SCOTLAND S PEOPLE AND NATURE SURVEY 013/14 SPECIAL INTEREST REPORT NO.1 PARTICIPATION IN OUTDOOR RECREATION 1. Background This summary report on participation in outdoor recreation is one of a series describing how people in Scotland use, value and enjoy the natural environment. It uses data from the first year of Scotland s People and Nature Survey (SPANS), covering the period March 013 to February 014, and historical data from the Scottish Recreation Survey (ScRS) which concluded a ten year contract at the end of 01. SPANS includes many of the questions on outdoor recreation previously asked in the ScRS and as both surveys use an identical research methodology, continuity of key time series data has been maintained. SPANS was commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, Cairngorms National Park Authority and greenspace scotland. It comprises a series of questions inserted on a rotational basis in the TNS monthly omnibus survey, the Scottish Opinion Survey (SOS). SPANS will be repeated once every three years for a period of at least ten years (i.e. in 016, 019 and 0). As the SOS is a sample survey, SPANS results are subject to a margin of sampling error. More detailed information about SPANS, including the 013/14 end year and technical reports, the complete special interest report series and the survey data, is available on the SNH website.. Definitions Within SPANS, the term outdoors includes mountains, moorland, farmland, forests, woods, rivers, lochs and reservoirs, beaches and the coast and open spaces in towns and cities. Visits to the outdoors refers to leisure trips taken from home or while away from home on holiday, provided the holiday was in Scotland. Outdoor recreation is defined as any nonmotorised activity carried out for leisure purposes. It can include everyday activities such as walking the dog, informal family outings and participation in a range of other activities such as cycling, hill walking or kayaking. 3. Why are outdoor visits important? Enjoyment of the outdoors, including greenspaces in towns and cities, the countryside around urban areas and more remote and wild areas of land and water, can help deliver many social, environmental and economic benefits. These include better health and wellbeing, an improved quality of life, greater empathy with the natural world, wider use of sustainable forms of transport such as walking and cycling and economic benefits derived from expenditure incurred by outdoor visitors. Increasing the proportion of adults visiting the outdoors and ensuring that the benefits are shared by everyone in Scotland is a key target of the Scottish Government which measures progress via its National Indicator, To increase people s use of Scotland s outdoors. 4. How frequently do people in Scotland visit the outdoors for recreation? Between March 013 and February 014, 8% of adults in Scotland visited the outdoors for leisure or recreation, taking an estimated 396 million outdoor visits.
% All adults in Scotland Frequency of visiting the outdoors Half of all adults visited the outdoors at least once a week during this period (50%) and around a third were occasional visitors, visiting less frequently than once a week (3%). Almost a fifth, however, didn t visit the outdoors at all (18%). Figure 1: Frequency of visiting the outdoors for leisure or recreation 013/14 Every day 16 Several times a week 18 Once a week Once or twice a month 16 17 Once every -3 months Once or twice 8 8 Never 18 0 5 10 15 0 % All adults in Scotland Base: 1,104 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14, Q REC1 The proportion of adults visiting the outdoors for leisure or recreation remained fairly stable between 006 and 01, with an increase in both overall and weekly participation evident between 01 and 013. Figure : Visits to the outdoors for leisure and recreation 006 013 100 80 60 40 0 0 006 007 008 009 010 011 01 013 Year % Adults in Scotland visiting the outdoors % Adults in Scotland visiting the outdoors at least once a week Source: ScRS 006-01, Q1; SPANS 013/14, Q REC1 5. What are the main barriers to visiting the outdoors? As shown in Figure 1, above, around a fifth of adults in Scotland never visit the outdoors for leisure and recreation (18%) and a similar proportion visit very infrequently, i.e. less than once a month (16%). Table 1, below, shows that lack of time (mentioned by 36%) and poor health (mentioned by 3%) are the main reasons people give for their lack of participation in outdoor recreation.
