More than 1 million households in North America started camping last year. Of these new campers, 18 percent are African-American, 11 percent are Hispanic, and 44 percent are millennials. That’s according to the 2016 North American Camping Report, an annual independent study supported by Kampgrounds of America (KOA).
The research findings suggest that not only is there an increase in African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American representation overall, but among new campers for 2015, representation closely matches overall population (i.e., census) figures, indicating that this new generation of campers is truly multicultural, the release explained. What’s more, the research suggests that there is a “flattening” effect among millennials, where many of the differences observed between ethnic groups are much less pronounced among these younger campers.
A comparison of white, African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American millennials reveals very few differences in their behaviors and attitudes about camping, including how much and where they plan to camp in 2016 (43 percent of non-whites and 42 percent of whites plan to camp more often in 2016; 54 percent of non-whites and 52 percent of whites plan to camp in a national park in 2016).
Of their reasons for camping more, 43 percent of both whites and non-whites “strongly agree” that camping is a way to reduce the stress of everyday life, and the benefits they associate with time spent outdoors (35 percent of non-whites and 33 percent of whites) “strongly agree” that camping allows them to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Additionally, it appears that nonwhite groups are responding to efforts to get them into public campgrounds. Past research has indicated that many nonwhite groups, particularly African-Americans, do not feel welcome at public campgrounds. However, intent to visit public campgrounds is robust, with African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American campers expressing desire to visit these locations in larger numbers.
Looking at the year ahead, there is a net 25 percentage point increase of campers who intend to take more camping trips in 2016, compared to a net 9 percentage point increase in those who intended to increase their trips in 2015.
Among campers who intend to increase their camping trips, spending time with family and friends (67 percent), and exploring new areas (64 percent) are the most impactful reasons for getting outdoors.
