Just the facts: answering the critics of local government park and recreation services.

Answering the Critics of Local Government Park and Recreation Services

There are many myths that surround local government park and recreation services in both the United States and Canada. Most of these myths have developed because, until recently, there has been no national database in either country to identify how much these services are used, who uses them, the benefits the public associates with such services, and its willingness to pay for them. However, recent studies of nationally representative samples in the United States and Canada, using a common set of questions and research procedures, have provided the first comprehensive look at these services. These studies, in combination with other recent research, shatter many myths about local recreation and park services.

Myth: People don't think recreation and leisure are very important.

Reality: Approximately two-thirds of North Americans say that leisure is of equal or more importance to them than work.

Myth: People don't have any free time for recreation and parks.

Reality: North Americans average about 40 hours of free time per week. About 15 hours of this free time is devoted to television viewing as a primary activity and another five hours as a secondary activity.

Myth: Local government is Becoming a less important provider of recreation.

Reality: About four out of five North Americans use their local government recreation and park systems. This is probably a higher percentage of use than almost any other local government service. Only 7.5 percent of the adult public in the United States said they weren't interested in park and recreation services or that such services weren't designed for them.

Myth: Recreation and park services are in decline.

Reality: Recreation and park services, as a percentage of local government spending, have remained constant during the last few decades. In inflation-adjusted dollars, Crompton and McGregor (1994) found that local government spending for these services in the United States had increased from $20 per person in 1965-66 to more than $32 in 1990-91. It should be noted, however, that fees and charges and other means of generating revenue have increased to compensate, in part, the huge decline in federal and state or provincial support to municipalities. Employment of full-time staff remained essentially unchanged from 1978-90.

Myth: Recreation and park services are just for kids.

Reality: Use of local government recreation and park services not only continues across the life cycle, but people between the ages of 66 and 75 are more likely to use local parks more frequently than any other age group. In an aging society, recreation and park services will become increasingly important. Even now, in the United States and Canada combined, 35 is the best predictor year for use of services, slightly older than the average age of residents of both countries.

Myth: Ethnic minorities are excluded

Reality: Based on one's ethnic background, there was no statistical difference in the likelihood of participation in recreation programs in the United States. Only 10 percent of Hispanics made no use of local parks during the last 12 months, while the percentages were 29 and 26 for Blacks and Whites, respectively. For other ethnic groups, the figure was 18 percent. Hispanics and African Americans were equally likely to use other recreation services provided at the local level.

Myth: Women get excluded from local government recreation and park services.

Reality: North American women are as likely as men to use local parks and to participate in other recreation activities and services sponsored by local government.

Myth: People who live in condominiums or luxury apartments have their own recreation facilities, and won't use local parks.

Reality: People who live in condominiums or luxury apartments are just as likely to use local parks.

Myth: Local government park and recreation services are just for poor people.

Reality: Poor people are less likely to use local government park and recreation services, as they are less likely to use almost every other local government service. Surprisingly, the percentage of low-income public using local government recreation and park services is substantial. In the United States, 69 percent of those with household incomes less than $20,000 used local parks, and 25 percent used other recreation services supplied by local government.

Myth: Park and recreation services are just a frill and are not very necessary.

Reality: The level of benefits that the public reports from use of local government recreation and park services is very high. In North America, nine out of 10 persons report significant benefit to themselves, their household, and their community. In fact, even among non-users, 80 percent report that many benefits result from recreation and park services. The areas in which these benefits are received -- health benefits including physical exercise and stress reduction -- are among the most important issues of the day. Such benefits are not just for younger people. Preliminary findings from an NRPA-sponsored study have shown that users of the Cleveland Metroparks, ages 50 and older, have lower blood pressure, visit a physician less often, drink less frequently, and report better health than non-users (Godbey, Roy, Payne & Orsega-Smith).

Myth: Recreation and park services are mainly organized activity.

Reality: Findings from the studies in both the United States and Canada confirm that residents use parks and other recreation facilities managed by local government as recreation as well as for recreation. Many of these recreation experiences are not "organized."

Myth: The majority of these services are used by people who support big government.

Reality: People of all political persuasions use these services. In the United States, Republicans and Democrats were equally likely to use local parks, but 44 percent of Republican households used local government-sponsored recreation services, compared to 38 percent of Independents and 30 percent of Democrats.

Myth: Most people aren't willing to pay for park and recreation services.

Reality: Most North Americans are willing to pay for these services. About 75 percent of citizens say their local recreation and park services are worth as much or more to them than the national average. There are mixed sentiments regarding how to best pay for such services, with the majority of North Americans supporting a combination of tax support and fees and charges.

These findings, based on representative samples from both the United States and Canada, provide the first comprehensive understanding of the use and benefits associated with local government recreation and park services. The majority of North Americans use these services, identify benefits that they value from such use, and are willing to pay for them.

FIGURE 1. U.S. PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL PARK AND
RECREATION SERVICES

                    Use Local Parks               Use Recreation
                                                     Programs

Age group    Frequently  Occasionally      No       Yes     No

15-20             23          57           20       39      61
21-35             25          56           18       33      67
36-55             25          53           22       34      66
56-65             21          42           38       20      80
66-75             26          35           39       18      82
76-95             15          29           56       11      89
FIGURE 2. RECREATION AND PARK USE IN THE UNITED STATES BY INCOME

                        % Use Parks

                <$20K       $20-59K      $60K+

Frequently        25          23           33
Occasionally      44          54           51
Not at all        31          23           16

                      % Use Recreation Services

                             <$20K       $20-59K       $60K+

Frequently       Yes          25           42           50
Occasionally      No          74           55           49
Not at all       N/R           1            3            1

References

Crompton, J. and B. McGregor. 1994. Trends in the Financing and Staffing of Local Government Park and Recreation Services: 1964/5 to 1990/1.

Godbey, G., A. Graefe and S. James. 1992. The Benefits of Local Recreation and Park Services: A Nationwide Study of the Perceptions of the American Public. Ashburn, VA: NRPA.

Godbey, G., M. Roy, L. Payne and B. Orsega-Smith. The Relation of Local park Use to Personal Health: An Exploratory Investigation. In manuscript. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, College of Health and Human Development.

Harper, J., D. Neider, G. Godbey and D. Lament. 1997. The Use and Benefits of Local Government Parks and Recreation Services: A Canadian Perspective. Winnipeg: Manitoba. University of Manitoba.

Robinson, J. and G. Godbey. 1997. Time for Life: The Surprising Ways Americans Use Their Time. University Park: Penn State Press.