Governor’s Trail Initiative

Preliminary Results

from the

Statewide Telephone Poll

Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism

Utah State University

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll

PurposeTo substantiate Utah residents’ opinions on: • trails values and benefits• awareness and use of trails • perception of needs

and preferences related to trails in Utah

Methodology

USU’s Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism designed the telephone poll questions with input from the Governor’s Trail Initiative Steering Committee.

Discovery Research Group was contracted to conduct the statewide telephone poll.

Methodology Utilized a random sample of

adults in Utah stratified by each of the seven, multi-county Planning Districts.

370 telephone interviews (averaging 6 minutes) recently conducted in each Planning District, proportionately divided based on individual counties’ population.

Utah’s Plannin

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Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Have you used any trails in Utah in the past 12 months?

Yes 47.7% (Trail Users: N = 1240) No 52.3% (Non-Users: N = 1359)

About how many times have you used trails in Utah in the past 12 months?

80% of Trail Users used trails in Utah between 1 and 20 times in the past 12 months.

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Are there other members of your household who have used trails in Utah in the past 12 months?

Yes 78.7%

No 18.2%

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

What kinds of activities do you participate in on trails in Utah?

Hiking…………………………… 61.9%ATV Driving……………………. 22.2%Biking/Mountain Biking……….. 16.7%Walking…………………………. 14.7%Horseback Riding………………. 11.5%Backpacking…………………….. 5.1%Birdwatching/Wildlife Viewing... 4.8%Motorcycle/Dirt Biking………… 3.9%

(N = 1240)

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

What kinds of activities do you participate in on trails in Utah?

OHV Driving…………………. 3.3%Jogging/Running……………… 3.2%Auto Touring…………………. 2.1%Snowmobiling………………… 1.9%Cross-Country Skiing…………1.7%Historic/Heritage Activities….. 1.1% Canoeing/Kayaking/Rafting…. 1.0%Snowshoeing…………………... 1.0%Skating/Skateboarding……….. 0.9%

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Do you know if there is a trail within 15 minutes of your home or workplace?

85.1% --Yes, there is.

11.0% --No, there isn’t.

3.9% --I don’t know.

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you like to use trails in Utah more than you did in the past 12 months?

78.7% Yes18.5% No

2.7% Don’t know

66.4% of Trail Users saying Yes, stated that the main reason they didn’t use trails as much as they would have liked was because they did not have enough time or were too

busy with other activities.

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you support the use of additional funds for motorized trails in Utah?

53.0% Yes

39.7% No

7.3% Don’t know

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you support the use of additional funds for non-motorized trails in Utah?

78.2% Yes

16.8% No

5.0% Don’t know

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you support a tax increase if the additional money would be used to enhance your use and enjoyment of trails in

Utah?

49.4% Yes

40.6% No

9.9% Don’t know

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having quality trails in Utah is important to me.

91.0% of Trail Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

I personally receive little or no benefit from trails in Utah.

80.7% of Trail Users Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having trails in my area results in economic benefits for local communities.

69.7% of Trail Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed19.4% of Trail Users were Neutral or Unsure

11.0% of Trail Users Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed

Preservation of historic trails in Utah is important to me.

91.0% of Trail Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having trails in or near my community allows me to be physically active and lead a healthy lifestyle.

89.9% of Trail Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

Having trails in or near my community does little for my quality of life.

9.3% of Trail Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed85.6% of Trail Users Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Have you used any trails in Utah in the past 12 months?

Yes 47.7% (Trail Users; N = 1240) No 52.3% (Non-Users; N = 1359)

Are there other members of your household (Non-Users) who have used trails in Utah in the past 12 months?

Yes 19.0% No 71.6%

Don’t know 5.7%

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Do you know if there is a trail within 15 minutes of your home or workplace?

53.6% --Yes, there is.

24.5% --No, there isn’t.

21.9% --I don’t know.

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you like to use trails in Utah more than you did in the past 12 months?

53.6% Yes 41.6% No4.9% Don’t know

Of Non-Users stating Yes, • 54.3% stated that the main reason they didn’t use trails as

much as they would have liked was because they did not have enough time or were too busy with

other activities.• 15.9% noted Personal Health Concerns/Age/Disability

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you like to use trails in Utah more than you did in the past 12 months?

41.6% No

Of Non-Users stating No, • 42.8% stated that the main reason they didn’t use trails as much as they would have liked was because of

Personal Health Concerns/Age/Disability • 15.8% did not have enough time or were too

busy with other activities.• 13.2% had little or no interest/didn’t care for the outdoors

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you support the use of additional funds for motorized trails in Utah?

48.7% Yes

40.0% No

11.3% Don’t know

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you support the use of additional funds for non-motorized trails in Utah?

63.8% Yes

26.6% No

9.6% Don’t know

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you support a tax increase if the additional money would be used

to enhance your use and enjoyment of trails in Utah?

33.3% Yes

55.8% No

10.9% Don’t know

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having quality trails in Utah is important to me.

65.3% of Non-Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

I personally receive little or no benefit from trails in Utah.

46.1% of Non-Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed20.0% of Non-Users were Neutral

33.9% of Non-Users Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having trails in my area results in economic benefits for local communities.

57.3% of Non-Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed21.5% of Non-Users were Neutral

21.2% of Non-Users Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed

Preservation of historic trails in Utah is important to me.

79.0% of Non-Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having trails in or near my community allows me to be physically active and lead a healthy lifestyle.

64.3% of Non-Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

16.8% of Non-Users were Neutral

18.9% of Non-Users Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Having trails in or near my community does little for my quality of life.

33.7% of Non-Users Strongly Agreed or Agreed

16.4% of Non-Users were Neutral

49.9% of Non-Users Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Respondent Profiles

Trail Users: Non-Users:

47.5% Male 31.9% Male

52.5% Female 68.1% Female

Average of 41 years old Average of 48 years old

Governor’s Trail Initiative Statewide Telephone Poll Results

Would you be willing to receive and complete a mail-back survey on Utah trails in the future?

Trail Users: Non-Users:

71.3% Yes 48.3% Yes

28.7% No 51.7% No

Governor’s Trail Initiative Preliminary Results from the Statewide Telephone Poll

Steven W. Burr, DirectorMichael Butkus, Programs Administrator

Douglas Reiter, Research Associate

Institute for Outdoor Recreation and TourismUtah State University5220 Old Main Hill

Logan, Utah 84322-5220(435) 797-7094

swburr@cc.usu.edu