The COVID-19 pandemic continues to change the way people recreate outdoors: A second preliminary report on a national survey of outdoor enthusiasts amid the COVID-19 pandemic [post]

William L. Rice, Tim Mateer, B. Derrick Taff, Ben Lawhon, Nathan Reigner, Peter Newman
2020 unpublished
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to alter daily life and lead to changes in the way we spend time outside. In an effort to gather timely and relevant data on national recreation patterns before, during, and after the pandemic, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and its academic partner, Pennsylvania State University, have been working to conduct a study that can offer guidance to land managers, recreation providers, and outdoor enthusiasts across the United States. Phase 1 of this
more » ... sment was conducted April 9th – 11th, 2020 (Rice et al., 2020). Phase 2 of this assessment was conducted April 30th – May 2nd. This second phase of research—discussed in this preliminary report— was designed to provide additional information regarding changes in recreation trends since April 9th, which provides valuable information for managing dynamic recreational use on public lands. In total, 823 outdoor recreationists were surveyed through the Leave No Trace community in a 48-hour window beginning on the morning of April 30th. The results of this second rapid assessment—complete with comparisons to Phase 1 data—will provide valuable information for managing the changing recreation use of public lands, predicting spikes in recreation, and offering insight for land managers as they work to protect the natural world.The following tables, figures, and corresponding brief descriptions are intended to provide initial results from Phase 2 of our research effort, with comparisons to Phase 1 when appropriate. Further results are forthcoming.
doi:10.31235/osf.io/dghba fatcat:or22jker4ncurpboplvfdcwajm