CHART 3

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND PARTICIPATION IN SELECTED
ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH PER CAPITA PARTICIPATION IS LARGELY

Annual percapita participation
(Occations — ratio scale )

30

°

ol

DETERMINED BY FACTORS OTHER THAN INCOME

WALKING FOR PLEASURE

FISHING

HUNTIN!

iz 4 i

L !
8 12 15 19 2.4 3.3 5.7
Percapita family income — $1,000 Ratio Scale

70



Percent of persons with article present in household—Ratio Scale

CHART 7

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND POSSESSION OF SELECTED
OUTDOOR RECREATION EQUIPMENT

100 t — |
AUTOMOBILE !
t ROD and REEL
30f. 4
lOF 4
BOAT and/or OUTBOARD MOT(
n 7
3EL 7 4; “s7 4
VACATION COTTAGE
7
| opt — |
3b 4
j bee m \ 1 L ! 1 |
4 8 12 15 9 2.4 3.3 5.7

Percapita family income-$1,000 Ratio Scale

715



Percapita distance traveled

CHART 5

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND DISTANCE TRAVELED
ON OUTDOOR RECREATION OCCASIONS

3000

1000 F
VACATIONS

OUTINGS.

w
fe}
fe)

3
ie)

(Miles — ratio scale)

30

8 12 15 19 24 3.3
Percapita family income — $1,000 Ratio Scale

72

5.7


s away from home

( Dollars — ratio scale )

Percapita expenditure:

300

100

30

CHART 4

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND EXPENDITURES
ON OUTDOOR RECREATION OCCASIONS

Percapita family income — $1,000 Ratio Scale

7

i ay Hl
teers
| cee ' 4
‘ VACATIONS
H
|
1
1
H
L_ ' _
H
{
'
i
1
H
Zz OUTINGS , i . 7
a 1 Pan
=
cee
H ay e-7
1 esti
| 7 a 2
Pat wet
2 ae H
7 aa 1
Pad we ‘Avg.
Lied aw | i toy ! ! !
4 8 12 15 19 24 3.3 5.7



present, although it is recognized that, strictly
speaking, these ‘‘exposure’’ percentages measure
neither the demand for nor participation in outdoor
recreation.

Chart 7 shows the percent of persons with selected
articles present in household against per capita family
income: in order to facilitate comparisons between
the articles, as well as between this and previous
charts, the same relative scales have been maintained.
It will be noted that 100 percent provides the upper
limit for each of these curves and that this upper limit
is very closely approached in the case of family
ownership of automobiles. In the previous charts dis-
cussed above there were no theoretical upper limits
for per capita distance traveled or expenditures.
Furthermore, the 365 days in the year, which provide
a theoretical upper limit for participation in selected
activities, and for time away from home, is suf-
ficiently high to be safely ignored. However, in
interpreting chart 7, although the upper limit is
probably unimportant for most articles, this factor
should be kept in mind particularly in the case of the
automobile and perhaps the rod and reel.

The chart shows high sensitivity to changes in
income with respect to ownership of swimming pools
and vacation cottages (for higher than average per
capita incomes) and for golf sets (across the middle
income classes), The slope of the inboard motorboat
curve is, somewhat surprisingly, close to one—that
is, a given proportionate increase in per capita income
associated with the same proportionate increase in
ownership. The chart also suggests that factors other
than income are probably more important in deter-
mining ownership of shotguns or rifles and, toa lesser
extent, rods and reels.

Factors other than income which have an important
bearing on the ownership and use of selectivearticles
are probably similar to those found important with
respect to participation in the activities which involve
use of these articles. Age was foundtohave a partic-
ularly important effect in all activities. The degree
of participation was also generally responsive to
education, occupation, and race. One factor of par-
ticular importance has to do with the opportunity of
persons to participate without large expenditures of
time as well as money. Although this factor was
not specifically measured in the National Recreation
Surveys, an indication of opportunity is provided
through the place of residence classification, since
for many recreation activities—particularly for hunting
and fishing—the more rural the environment the
greater the opportunity to participate. The percent of
persons exposed to presence of the selective items in
households cross-classified by broad income classes
and place of residence as provided in table 5.48 be-
comes of particular interest when viewed in this light.
In interpreting this table some allowance should be

74

made for the greater preponderance of older persons
in the family income class, $4,500 or less.

