Feature Story

October 2016

Americans Support Increased Local Funding for Parks & Rec

Americans' support for local parks and recreation is strong, with a majority of Americans agreeing that parks and recreation are important services delivered by local government, and that funding for local parks and recreation agencies should be increased.

This, from a recent report issued by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), which highlights the Americans' Engagement With Parks Survey. To better understand Americans' use of local park and recreation facilities, and their willingness to fund these resources, NRPA issued a survey to 1,000 Americans 18 and older.

Some of the findings include:

• On average, Americans visit their local park and recreation facilities approximately 29 times per year, with millennials and parents frequenting parks the most.
• Nine in 10 Americans agree that parks and recreation are important services delivered by their local government.
• Three in four Americans agree that NRPA's three pillars of conservation, health and wellness, and social equity represent what they see as priorities for their local park and recreation agency.
• Seven in 10 Americans say they are more likely to vote for local politicians who make park and recreation funding a priority.
• Three-quarters of Americans support increased local government spending for park and recreation agencies, with solid support for a nearly 30 percent local government funding increase for parks and recreation.

Americans' support for public parks and recreation is well established. A report released earlier this year found that Americans almost unanimously agree that their communities benefit from their local public parks, even if they themselves are not regular park users. The report also showed that support for local parks is widespread, spanning different age groups, income strata, household types and political affiliations.

The survey results provide key insights on the importance of parks that park professionals can use to help increase buy-in for budgets and other initiatives in their communities.

For more information, visit www.nrpa.org.