How much time do you spend outside during the week? Ok, this is probably an unfair question to pose to most of you park and recreation professional out there, but for the average adult in the U.S., chances are the amount and time spent outdoors is relatively brief.

A recent national survey we conducted with Ipsos Public Affairs found that nearly three in ten U.S. adults do not spend time outside daily. What's more is that when adults do go outside, time spent is relatively short with nearly half spending 30 minutes or less. Despite the fact that people generally understand time outdoors is good for us (and research even suggests), adults aren’t taking advantage of what’s around them. 

What do these findings mean for you? 

It means we must continue to lead the communities we serve to healthier, more balanced lives and bust these trends.  

With national Park and Recreation Month  just days away, you can use these survey findings to motivate your community to take action and get OUT and INvolved in their community parks and recreation.  Park and Recreation Month is the perfect time for people to make it a habit to get outdoors every day (you too if you find you are stuck indoors a little bit too often). A real easy way to do so is by participating  in the 31-day #JulyOUTisIN challenge.  

This infographic has the key findings from the survey – there are some really interesting findings about the behaviors and opinions younger adults have about the outdoors as well as some regional differences you may find helpful. 

 

 

 

How much time do you spend outdoors during a typical week? What are some ways you are motivating your community to get more time outside? How will you celebrate Park and Recreation Month? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @NRPA_News #JulyOUTisIN.

 

Lauren Hoffmann is NRPA's Director of Marketing and Communications and enjoys getting outdoors daily to play with her two sons.