For guns and fishing equipment, the place of resi-
dence has a much larger effect than differences in
income on the exposure percentages, In the case of
golf sets, on the other hand, income appears as the
most important factor with the highest degree of ex-
posure occurring in the highest income class with
moderate urbanization; however, the variation by
place of residence within income classes is only
moderate. Observations made for golf also apply to
swimming pool and, to a lesser extent, to vacation
cottage and inboard motorboat ownership. Oppor-
tunity, as indicated by place of residence, and income
appear to be approximately equally important with
respect to family ownership of other types of boating
equipment, tents, and vacation trailers.

It will be noted that about the same percentages of
all persons reported fishing during June-August 1960,
as reported use during the previous year of a family
owned rod and reel. This agreement must be con-
sidered coincidental; On the one hand, fishing with
handlines, bamboo poles, and rented or borrowed
rods and reels would be reported as participation,
while on the other, at least some persons fish only
at times other than the summer, a season which in-
cludes less than half of the year’s fishing occasions.

The agreement noted above for all persons combined
is maintained only for persons with family incomes
of $10,000 or more and living in rural areas when the
comparison is made within place of residence and
broad family income classes as in table 20, Use of
equipment other than family-owned rods and reels for
fishing is indicated for significant proportions of
persons with family incomes below $4,500 and living
in the less urbanized environments. Persons with
family incomes of $4,500 or more residing in urban
areas within standard metropolitan areas show the
greater tendency to fish with family-owned rod and
ree] during seasons other than the summer.

In the boating section of table 20, ownership of all
types of boats and/or motors has been combined for
comparison with summer participation in the much
less comprehensive activity, ‘boating other than
sailing or canoeing.’? The “exposure” rather than
‘use’? percentages have been used because the problem
of confusing operation with use is particularly acute
for this class of equipment, Nevertheless, the partic-
ipation percentages exceed the ownership percentages
overall and within each available subclass of the
population, reflecting the extent to which persons use
rented equipment or. engage in this activity as pas-
sengers of boat owning friends, or commercial lines.
The tendency to engage in boating despite lack of
family ownership of boating equipment is greatest
among the lower family income more highly urbanized
groups.



CHAPTER EIGHT

INCOME AND SELECTED OUTDOOR RECREATION ACTIVITY MEASURES

The measures of participation in outdoor rec-
reation used throughout this report are primarily
on a per capita basis. Earlier sections have dealt
in detail with specific activities for which the days
of activity per person were examined across socio-
economic characteristics. Primary emphasis was
placed upon the summer season of the year for
which weather conditions are most uniform geo-
graphically. Participation in outdoor recreation,
however, also can be measured in terms of the re-
lated money spent, distance traveled and time away
from home, This section of the report is primarily
concerned with annual per capita participation in out-
door recreation with particular reference to dif-
ferences found across the income distribution of the
population, Participation is measured in money,
time, and distance as well as by the number of oc-
casions on which people engaged in specific activities.

Since the participation measures used throughout
are on a per capita basis and the income distribution
shown is on a family basis, deductions become some-
what complicated. This is particularly true since the
size of the family tends to increase with family in-
come—about two persons per family in the less than
$1,500 income group to about four persons per family
for incomes of $15,000 or more. Thepresent analysis
is based on the per capita participation measures
as they relate to the estimates of per capita family
income within income classes in table 19.1/ In-

family income within the National Recreation Sur-

y income size classes was estimated from Bureau of
the Census, Current Population Reports (Series T-60). Table 5
presents the total number of families and unrelated individuals,
and persons within fami the percent distribution of each
of these is shown by family income classes which are much
more finely divided thon those used in the National Recreation
Survey.

cluded in the table are estimates of the percent of
income and of days in the year spent away from
home on vacations, outdoor recreation trips and
outings, as well as the percent of annual leisure
time available which is spent on outdoor recreation
on these and all other occasions.

With respect to the charts shown on pages 67 thru 75,
it should be noted that although both income and
participation have been expressed on ratio scales the
slope of a line describing equal relative changes
rises approximately 20°, rather than 45°, from the
horizontal as is indicated.

Specific outdoor recreation activities tend to fall
into one of three groups when annual per capita
participation is examined across family per capita in-
come, Chart 1 shows that for playing outdoor games
and sports, swimming, sightseeing, and motorboating,
per capita participation increases with per capita
income throughout the available family income classes.
For swimming and motorboating it appears that a given
proportionate increase in family income is associated
with the same proportionate increase in per capita par-
ticipation if some allowance is made for the prepon-
derance of older people in the lower income classes,
Playing games and sightseeing, on the other hand,
appear less sensitive to changes in income: for these
activities a given percent increase in family income is
associated with a smaller percent increase inpartici-
pation, It is unlikely that participation in any recrea-
tion activity would increase indefinitely with income.
For these four activities, however, the income level at
which participation levels off exceeds at least $6,000.

