New Ipsos survey confirms importance of trails and outdoor recreation to British Columbians
Destination BC photo
On the day before the second annual BC Trails Day, BC's biggest trail celebration, a new Ipsos survey commissioned by the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC, an umbrella organization composed of more than 60 organizational members that represent the broad and diverse spectrum of outdoor recreation user groups in BC, confirms that British Columbians are a province of outdoor recreation enthusiasts who support more government investments in the development and maintenance of trails, parks and other recreation amenities.
The survey is the first of its kind in more than a decade to poll British Columbians on their participation in outdoor recreation and their opinions on the benefits, barriers, and the role of the provincial government in the development and maintenance of trails, parks, recreation sites, day-use sites, campsites, and access roads.
Louise Pedersen, Executive Director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC, said: "British Columbia has seen a soaring interest in outdoor recreation for the past decade, and in particular since the start of the pandemic when the outdoors became 'essential spaces' for people to safely recreate, gather and escape during a challenging and stressful time. However, there haven’t been any recent efforts to understand the significance of outdoor recreation to British Columbians and the barriers to participation, so we decided to find out to help ensure that this information is made available to decision-makers and to support our advocacy efforts for improved outdoor recreation opportunities for all British Columbians."
According to the survey, seven out of ten BC residents (70%) have participated in outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, bird watching, camping, bike riding, horseback riding, dirt biking, fishing, hunting, canoeing, Nordic skiing, and snowmobiling in BC in the past 12 months.
There is a higher rate of recreation participation among males (75%), younger people between 18-34 (91%), those with an annual household income over $100,000 (79%), and who have children (79%). Those least likely to participate in outdoor activities were females (65%), those over the age of 55 (49%) and with an annual household income of $40,000 or less (56%).
When asked about the benefits of recreation, more than nine out of ten outdoor recreation participants agree that it is good for their mental health (94%) and physical health (93%). They also agree that it helps them grow their appreciation for nature (90%) and spend time with family and friends (86%).
In line with a growing body of research, three out of four (74%) agree that access to good outdoor recreation opportunities is an important reason they chose to live in their communities.
Some top issues of concern for outdoor recreation participants in BC in the past year include washroom availability (42%), parking availability (40%), campsite reservation issues (28%), overcrowding (28%), lack of garbage bins (25%), poorly maintained trails (23%), poorly maintained campsites or park facilities (20%), closed trails due to poor trail conditions (21%), and loss of road access to a park, recreation site or trail (14%). One out of ten (9%) indicated that they have been unable to use campsites, day-use areas, trails, or outhouses because they are not accessible to persons with disabilities.
The survey also indicates that nearly nine out of ten BC residents would like to spend more time recreating outdoors but face several barriers, including too little time (41%), no one to participate with (24%), too expensive (21%), insufficient knowledge and experience (14%) and having a disability (13%).
In line with their enthusiasm for outdoor recreation, 85% of BC residents who participate in outdoor recreation activities agree the government should invest more in the development and maintenance of trails, parks, recreation sites, day-use sites, campsites, and access roads.
Louise Pedersen said of the findings: "This survey has confirmed that access to outdoor recreation opportunities is vital to British Columbians, it boosts our physical, mental and social well-being, it helps us experience and appreciate nature, and when it comes to deciding where to live, access to quality outdoor recreation opportunities is a deciding factor for most of us.”
Pedersen continued: "The survey also highlights the fact that British Columbians have experienced many issues in the past 12 months that impact their recreation experience, including lack of basic facilities in many places, such as outhouses, garbage containers and signage, overcrowding, poorly maintained trails and campsites, and that trails, campsites and outhouses are not accessible to people with disabilities.”
"Well-maintained, safe and accessible trails and outdoor spaces have never been more critical to British Columbians. Outdoor recreation is not just something people do for fun; it’s essential to our physical health, mental well-being, and social connectedness. It is also a significant economic powerhouse that can invigorate and strengthen BC's rural towns by creating jobs, diversifying economies, and boosting tourism. We are encouraged to see strong support among British Columbians for increased government funding to develop and maintain trails, parks, recreation sites, day-use sites, campsites, and access roads."
About the study:
These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC. The poll of 800 adult (18+) British Columbians was conducted online via the Ipsos I-Say Panel from May 26-30, 2022. These data were statistically weighted by region, age, gender and education to ensure the sample composition reflects that of the actual British Columbia population according to Census data. The precision of Ipsos polls containing online data is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the overall poll (n=800) is accurate to within +/- 4.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all British Columbia adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
Click to access data tables and Ipsos media release.
Examples of media coverage received:
Times Colonist: Access to B.C.’s outdoors limited by washroom, parking access, finds poll
Vancouver Sun: Most in B.C. agree outdoor recreation supports mental health: poll
Daily Hive: Nature calls: Lack of toilets preventing people from enjoying BC's trails
