' usage of
parks, the key reasons that drive their use
and the greatest challenges preventing
greater usage. Each year, the survey will
explore the importance of public parks
in Americans' lives, including how parks
compare to other services and offerings
of local governments.
This inaugural survey released this fall
(www.NRPA.org/engagement) found:
* Americans on average visit their local
park and recreation facilities approximately 29 times a year, with 3 in 5 saying their most recent visit was within
the past month.
* Nine in 10 Americans agree that parks
and recreation services are important
amenities delivered by their local government, comparable to public safety,
school and transportation.
* Seven in 10 Americans say they are more
likely to vote for local politicians who make
park and recreation funding a priority.

* Three-quarters of Americans support
increased local government spending
for park and recreation agencies, with
solid support for an almost 30 percent
increase in funding for local park and
recreation agencies.
NRPA Park Pulse Polls
The two preceding studies find broad
support for park and recreation agencies. NRPA Research now has a resource that gives NRPA and member
agencies reasons to tout their benefits
throughout the year. NRPA Park Pulse
(www.NRPA.org/Park-Pulse)
is
a
monthly single-question poll on issues
related to parks and recreation.
Some topics are serious - such as, the
impact Zika had on people's plans to enjoy the outdoors last summer or banning
the use of tobacco products at public
parks. Other topics celebrate what agencies offer to their communities, including
favorite outdoor activities or whether
watching the Olympics motivates people
to become more physically active.
2016 has been a rewarding year in developing new resources and reintroducing previously offered research tools to
park and recreation professionals. In the
coming year, we look forward to broadening the reach of NRPA Research to
give you the resources you need to better serve the public and tell the park and
recreation story. Help us succeed by
sharing your feedback. Whether it's to
share your thoughts on a previous report or to make a suggestion on future
research topics, we are looking forward
to hearing from you.
Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA's Vice President of
Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

13
December 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2016 - Parks & Recreation