Pleasure driving, attending sports events, pic-
nicking, and camping are activities shown in chart 2
for which participation increases with income to the
average income level and levels off or even dips for
higher income groups, Participation incamping rises
more sharply than any other activity across the

Table 19. Income and time spent on outdoor recreation, by family income

Notional Recreation Survey

Estimated per | Peteent of income | Percent of doys oped nclable
Family income ($1,000) copito, income spent on ovailable spent leisure time
($1,000) vocations: tips | on vacation, IIPS | scent on outdoor
and outings ond outings mt on ound
All occ ceeceseeecseeseseesetsesaetseeeseeees WwW 43 40 20
Less thon 1.5. “4 33 19 15
1.53 2 34 27 6
345. 12 36 32 20
4.56. 13 42 40 19
68. 19 47 48 21
8-10 24 45 52 2
10-15. 33 42 5 24
150 mo 58 56 79 2



Table 20. Percent reporting use of rod and reel, ownershie of baat and motor, and percent participation in fishing and
boating by income and place of residence

Notional Recreation Survey

Family income ($1,000)
P ; Percent reporting June-August 1960
Residence ercent reporting previous year participation in—
Less than 10 or Less than 10 or
All 45 4,510 move All 45 4,5-10 more
Use of rod and ree! Fishing
30.4 2.2 36.3 38.8 29 25 2 %6
23.0 12.3 26.2 31.8 9 12 2 6
Under 1 million . 28.8 16.6 34.8 39.6 2% v7 22 35
Not in SMA . 32.6 22.7 41.0 40.7 32 2 3%6 28
Rural .... 35.0 25.7 43.4 449 36 22 39 45
Ownership of boats and/or motors Boating other than sciling or canoeing
All icccccsscesstteterecsenes 14.0 7.0 166 26.3 22 12 7 40
Urban—In SM/
Over 1 million 8.8 3.5 9.0 1A 18 3 18 3
Under 1 million . 13.4 Al 16.6 27.0 2% uN 33 47
Not in SMA. 14.5 6.5 19.4 32.1 2 3 30 39
Rural... 17.4 97 21.6 33.4 23 12 31 44

76



Percapita Time Away From Home

CHART 6

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND TIME AWAY FROM HOME

30

(Days-ratio scale)

ON OUTDOOR RECREATION OCCASIONS

ALL OCCASIONS

VACATIONS,

1 ! 1

n | 1
8 12 15 19 24 3.3 5.7

Percapita Family income
($1,000- ratio scale)

73



four middle income classes, but levels off at about
$2,500 and dips for higher per capita incomes.
Pleasure driving, attending sports events, and pic-
nicking are much less sensitive across belowaverage
incomes and remain high or turn down less sharply.

Participation in a third group of activities shown in
chart 3—walking for pleasure, fishing, and hunting—
show no consistent pattern of response to changes in
per capita income. Walking for pleasure is reason-
ably level throughout the income range. If the lower
two income classes are ignored, fishing appears
negatively and hunting positively related to income,
but for both these activities the effect is slight.

The use of number of occasions on which persons
participate in specific outdoor recreation activities
as the measure of participation, as has been done
above, takes no account of the commitment of in-
dividuals to outdoor recreation in terms of time,
money and travel. The unit of measurement is the
same for the persons who take a 10 minute dip ina
neighborhood swimming after work as for the person
who spends the entire day at thebeach. While walking
or driving for pleasure, playing the more casual
games, and picnicking may be engaged in during brief
periods of time near home, many activities require
special facilities not likely tobecloseathand. Partic-
ipation in sightseeing, swimming, boating, and partic
ularly camping usually requires time to reach
facilities and usually occurs away from home on
special recreation occasions of at least 1 day’s dura-
tion. Since many of the individually considered ac-
tivities may be engaged in on any one occasion, ex-
penditures, distance traveled, and time away from
home represent measures of participation similar
to sums of activity-days across activities. It should
be noted that the expenditures, travel, and time involved
in casual participation near home are not included in
these measures, and that expenditures made in prep-
aration for outdoor recreation occasions are likewise
missing.

There is a close one-to-one relationship between
expenditures away from home on all occasions com-
bined and per capita family income across the income
scale as may be seen on chart 4. Vacations account
for the bulk of all money spent—about 70 percent of
the total within each income class. A different picture
emerges, however, when expenditures away from home
on recreation trips are compared with those on out-
ings: the rise is much sharper for trips and much
slower than average for outings as income increases.
Per capita expenditures on trips exceed those on out-
ings for the highest income class while at the lower
income levels, outings emerge as the more important
type of occasion for the satisfaction of desired outdoor
recreation,

Distance traveled on all recreation occasions in-
creases with income but at a somewhat slower rate
than was the case for expenditures (chart 5). Sixty
percent of all travel occurs on vacations in most
income groups. Although per capita travel on outings
exceeds that of trips slightly for the higher income
class, here again the importance of outings is much
greater for those with low incomes, In terms of
distance traveled, trips are most sensitive and out-
ings least sensitive to changes in per capita family
income.

