Abstract
Abstract
In the past decade, much has been said and written about American children’s declining outdoor leisure time. These claims are confounded by the absence of a baseline for detecting trends in children’s activities and time spent outdoors. The USDA Forest Service initiated a general population telephone survey, the National Kids Survey, to address this issue. This paper summarizes data collected during the first phase of this project (2007-2009). Results suggest that most children across all demographic groups are spending a substantial amount of time outdoors daily. Interaction with the natural environment varies as playing/hanging out, physical activities, and technology-centered activities appear to be more popular than nature-based activities. Future research efforts should build on these initial data and continue to monitor children’s outdoor activities patterns across diverse populations.
Children's Time Outdoors: Results from a National Survey
Abstract
In the past decade, much has been said and written about American children’s declining outdoor leisure time. These claims are confounded by the absence of a baseline for detecting trends in children’s activities and time spent outdoors. The USDA Forest Service initiated a general population telephone survey, the National Kids Survey, to address this issue. This paper summarizes data collected during the first phase of this project (2007-2009). Results suggest that most children across all demographic groups are spending a substantial amount of time outdoors daily. Interaction with the natural environment varies as playing/hanging out, physical activities, and technology-centered activities appear to be more popular than nature-based activities. Future research efforts should build on these initial data and continue to monitor children’s outdoor activities patterns across diverse populations.