Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute

1. Trail Usage in Ontario: 2005-2007 September 2008 Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute

2. Ontario Trails Survey • Survey in Ontario conducted by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute • Interviews conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviewing system • Sample frame based on random digit dialling from telephone exchanges used by households; for each selected household, one individual over 18 selected at random, thus providing random sample of individuals • Roughly 1,000 sample collected in Ontario • Overall response rates approximately 50% • Sample weights adjusted to reflect non-response rates

3. Trail Usage in Ontario

4. Trail usage by sex, 2005-2007 • In 2007, 53% of Ontario adults report using a trail in the previous 12 months. There has been no significant change since 2005 in this proportion. • There have been no significant changes in reported trail usage for men and women over time. There continue to be no significant differences between men and women for those who indicate having used a trail in the previous 12 months.

5. Trail usage by age, 2005-2007 • Older adults (those aged 65 years and older) are least likely to report trail usage compared to all other age groups. • Within each age group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage over time, with one exception. Among 25 to 44 years olds, there has been a slight decrease in the proportion using trails between 2005 and 2007.

6. Trail usage by income, 2005-2007 • In each year, lower income adults (those with household incomes less than $40,000 per year) are less likely to report trail usage compared to those with higher income. • Within each income group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage since 2005.

7. Trail usage by education, 2005-2007 • In 2005, there were no significant differences in trail usage by education. In 2007, however, those with a post-secondary education are more likely than those with a secondary level of education to indicate having used a trail in the previous 12 months. • Within each education group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage over time.

8. Trail usage by marital status, 2005-2007 • In 2005, those who were widowed, divorced, or separated were least likely to report trail usage. Similarly, in 2007, those who are widowed, divorced, or separated are less likely than those who never have been married to say that they have used a trail in the previous 12 months. • Adults who are married or living in a common-law relationship are less likely to say they have used a trail in 2007 compared to 2005.

9. Trail usage by employment status, 2005-2007 • In each year, those who are retired are less likely than those who are employed on a full-time or part-time basis to report the use of trails in past 12 months. • Within each employment group, there have been no significant changes in reported trail usage over the three year time period, with one exception; between 2005 and 2007, there has been a significant decrease in the proportion using trails among full-time workers.

10. Reasons for Trail Use

11. Reason for trail use, 2005-2007 • In 2007, adults in Ontario are most likely to indicate having used trails for fun (94%), recreation (93%), relaxation (89%), or to enjoy the scenery (88%) . In addition, a substantial number of adults in Ontario use trails to experience wilderness or to appreciate or study nature (74%). A smaller proportion use trails to walk their dogs (29%) or to commute (25%). • There have been no significant differences over time in the proportions citing various reasons for trail usage, with one exception. There was a decrease between 2005 and 2006 in the proportion who cited commuting as their reason for trail use; however, this is not evident in 2007.

12. Reason for trail use by sex, 2005-2007 • In 2007, there are no differences between men and women in the reported reasons for trail use. • For both men and women, there have been no changes from 2005 to 2007 in the proportion mentioning each reason for using the trails, with one exception. There was a decrease in the proportion of women citing the use of trails for commuting purposes between 2005 and 2006, however, this difference is not evident in 2007.

13. Using trails for recreation/health, or for relaxation by age, 2005-2007 • In 2005, young adults (aged 18 to 24 years) were less likely than 25 to 64 year olds to say that they used trails for recreation or health. Similarly, in 2006, young adults were less likely than those aged 25 to 44 to report this; however, this age-related difference does not appear in 2007. • In 2006, older adults (aged 65 years and older) were more likely to use trails for relaxation purposes compared to young adults, while in 2007, those aged 45 years and older are more likely than those 18 to 24 years to use trails for this purpose. • Within each age group, there have been no significant changes from 2005 to 2007 in using trails for either of these reasons, with one exception. In 2005, 45 to 64 year olds were more likely to report that they used trails for recreation than they were in 2006; however, this differences does not appear in 2007.