Reasons for visiting the outdoors Those more likely to mention lack of time include younger people (aged under 55), people working full-time and those with children in their household. Those more likely to mention poor health include older people (aged 55 and over), people in the DE social grade 1 and those who are retired or not working. Table 1: Main reasons for never or rarely visiting the outdoors for recreation All adults who never or rarely visit the outdoors Adults who never visit Adults who rarely visit for recreation Reason given % % % Lack of time 36 31 4 Poor health 3 33 1 Poor weather 14 9 0 No particular reason 11 1 10 Old age 8 1 3 Not interested 5 7 Can t afford it 4 6 Base: 833 respondents 481 respondents 35 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14, Q REC 6. What motivates people to visit the outdoors? People in Scotland visit the outdoors for a variety of reasons but health and exercise (43% of outdoor visits) and dog walking (4% of outdoor visits) are mentioned most frequently. Figure 3: Reasons for visiting the outdoors For health and exercise To exercise a dog To relax and unwind For fresh air or to enjoy pleasant weather To enjoy scenery or wildlife To spend time with family/friends For peace and quiet To entertain a child To take part in a sport/hobby To be somewhere I like To challenge myself/achieve something To learn something about the outdoors To help out/volunteer 7 5 17 18 13 14 11 11 4 1 1 43 4 Base: 1,155 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q BEN1 0 10 0 30 40 50 60 1 Social grade is a household classification system based on the occupation of the Chief Income Earner in the household: AB - higher and intermediate managerial, administrative and professional; C1 - supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative and professional; C - skilled manual workers; DE - semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers, casual and lowest grade workers, state pensioners and others who depend on the state for their income.
Benefits derived from visiting the outdoors 7. What benefits do people feel they get from their outdoor visits? When prompted, most people agree that they benefit from their outdoor visits, with more than 9 in 10 reporting improvements to their mental and physical health and/or an increase in their energy levels. Figure 4: Benefits derived from visiting the outdoors It helped me de-stress, relax and unwind 70 4 3 It improved my physical health (through exercise and physical activity) 64 8 5 3 It made me feel energised and revitalised 6 8 5 5 It was a good social experience 55 1 13 11 I felt closer to nature 49 3 1 8 0 0 40 60 80 100 % All adults in Scotland % Agree strongly % Agree slightly Neither/ nor % Disagree (total) Base: 1,155 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q BEN 8. Are some population groups more likely to visit the outdoors than others? People s propensity to visit the outdoors is influenced by a variety of demographic and other factors, with age, social grade, residency, health and ethnicity all playing a role. Younger and more affluent adults along with people living in rural areas are more likely than average to visit the outdoors on a regular basis; those with a long-term illness or disability and those who describe their general health as bad are less likely than average to do so; people from minority ethnic groups are less likely than those of white ethnicity to be regular outdoor visitors. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/statistics/about/methodology/urbanruralclassification
Table : Visiting the outdoors by population group Population group Visit the outdoors at all Visit the outdoors at least once a week % % All adults 8 50 Age 34 or under 89 54 35-54 87 53 55 or over 7 43 Social grade AB 93 6 C1 87 5 C 83 50 DE 69 38 Residency Urban 81 46 Rural 86 59 Residency - SIMD 3 15% most deprived areas 74 39 Other areas 84 5 Have long-term illness or disability Yes 63 35 No 89 55 Self-reported general health Good 88 55 Fair 7 40 Bad 51 5 Ethnic origin White 8 50 BME 4 83 4 Source: SPANS 013/14 Q CLASSIF1, Q CLASSIF, Q CLASSIF3 9. Where do people go on their outdoor visits? We know from the Scottish Recreation Survey that 95% of the outdoor visits taken by adults in Scotland start directly from home with the remainder taken while away from home, for example, while on holiday elsewhere in Scotland. Almost all visits to the outdoors are repeat visits to familiar places (98%). As many as three quarters are taken to places which are visited at least once a week (77%), suggesting that many outdoor visits are of an every day nature, for example to walk a dog or to take regular exercise. 3 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation http://simd.scotland.gov.uk/publication-01/introduction-tosimd-01/overview-of-the-simd/what-is-the-simd/ 4 Black and minority ethnicity
Frequency of visiting most recent destination Figure 5: Frequency of visiting destination of most recent outdoor visit First visit ever At least once a day At least once a week 38 39 Once or twice a month 9 Once every -3 months Once or twice 5 6 Not been in last 1 months 1 0 5 10 15 0 5 30 35 40 45 Base:,94 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC13 In terms of the type of environment visited, trips to the countryside account for half of all visits to the outdoors (50%); visits made to or within urban areas account for around a third of all outdoor visits (34%). Table 3: Location of visits to the outdoors 013/14 Location No. visits % visits Town/city 134 million 34 Countryside 198 million 50 Seaside 64 million 16 Total 396 million 100 Base: 3,435 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC5 In terms of type of destination visited, local parks and other open spaces are most popular, accounting for 41% of all outdoor visits and for 54% of visits taken by people living in urban areas. Woodlands and forests (3% of all visits) and beaches (18% of all visits) are next most popular.
