Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute

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

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Trail Usage in Ontario
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Reasons for Trail Use
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Features of trails by age ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• There are no age-related differences regarding
  the importance of certain features for trails.

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Features of trails by income ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• There are no income-related differences regarding
  the importance of features along the trails.

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Features of trails by education ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• There are no education-related differences
  regarding the importance of features along the
  trails.

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Features of trails by marital status ( reporting
high importance), 2007

• There are no marital status differences regarding
  the importance of features along trails.

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Features of trails by sex ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• Almost all (91) of Ontarians who use trails say
  that it is very important that trails be free to
  use. 62 say that it is important for trail
  destinations to have designated parking spots,
  61 say that they need to have rest areas, and
  57 say that it is important that trails be
  varied and provide a choice for users including
  varying levels of difficulty or surfaces. There
  are no gender-related differences regarding the
  importance attributed to these trail features.

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Features of trails by age ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• There are no age-related differences regarding
  the importance attributed to these trail features.

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Features of trails by income ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• In 2007, there are no income-related differences
  regarding the importance of these trail features.

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Features of trails by education ( reporting high
importance), 2007

• There are few education-related differences
  regarding the importance of these trail features,
  with one exception. University educated adults
  are less likely than those who have attended
  college to say that it is very important that
  trails include rest areas.

55
Features of trails by marital status ( reporting
high importance), 2007

• There are no significant marital status
  differences regarding the importance of these
  trail features.

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Safety and maintenance of trails by sex (
reporting high importance), 2007

• The majority (80) of Ontarians who use trails
  say that it is very important that trails be
  maintained to minimum standards, 74 say that it
  is important for trails to be well-signed, and
  65 deem it important to include safety
  provisions such as emergency call outlets,
  lighting, or enforcement patrols.
• Women are more likely than men to attribute high
  importance to the availability of safety
  provisions on trails.

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Safety and maintenance of trails by age (
reporting high importance), 2007

• There are no age-related differences regarding
  the importance attributed to safety and
  maintenance features of trails.

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Safety and maintenance of trails by household
income ( reporting high importance), 2007

• There are no income-related differences regarding
  the importance attributed to safety and
  maintenance features of trails.

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Safety and maintenance of trails by education (
reporting high importance), 2007

• There are no education-related differences
  regarding the importance attributed to safety and
  maintenance features of trails.

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Safety and maintenance of trails by marital
status ( reporting high importance), 2007

• In 2007, there are no significant differences
  regarding marital status the importance
  attributed to safety and maintenance features of
  trails.