14. Using trails to enjoy scenery or to study nature by age, 2005-2007 • In 2006, adults aged 45 years and older were more likely to use trails to enjoy scenery or to study wilderness/nature than those aged 18 to 24 years. Although a similar pattern is suggested in 2007, there is only a significant difference between 45 to 64 year olds and 18 to 24 year olds. • Within each age group, there have been no significant changes in the proportion using trails to enjoy the scenery from 2005 to 2007.

15. Using trails for dog walking by age, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no significant age-related differences in the proportion of adults citing dog walking as their reason for using trails. • Within each age group, there have been no significant changes from 2005 to 2007 in the proportion of adults using trails for dog walking.

16. Using trails to commute by age, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no differences by age in the proportion of adults reporting trail usage for commuting purposes. • Within each age group, there have been no significant changes in using trails for commuting purposes from 2005 to 2007.

17. Using trails for fun, recreation/health, or relaxation by income, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no income-related differences in the proportion of adults reporting the use of trails for fun, recreation or health, or relaxation. • Within each income group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage for these reasons from 2005 to 2007.

18. Using trails to enjoy scenery or to study nature by income, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no income-related differences in the proportion of adults reporting the use of trails to enjoy scenery or study nature/wilderness. • Within each income group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage for these reasons from 2005 to 2007.

19. Using trails for fun, recreation/health, or relaxation by education, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no differences in the proportion of adults reporting the use of trails for recreation/ health, or relaxation by education level. In 2005, there were also no significant differences in the proportion saying that they used trails for fun. In 2007, however, those with a university education are slightly more likely to report this compared to those with a secondary level of education. • Within each education group, there have been no significant differences from 2005 to 2007 in reported trail usage for these reasons.

20. Using trails to enjoy scenery or to study nature by education level, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no differences in the proportion of adults reporting the use of trails to enjoy scenery or to experience wilderness/study nature by education level. • Within each education group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage for these reasons from 2005 to 2007.

21. Using trails for fun, recreation/health, or relaxation by employment status, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no employment-related differences in the proportion of adults reporting the use of trails for fun, recreation/health, or relaxation. • Within each employment status group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage for these reasons from 2005 to 2007.

22. Using trails to enjoy scenery or study nature by employment status, 2005-2007 • In 2005 and 2007, there have been no employment-related differences in the proportion of adults reporting the use of trails to enjoy scenery. In 2006, retired individuals were more likely than part-time workers to say that they used trails to experience wilderness or study nature; however, this relationship does not appear in 2007. • Within each employment group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage for these reasons from 2005 to 2007. This may, however, be due in part to the sample size.

23. Using trails for fun, recreation/health, or relaxation by marital status, 2005-2007 • In 2005, adults in Ontario who were married or living in common-law relationships were more likely than those who had never been married to cite recreation or health benefits as a reason for using trails. This difference has not appeared since then. • Within each marital status group, there have been no significant differences in reported trail usage for these reasons from 2005 to 2007.

24. Using trails to enjoy scenery or to study nature by marital status, 2005-2007 • In 2007, adults who have never been married were the least likely to report using trails to enjoy scenery. A similar finding appeared in 2005, where those who were never married were less likely than those who were married or in common-law relationships to say that they used trails to enjoy the scenery. • Within each marital status group, there have been no significant differences from 2005 to 2007 in reported usage of trails for these reasons.

25. Average number of times using trails in previous 12 months by sex, 2005-2007 • In 2007, Ontarians reported using the trails an average of 37 times in the previous 12 months. This does not differ statistically from the average 38 times in 2006 and 39 times reported in 2005. • In both years, there have been no significant differences between men and women in the reported number of times using trails. Moreover, the average number of times using trails did not vary significantly within either gender group from 2005 to 2007.

26. Average number of times using trails by age, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no significant age-related differences in the reported number of times using trails. • There have been no significant changes within each age group from 2005 to 2007. This may be due in part to the sample size.

27. Average number of times using trails by income, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no significant income-related differences in the reported number of times using trails. • There have been no significant changes within each income group from 2005 to 2007. This may be due in part to the sample size.

28. Average number of times using trails by education, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no significant differences in the reported number of times using a trail with education level. • Within each education group, there have been no significant changes from 2005 to 2007 in the reported number of times using a trail.