Distance travelled to and from destination on visits to the outdoors Type of destinations vsited Figure 6: Destinations of outdoor visits Local park/open space Woodland/forest Beach Village Farmland Mountain/hill Sea/sea loch River Moorland Loch Wildlife area/nature reserve Canal Cliff 7 7 6 3 4 4 1 11 13 18 3 41 0 5 10 15 0 5 30 35 40 45 Base: 3,435 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC6 10. How far do people travel for outdoor visits and how long do their visits last? Most outdoor visits involve a travel distance to and from the destination of ten miles or less (83%), with the greatest proportion of visits taken within miles of home (40%). The average distance travelled to and from the destination on visits to the outdoors is 9.5 miles. Figure 7: Distance travelled to and from destination on visits to the outdoors Less than miles 40-5 miles 34 6-10 miles 9 More than 10 miles 17 0 5 10 15 0 5 30 35 40 45 Base:,94 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC10 More than three quarters of outdoor visits last for three hours or less, including any travelling time (80%), with almost a third lasting for less than an hour (3%). The average duration (including travelling time) of visits to the outdoors is just over hours.
Duration of visits to the outdoors, incl travel time Figure 8: Duration (including travel time) of visits to the outdoors Less than an hour 3 1 up to hours 35 up to 3 hours 13 More than 3 hours 0 0 10 0 30 40 Base:,94 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC11 As shown in Figure 8, below, the last ten years has seen an increase in the proportion of shorter outdoor visits, taken close to home. The proportion of visits taken within miles of home increased from 30% to 40% between 004 and 013/14 while the proportion lasting for less than an hour in duration increased from 0% to 3% during the same period. Figure 9: Distance travelled and duration of outdoor visits 004 013/14 50 45 40 35 30 5 0 15 10 5 0 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 01 013/14 Year Visits taken within miles of home Visits lasting less than an hour in duration Source: ScRS 004-01, Q13, Q14; SPANS 013/14, Q REC10, Q REC11
% all visits to the outdoors 11. What types of transport do people use on outdoor visits? Walking is the main mode of transport used to reach the destination on most visits to the outdoors (66% of the total); in comparison, cars are used on 7% of visits and public buses and bikes are each used on 3% of visits. As shown in Figure 10, the proportion of people walking to the destination of their outdoor visit has increased over the last ten years while the proportion travelling by car has decreased. This corresponds with the increase in shorter duration visits, taken close to home shown in Figure 9, above, suggesting that more people are finding opportunities to enjoy the nature on their doorstep. Figure 10: Main means of transport used to reach the destination of outdoor visits 80 70 60 50 40 Walking 30 Car 0 Bicycle 10 Public bus 0 Year Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC9 1. The use of paths on outdoor visits Most outdoor visits involve the use of a path or path network (76%) and more than half involve the use of paths with signposting or waymarking (58%). Although these proportions have remained stable over the last 5 years or so, they are significantly higher in 013/14 than in the early years of the Scottish Recreation Survey (e.g. 66% and 49% respectively in 004). 13. Who do people visit the outdoors with? Almost half of visits to the outdoors are taken alone (48%), with the next greatest proportion taken in the company of family members (39%). The proportion of visits taken alone has increased over the last 10 years (up from 41% in 004) and this may be linked to the increase (highlighted previously) in the proportion of shorter visits, taken close to home. The average party size on visits to the outdoors in 013/14 was.6 people. Children are included in the party on 3% of all visits to the outdoors and on 44% of visits which aren t taken alone. The proportion of visits accompanied by a dog has increased over the last 10 years, up from 41% in 004 to 48% in 013/14.
