Part 3, The Economics of Outdoor Recreation
The following will explore these eight variables and their relationships to one another, as well as demonstrating the data gathered by the ORRRC in the National Recreation Survey. The tables included have been derived from information and charts included in the study reports released by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission.
By 1960 the population was spending approximately $4.4 billion annually on outdoor recreation. Based on projected economic and population growth, the ORRRC believed that by 1976 people would be spending $6.9 billion per year and $12.4 billion by the year 2000. So with all cultural and social reasons aside, the government was interested in providing more and better outdoor recreation for the populace because the financial gains involved would be tremendous. [1]
Several visible trends established themselves throughout the country. Simple activities were the most popular. In fact, driving and walking for pleasure accounted for nearly half of the population’s total annual activity. The most popular activities were those requiring the least amount of preparation or specialized equipment.
The ORRRC determined that the most successful outdoor recreation areas were those with multiple uses, especially those involving both land and water areas. Water areas became increasingly popular focal points of outdoor recreation in the post-war years. Single use areas limited the number and type of people who would be attracted. Parks that allowed for hiking and recreational walking, camping and picnicking, and various other activities tended to be highly popular. Metropolitan areas urgently needed more outdoor recreation opportunities, but little land was available in close proximity to these centers of demand. Also, money was often not available for such projects.
The ORRRC quickly realized, that before establishing how much land would be available in the future, it must ascertain how much land was currently available. A land ownership survey was taken in 1960, which determined the total land area of the United States to be 2.274 billion acres. The county and municipal governments held eighteen million acres, while the states controlled eighty-four million acres. The federal government divided its holdings of 771 million into two parts: 364 million acres in Alaska, and 407 acres in the other forty-nine states. Private ownership of land, which amounted to 1.401 billion acres, proved to be the largest portion and was divided into three sub-groups: 1.128 billion belonged to farms and ranches, 56 million in Indian reservations, and 217 million termed as other.[2]
Tables One through Six express the data compiled by the ORRRC. Only a small but relevant group of data has been included. This data was chosen because it incorporates many of the previously discussed primary factors the ORRRC’s and subsequent reports saw as affecting participation in outdoor recreation.
Table One shows the frequency of participation in outdoor recreation by the area in which one resides. The survey data was gathered in 1959 and 1960 and shows participation over the course of a year. Clearly, no part of the population has a monopoly on outdoor recreation. Those in suburban and adjacent areas tended to swim more than others. Adjacent and outlying area residents fished and hunted more than others. Nearly half of the population, regardless of location, participated in driving for pleasure with consistency. Picnicking was most popular with suburban and adjacent area occupants. Only a small percentage of the population ever endeavored to go camping, also regardless of location.
Table Two presents data showing the percent of the population that participated in particular outdoor activities according to family income. The data was collected by the ORRRC from June to August 1960. In four of the five selected activities, participation varied widely, from those with the least amount of income participating significantly less that those who have more income. Boating offered the largest amount of discrimination. Only fishing shows a participation percentage, which does not vary widely in a definitive pattern.
Tables Three and Four are related. The survey data for Table Three was collected throughout 1959, while the data for Table Four was collected from June to August 1960. The third table shows the population of the United States, twenty-five years of age and older, by its years of formal education. Table Four relays the percent of the American population participating in specific outdoor recreation activities according to their years of formal education, as well as the percent of population participating in the activities of all citizens twenty-five years and older. In every category, the population increased in percentage of population according to its level of education.
Table Five is perhaps the most interesting of the data collected by the ORRRC. This table depicts the percentage of the population engaged in particular outdoor recreations by ethnicity. The categories are created simply as white and non-white, though stricter ethnic lines might have presented data suited for even further analysis. The data for Table Five was gathered from June to August 1960. This table shows that in most categories whites had higher participation than non-whites. There were, however, a few exceptions. An almost equal percentage of whites and non-whites are shown to have participated in playing games, bicycling and fishing. And more non-whites than whites partook in pleasure walks. Activities proving to be more expensive, such as boating, sightseeing, and driving for pleasure, show a significantly higher white participation. Had the ORRRC seen fit to show family income and education along ethnic lines, one would be allowed a closer inspection of how many of each group and who were finding themselves able to participate in the selected activities.
Table Six, the most telling, whose data was also collected from June to August 1960, shows the percentage of the population in the forty-eight contiguous states participating in outdoor recreation by age. The table includes eleven different categories by which activities have been divided, as well as six different age groups, beginning with age twelve. The first of the vertical columns includes all age groups and shows swimming and sightseeing to be the consensus favorites. Those in the youngest category especially favor swimming. The two highest age group categories prefer the leisurely activities of pleasure walks and sightseeing. An asterisk (*) has been placed in categories in which less than 0.5 percent of the surveyed population claimed to have participated.
Table 1 – Frequency of Participation by Location[3]
Table 2 – Percent of Population Participating by Family Income [4]
Table 3 – Percent of Population (25 Years and Older) by Years of Formal Education [5]
Table 4 – Percent of Population Participating by Years of Formal Education [6]
Table 5 – Percent of Population Participating in Selected Outdoor Recreations by Ethnicity [7]
Table 6 – Percent of Population Participating in Outdoor Recreation by Age [8]
Part 1, The Role of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission
Part 2, Creation of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
Part 3, The Economics of Outdoor Recreation
Part 4, The ORRRC Proposes a Plan
Part 5, Legacy of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
[1] Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1962), 26.
[2] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 53.
[3] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 218.
[4] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 215.
[5] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 216.
[6] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 215.
[7] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 216.
[8] ORRRC, A Report to the President and to the Congress by the ORRRC, 214.
