The results of a national survey conducted by Sports Marketing USA for the Physical Activity Council showed that the number of “inactive” people in the US was 68.2 million in 2011, growing by one million to nearly 19% of the population. The survey included more than 38,000 Americans aged 6 or older.
Some specific finding of the report include:
•Outdoor sports, like camping and hiking, saw the only increase in overall participation for the grouped participation categories, regaining the two percentage points it lost in 2010.
•Fitness sports remained the most popular physical activity. The participation rate held steady at 60 percent – for the fourth year in a row. Fitness activities, like yoga, boot camp-style training and other classes, continued to drive this set of activities.
•Core participation, those people who participated on a regular basis, in racquet sports gained one percentage point.
•Gravity and human-powered snow sports were up in the low single digits despite a decline in motorized snow and winter activities.
•Most states had an inactivity rate of over 18.8 percent. Inactivity tended to be higher in the southern United States, while more active populations are usually located in northern and western states.
•The economy still had a slight impact on sports and recreation spending. While many active Americans are still not spending money on sports and recreation, more people spent the same amount or increased spending, rather than spending less. People plan to increase spending in 2012, rather than decrease spending.