29. Average number of times using trails by employment status, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no differences between full-time employees, part-time employees, or retired adults in the reported number of times using a trail. • Within each employment groups, there have been no significant changes from 2005 to 2007 in the reported number of times using trails.

30. Average number of times using trails by marital status, 2005-2007 • In each year, there have been no significant differences in the reported number of times using trails by marital status. • Within each marital status group, there have been no significant changes from 2005 to 2007 in the reported number of times using trails.

31. Increased trail use by sex, 2007 • In 2007, 69% of Ontarians report that they would like to spend more time than they currently do being physically active on trails. • 71% of men and 66% of women indicate that they would like to spend more time being active on trails; however, this gender difference is not significant.

32. Increased trail use by age, 2007 • In 2007, older adults in Ontario are less likely than those aged 25 to 44 to say that they would like to spend more time being active on trails than they currently do.

33. Increased trail use by income, 2007 • In 2007, there are no significant income-related differences in the proportion of adults who indicate that they would like to spend more time being active on trails than they currently do.

34. Increased trail use by education, 2007 • In 2007, there are no significant education level differences in the proportion of adults who indicate that they would like to spend more time being active on trails than they currently do.

35. Increased trail use by marital status, 2007 • In 2007, there are no significant marital status differences in the proportion of adults who indicate that they would like to spend more time being active on trails than they currently do.

36. Increased trail use by employment status, 2007 • In 2007, retired adults in Ontario are less likely than full-time workers to say that they would like to spend more time being active on trails than they currently do.

37. Proximity of trails by sex (% reporting high importance), 2007 • The majority (70%) of adults in Ontario say that it is very important that trails be located close to home. Almost two in five (39%) indicate that it is very important that trails be located close to schools, followed by transit (35%) and work (23%). Women are more likely than men to state that it is very important to have trails that are close to home. There are no other gender-related differences pertaining to the proximity of trails.

38. Proximity of trails by age (% reporting high importance), 2007 • In 2007, there are no age-related differences regarding the rating of importance for the proximity of trails to key settings.

39. Proximity of trails by household income (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no income-related differences regarding the rating of importance for the proximity of trails to key locales in 2007.

40. Proximity of trails by education (% reporting high importance), 2007 • In 2007, college-educated adults are more likely than those with a secondary level of education to say it is very important that trails be close to home. Otherwise, there are no education level differences regarding the rating of importance for the proximity of trails to key locales.

41. Settings of trails by sex (% reporting high importance), 2007 • Almost four out of five (79%) Ontarians say that it is very important that trails be in a rural or natural setting, while 68% attribute high importance to them being in an urban setting, and 38% say that it is important that they include connections to neighbouring communities. Women are more likely than men to say that it is very important that trails be in an urban setting. There are no other gender-related differences pertaining to the setting of trails.

42. Settings of trails by age (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no age-related differences regarding the rating of importance for the setting of trails.

43. Settings of trails by income (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no income-related differences regarding the rating of importance for the setting of trails.

44. Settings of trails by education (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no education-related differences regarding the rating of importance for the setting of trails.

45. Settings of trails by marital status (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no marital status differences regarding the rating of importance for the setting of trails.

46. Features of trails by sex (% reporting high importance), 2007 • 71% of Ontarians say that it is very important that a trail contains information about the trail (e.g., maps, hazards, access for disabled) at the point of entry, 60% attribute high importance to trails having destination points with services such as food outlets and washrooms, 57% say that it is important that they have clearly marked points of interest and information along routes, and 22% indicate that it is important that the trails have organized programs, guided tours or events. • Women are more likely than men to attribute high importance to having information about a trail at the point of entry.

47. Features of trails by age (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no age-related differences regarding the importance of certain features for trails.

48. Features of trails by income (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no income-related differences regarding the importance of features along the trails.

49. Features of trails by education (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no education-related differences regarding the importance of features along the trails.

50. Features of trails by marital status (% reporting high importance), 2007 • There are no marital status differences regarding the importance of features along trails.