Americans Seek Comfort in Outdoor Activities During Times of International Conflict and War Coverage -- According to Harris Interactive Survey Sponsored by CGPR.

Business Editors

MARBLEHEAD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2003

Bird watching takes lead followed by bicycling, climbing and hiking; Of 70% of Americans that took action to "get away" from the conflict, 25% participated in various outdoor activities

An online survey of over 2000 American adults conducted during the recent international conflict shows that 70% took direct action to avoid the coverage of the war while 30% did nothing to escape the coverage. Of that 70%, a quarter (25%) chose to participate in various outdoor recreation activities, such as those tracked by Outdoor Industry Association, the trade organization for the outdoor industry. Bird watching led the way, followed closely by bicycling, climbing/hiking and trail running. The survey was executed by the Harris Interactive(R), and sponsored by CGPR, an established public relations firm with offices in Boston and Connecticut.

Specifically, respondents were asked, "Which of the following activities have you done since the war with Iraq began, to seek comfort or 'get away' from all the international conflict/war coverage?" In addition to the outdoor activities listed, other responses by the 70% who said they did something to escape the coverage included: watched something else on TV (82%), surfed the Internet (71%), visited friends or family (56%), went to the mall/ went shopping (46%), played video/computer games (39%), did art and crafts (20%), or went to the movies (31%)--and 45% said they did some other activity/activities.

"With many of our clients having roots in the consumer, wintersports and outdoor categories, we were curious as to the role the outdoor world played in every day life during the recent conflict," said Chris Ann Goddard, president, CGPR.

"The results were very interesting. While many Americans escaped the on-going coverage, taking trips to the malls and visiting friends, a strong number opted for human powered activities as a means to cope. This seems to indicate that the outdoors is regarded by many as not only an outlet for fitness but also, an excellent option for maintaining a healthy state of mind--but clearly, there are more who can learn the benefits of the outdoors."

Other findings among the 70% of Americans who opted to take direct action to avoid the coverage of the war shows:

-- 29% of full-time or self-employed individuals chose to partake

in any of the nine outdoor activities measured in the survey

with 22% of unemployed individuals also choosing the outdoors.

-- The western region of the United States showed the highest

number of those adults seeking outdoor recreation (29%).

-- Men between the ages of 18 and 34 (34%) claimed the highest

percentage of outdoor recreation participation among males;

while women aged 45 to 54 (28%) were the largest outdoor

recreation participants among females.

"It is no surprise that Americans turn to the magic of the outdoors to escape from busy schedules and current events," noted Frank Hugelmeyer, president of the Outdoor Industry Association. "Getting back to nature is what many regard as a therapeutic means to achieve some stability in a sometimes unstable world."

CGPR is a boutique public relations firm that works primarily with companies in the consumer, general sports, outdoor, travel and wintersports categories. Chris Ann Goddard, a public relations veteran with over 27 years of experience, heads CGPR. The agency is known for its strong media relations skills, strategic planning, event planning and execution, sponsorship expertise and client service.

ABOUT THE POLL: The survey was conducted online within the United States between April 17-21, 2003 among a nationwide cross section of 2,153 adults (ages 18+). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. "Propensity score" weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus two percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. And this online survey is not a probability sample.

ABOUT HARRIS INTERACTIVE: Harris Interactive (www.harrisinteractive.com) is a worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The Harris Poll(R), and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris Interactive combines proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts international research through wholly owned subsidiaries--London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com) and Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan--as well as through the Harris Interactive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research firms, and various U.S. offices.