Activities included in % or more visits to the outdoors Party composition Figure 11: Party composition on visits to the outdoors Alone 48 With family 39 With friends 1 Organised group Party included children 3 Visit accompanied by a dog 48 0 10 0 30 40 50 60 Base:,94 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC14 14. What do people do on outdoor visits? Most visits to the outdoors involve a walk (83%), typically a short walk of up to miles (34% of visits) or a walk of between and 8 miles (45% of visits). An estimated 15% of visits are described as family outings and 7% include cycling or mountain biking. Figure 1: Activities on visits to the outdoors Walking less than miles 34 Walking -8 miles 45 Walking more thn 8 miles Hillwalking/mounaineering 3 Family outing 15 Any cycling/mtb 7 Running/jogging Sightseeing/visiting attractions Picnicking Wildlife/nature watcing Birdwatching Fishing 5 4 3 3 0 10 0 30 40 50 Base: 3,435 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC4
15. What proportion of outdoor visitors experience access problems or witness irresponsible behaviour? When prompted, only a minority of visitors report experiencing access problems or witnessing irresponsible behaviour on their outdoor visits (4%). Litter, vandalism or graffiti are mentioned most frequently (encountered on 1% of visits), followed by paths in poor condition (4% of visits) and paths with insufficient resting places (3% of visits). Table 4: Problems encountered/experienced on most recent outdoor visit % outdoor visits on which problem encountered Any problem experienced 4 No problem experienced 76 Type of problem experienced Litter, vandalism, graffiti 1 Well used or promoted path in poorer condition than 4 expected (e.g. wet, muddy, overgrown) Well used or promoted path had insufficient resting/sitting places for my 3 needs Well used or promoted path was difficult to use (e.g. uneven surface or gradient that caused me problems) Other people behaving inconsiderately or irresponsibly (e.g. cyclists failing to consider the needs of walkers) A dog annoying me or my party A sign that made me feel unwelcome or /unsure about what route to take 1 (e.g. Private, No entry, Keep out ). A man-made obstruction intended to prevent me from taking my planned 1 route (e.g. locked gate on a well-used path or track, barbed wire across a stile) A gate or stile which I had difficulty opening or crossing 1 I experienced another type of problem Base: 1,116 Source: SPANS 013/14 Q REC18 16. How many people in Scotland are aware of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code? Fewer than half of adults in Scotland claim to be aware of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC), a practical guide which helps people understand where they can go and what their responsibilities are when they re visiting the outdoors (44%). Levels of SOAC awareness are higher among those who visit the outdoors for recreation than among those who never visit (48% and 5%, respectively); awareness is also higher among those who visit the outdoors on a regular basis (at least once a week) compared to those who visit less frequently (54% and 41%, respectively). Looking at demographic variables, SOAC awareness is higher than average among people in the AB social grade (professional and managerial), those aged between 35 and 54, those in full-time employment and those living in rural areas and/or in areas outside of the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) 5. People of white ethnicity are more likely than members of the BME population to be SOAC aware as are people living outside the 15% most deprived parts of Scotland compared to those living within these areas. 5 Central Scotland Green Network http://www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org/
Aware of Scottish Outdoor Access Code Figure 13: Awareness of Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) Yes, definitely 3 Yes, think so 1 Definitely not 56 0 10 0 30 40 50 60 % All adults in Scotland Base:,08 respondents Source: SPANS 013/14, Q REC19 For further information on SPANS, please contact Aileen.Armstrong@snh.gov.uk Scottish Natural Heritage People and Places Unit November 014