69

Per capita time away from home while on outdoor
recreation vacations, trips, or outings is less sensitive
than either expenditures or distance traveled to
changes in per capita income (chart 6). The importance
of outings approximately equals that of vacations in
terms of time away from home at all income levels
except the very lowest and the very highest for each
of which per capita vacation days somewhat exceed
per capita outing days. Time spent away from home
on trips rises with income slightly more sharply than
the all occasion average.

Expenditures are most sensitive to changes in per
capita income (distance traveled next, and time least)
not only for all occasions combined but within each
of the occasion types, Trips are the most sensitive
occasions with respect to all three measures, followed
by vacations with outings last. However, sensitivity
of time away from home to changes in per capita in-
come show little variation by occasion type. In making
these observations, particular attention was paid to
the middle income classes for which the age composi-
tion is much more homogeneous than at either of the
income extremes,

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND POSSESSION
OF SELECTED OUTDOOR RECREATION EQUIPMENT

Table 5.47 presents information by family income
classes on the percent of persons in households with
selected outdoor recreation articles present, as well
as the percent of persons using these articles during
the previous year. The articles range in kind from
rather personal items, which are not ordinarily used
interchangeably even by members of the same family,
to more costly equipment which probably involves a
general family commitment.

Although articles may be present without being used,
one indication of whether a particular article is
personal—as opposed to family—equipment should be
provided by comparing the ‘used’’ and ‘present in
household’’ percentages.

Guns and golf sets appear the most personal of the
selected articles considered: for all income groups
combined the percent of persons reporting using these
articles is about half of those reporting the article
present. Roughly three-fifths of those reporting rods
and reels present also report use, suggesting either
that the nature of this item is less personal ora
greater tendency toward multiple ownership by per-
sons within families. Swimming pools and vacation
cottages, for which more than four-fifths of all
persons reporting ownership also report use, emerge
as the most communal of the equipment considered,

The information on boating equipment in table 5.47
yields rather surprising results when use and owner-
ship percentages are compared. Although boats are
usually considered family rather than personal equip-
ment, one-third of the persons in families involved
in boat ownership reported failure to use this equip-
ment. However, it is considered likely that there was
a tendency to confuse ‘‘use’’ with ‘‘operation”’ so that
at least some persons who went along as passengers
failed to report use. Furthermore, the data suggest
that this tendency may be correlated with income.
Primarily for this reason, the analysis below is re-
stricted to data on percent of persons with articles


CHART 2

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND PARTICIPATION IN SELECTED
ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH PARTICIPATION INCREASES WITH INCOME FOR
LOWER THAN AVERAGE INCOMES BUT LEVELS OFF OR DIPS FOR HIGHER

THAN AVERAGE INCOMES

30.0 T
\
7
\
t
PLEASURE DRIVIN
{
1
10.0 I
i
1
& ! ATTENDING SPORTS EVENTS
25
ag poe
3 '
=o = I
= © 3.0 \
as \
of ——-A
21 ——
Go PICNICING i
oc i
gs 1.0 7 CAMPING
os OL ‘
ao Hy
38 I
36 |
c~ 1
¢€ a
< T
i)
L \
3 {
1
H
|
- l
ae 1
ple 1 | Loi | 1
4 8 12 15 Io 2.4 3.3

Percapita family income-$1,000 Ratio Scale

68



CHART 1

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND PARTICIPATION IN SELECTED
ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH PARTICIPATION INCREASES WITH INCOME FOR
BOTH LOWER AND HIGHER THAN AVERAGE INCOMES

T
i)
30.0 } q
i)
i
'
= p SWIMMING
2 1
4 PLAYING GAMES
3 \ -_|
§ 3 10.0; i eon
5 =a
ae a SIGHTSEEING
os '
=r '
a!
oa
28 sob |
ss p
28
g 3
=
a)
4 4
36 /0F
ca
Zé i
5 1
z= '
~ \
\
1
Be ueoo ‘avg. 7
“7 1
-— 1
= 1 1 Lit ! 1 1
4 8 12 15 19 2.4 3.3 5.7

Percapita family income — $1,000 Ratio Scale

67