RV'ers also like boating. Those who canoe and kayak participate, on average, in 11 different outdoor recreation activities, the highest number of any group of enthusiasts. They are followed closely by those who bicycle off-road and those who backpack. Fifty-two percent of those who report fishing is their favorite activity began fishing before the age of eight. But about one in five motorboaters, golfers, hunters and equestrians rate competition as very important.
Equestrians are the most eager learners when it comes to recreation.
That pattern is repeated among the participants in each outdoor recreation activity, although frequent participants are more likely to report a perception of change, with the ratio of good to bad remaining similar except for those who report that fishing is their favorite activity, where larger numbers believe that opportunities are worsening rather than improving. There is a substantial difference in the enthusiasm of different recreationists about the quality and availability of outdoor recreation destinations available to them. There were more persons identifying themselves as Republicans than Democrats among those who participated in skiing, golfing and RV'ing over the past twelve months, although slightly more skiers labeled themselves as Independents than as Republicans. All the rest of the activities showed participants more likely to describe themselves as Democrats. The Recreation Roundtable, sponsor of the study, is comprised of 25 leading recreation company executives.