Participation in the outdoor recreation industry remains strong with 89% of consumers engaging in any outdoor activity. With a wide variety of activities catering to different lifestyle needs, spending leisure time outdoors is increasingly becoming a tool for social connection, environmental awareness, and personal enrichment. With this, older consumers take a more relaxed approach to outdoor recreation with 89% of consumers aged 55 and older preferring to engage with a variety of activities over becoming an expert in one single activity. Meanwhile, the stakes are higher for younger consumers. Millennials and Gen Z consumers are increasingly turning to outdoor spaces to foster new social relationships, reflecting the pivotal role nature now plays in building community.
As price sensitivity remains top of mind for brands and consumers alike, factors like distance and cost can feel prohibitive. Brands will need address these concerns to boost participation from women and younger consumers who either find the cost of gear to be inaccessible or who may already feel a connection to the outdoors and would be open to experiencing it in a new way.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Participation and interest in outdoor recreation activities
- Frequency of outdoor recreation activities
- Preferences in outdoor recreation locations
- Resources that consumers turn to for inspiration
- Consumer motivations and social benefits of outdoor recreation
Outdoor recreation thrives as participation stays high, driven by its growing role in health, social connection and efforts to expand access to outdoor spaces.
Kimberly Hernandez, Trends Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
- Address gender barriers to support female recreationists
- Boost participation through shared experiences and word of mouth
- Meet consumer expectations around environmental protection
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Recreation activities: an economic overview
- Inflationary pressures challenge outdoor recreation spending
- Graph 1: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-25
- Retail sales resilience to face road bumps ahead
- Graph 2: retail sales, 2024-25
- Consumer sentiment to reroute recreation priorities
- Graph 3: consumer sentiment index, 2022-25
- Market drivers
- Ongoing inflationary pressure pushes consumers to turn to resale and repairs
- Nature meets economic opportunity
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Outdoor activities
- Outdoor recreation is a popular pastime
- Walk, swim or run – what’s your outdoor fun?
- Walk, swim, or run – what’s your outdoor fun?
- Graph 4: outdoor recreation and sport participation, 2025
- It’s a (man’s) sport world: gender divides in recreation activities
- Graph 5: outdoor recreation and sport participation (select), by gender, 2025
- Fairways and Fast Food
- Understanding multicultural recreationists
- Graph 6: outdoor recreation and sport participation (select), by race, 2025
- Generational preferences and participation in outdoor activities
- Graph 7: outdoor recreation and sport participation, by age, 2025
- Team spirit kicks loneliness away
- Target adventure-seeking “kidults”
- Team sports mirror top spectator sports
- Graph 8: outdoor team sport participation, 2025
- Participation frequency and location
- From daily walks to seasonal sports: recreation activities by frequency
- Graph 9: frequency of outdoor recreation activities, 2025
- Recreation routines by age group
- Graph 10: at least once per week), by age, 2025
- Parental priorities: parents drive higher engagement
- Graph 11: at least once per week), by parental status, 2025
- Quality time in the great outdoors
- Older consumers are active, but not overly competitive
- Graph 12: “I prefer doing many outdoor activities casually rather than becoming an expert in one” (% agree), by age, 2025
- Accessibility and proximity impact where consumers are participating in outdoor recreation
- Urbanites most interested in outdoor recreation and sporting activities
- Graph 13: participation and interest in outdoor recreation (NET any), by area, 2025
- Population density and willingness to travel for recreation activities
- Graph 14: location of outdoor recreation activities, by area, 2025
- From backyard to beyond, how gender impacts recreation
- Graph 15: participation in outdoor recreation at owned property/yard, by age and gender, 2025
- Graph 16: participation in outdoor recreation in their neighborhood, by age and gender, 2025
- Gear prices take their own “hikes”
- Cash, campsites, and cabin fever: how income impacts the nature of outdoor adventures
- Graph 17: location of outdoor recreation activities, by household income, 2025
- Build it (closer), they will come
- Sources of information
- Friends, feeds and footpaths: how consumers find their way outdoors
- Graph 18: sources of outdoor recreation inspiration, 2025
- Who’s inspiring who?
- Graph 19: using friends/family as a source of outdoor recreation inspiration, by age and gender, 2025
- Regional differences in outdoor recreation resources
- Graph 20: sources of outdoor recreation inspiration, by area, 2025
- “Outdoorsy” identity and consumer motivators
- Social listening reveals a positive view of outdoor recreation as a lifestyle and a defining part of personal identity
- Physical activity ranks highest among motivators for participating in outdoor recreation activities
- Graph 21: motivators for participating in outdoor recreation or sporting activities, 2025
- Outdoor recreation as a social connector
- Social wellbeing is on younger consumers’ minds
- Graph 22: “I want to meet new people through outdoor activities” (% agree), by age and gender, 2025
- Women find mental health benefits from outdoor activities
- Graph 23: motivators for participating in outdoor recreation or sporting activities, by gender, 2025
- Environmental awareness and engagement are heightened for the outdoor recreation consumer
- Retailers are reliable for gear knowledge
- Graph 24: consumer attitudes around outdoor recreation (% agree), 2025
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Marketing and advertising
- Osprey taps creator and founder of Latino Outdoors for Hispanic Heritage Month
- The power of shared miles
- Splurge or save?
- Hipcamp highlights top campsites
- Hands-free family fun
- Marmot and Parks California, rooted in partnership
- Weather doesn’t need to get in the way
- Tech-forward apps make the outdoors more predictable
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APPENDIX
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Infegy Atlas – coverage and full list of search terms used
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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