Women in the Outdoors in 2014: A study of women s activities, perceptions, purchases, and related media consumption related to fishing, shooting and hunting Results from the AnglerSurvey.com, HunterSurvey.com, ShooterSurvey.com, and Southwick Associates Media Monitor Online Consumer Panel Surveys Produced by: Southwick Associates, Inc. P.O. Box 6435 Fernandina Beach, FL 32035 904 277 9765 Donna@SouthwickAssociates.com Produced in: March 2015 This report is intended for media companies providing a link to AnglerSurvey.com. Contact Southwick Associates for link files. A detailed report providing greater fishing tackle market share data, price point information and more is available by subscription or sale from Southwick Associates, Inc. Contact donna@southwickassociates.com for more information or prices.
Table of Contents Introduction and Background... 3 Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing Activities... 5 Freshwater Fishing... 5 Saltwater Fishing... 8 Fishing Equipment Purchases...11 Hunting and Shooting Activities...13 Hunting Activities...13 Hunting and Shooting Equipment Purchases...15 Outdoor Media Consumption...17 List of Figures Figure 1. Percent of anglers and hunters who are female... 3 Figure 2. Percent of sportswomen by activity... 3 Figure 3. Top three places where freshwater anglers fished at least once in 2014.... 5 Figure 4. Top six types of freshwater fish pursued anglers who freshwater fished at least once in 2014.... 6 Figure 5. Fishing methods used by freshwater anglers who fished at least once in 2014.... 7 Figure 6. Top three places where saltwater anglers fished at least once in 2014.... 8 Figure 7. Top six types of saltwater fish pursued by saltwater anglers who fished at least once in 2014.... 9 Figure 8. Fishing methods used by anglers who saltwater fished at least once in 2014... 10 Figure 9. Fishing equipment purchased at least once in 2014.... 11 Figure 10. Top six species pursued at least once in 2014 by those who reported hunting.... 13 Figure 11. Types of shooting participated in at least once in 2014 for those who reported shooting.... 14 Figure 12. Hunting/shooting equipment purchased at least once in 2014.... 15 Figure 13. Top six media types accessed for information or entertainment related to hunting, shooting or fishing... 17 List of Tables Table 1. Places where freshwater anglers fished at least once in 2014.... 5 Table 2. Freshwater species targeted at least once in 2014.... 6 Table 3. Fishing methods used by freshwater anglers at least once in 2014.... 7 Table 4. Places where saltwater anglers fished at least once in 2014.... 8 Table 5. Saltwater species targeted at least once in 2014... 9 Table 6. Fishing methods used by saltwater anglers at least once in 2014.... 10 Table 7. Fishing equipment purchased at least once in 2014.... 11 Table 8. How many children have you taken fishing within the last 12 months?... 12 Table 9. What relation was the child(ren) to you?... 12 Table 10. Species targeted for hunting at least once in 2014... 13 Table 11. Types of shooting activities participated in 2014... 14 Table 12. Hunting/shooting equipment purchased at least once in 2014.... 16 Table 13. How many children have you taken hunting within the past 12 months?... 16 Table 14. In the past 12 months, have you participated in a planes, organized shooting tournament whether at the local, state, or national level?... 16 Table 15. Types of media sportsmen and sportswomen* accessed for hunting, shooting or fishing information or entertainment in Jul-Sep 2014.... 17 2
Introduction and Background According to the recent release of the 2011 Fish and Wildlife Service s National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation 1 (National Survey), women make up more than one-quarter of anglers. While the proportion of hunters who are women is smaller relative to fishing, the percentage of female hunters has steadily risen in recent years (Figure 1). Figure 1. Percent of anglers and hunters who are female Figure 2. Percent of sportswomen by activity When one considers the type of activities in which sportswomen participate, fishing (and not hunting) has an overwhelming majority (Figure 2). After a drop in overall participation in 2006, the number women who fish and/or hunt rebounded to 2001 levels by 2011. An interesting finding is that sportswomen in 2011 were participating in both hunting and fishing considerably more than they had in the past decade. This crossover of activities is important to note. Using our panel surveys, we are able to dig deeper to explore the activities of these women, what they are purchasing, and the outdoor media they consume. Women, in general, participate fewer days in fishing and hunting per year than men. 1 U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. 3
Southwick Associates Panel Surveys HunterSurvey, ShooterSurvey, and AnglerSurvey were created in 2007 to help outdoor businesses and the conservation community better understand trends regarding hunting, fishing and outdoor-related spending and activities. These surveys were designed to provide greater detail on a frequent basis across all types of activities and retail sectors. Private companies use the results to identify their market share, better understand their competitors, learn where consumers are shopping for specific types of products, the prices paid, and more. Others in the outdoor community use these market monitoring services to gain a better understanding of sportsmen and women s preferences, demand shifts and needs. Southwick Associates Media Monitor (SAMM), developed in 2010, measures use of outdoor media - namely magazine, television and internet (social media) in the fishing, hunting and shooting communities, and matches sportsmen s purchasing preferences to specific media programs and titles. SAMM tells us: * Which media properties have larger audiences, * The types of hunters, anglers and shooters using specific media properties, and * The purchasing habits of each property s audience. SAMM also works to help manufacturers understand which television programs, magazines and websites reach a greater number of sportsmen interested in their products. SAMM supports companies in achieving a better understanding of the size and interests of specific audiences and monitoring audience size trends. A READER S NOTE: The results in this report include both female and male survey respondents, broken out by gender. The goal is to show ways (activities, purchases, and media consumption) the outdoor behavior and choices of women differ from men. Unlike results presented in HunterSurvey/AnglerSurvey subscription reports, the results in this report are presented as a function of the individuals responses throughout the entire year. 4
Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing Activities Freshwater Fishing Among all freshwater anglers, the most popular place to fish from is on land (Figure 3). Around sixty percent of both female and male anglers report freshwater fishing from land, shore, beach, pier, dock, bridge, or wading at least once in 2014. The second and third most popular places are by powered boat. A larger percentage of female freshwater anglers report fishing from a canoe relative to male freshwater anglers. Additional details and places to fish are included in Table 1. Figure 3. Top three places where freshwater anglers fished at least once in 2014. Table 1. Places where freshwater anglers fished at least once in 2014. Freshwater Freshwater Land, shore, beach, pier, dock, bridge, wading 62% 54% Bass Boat 38% 33% Powerboat (including charter) 20% 21% Boat (non-power) 18% 21% Kayak 10% 15% Canoe 8% 15% Floating Tube 3% 8% Ice 13% 5% Total N=276 N=3375 5
The many female (44%) freshwater anglers pursued catfish while the majority of male angler pursued largemouth or spotted bass (Figure 4). A greater percentage of female freshwater anglers indicate that they pursue any fish that bites, relative to male freshwater anglers. And, more than one-quarter of anglers (female 25% and male 31%) pursue trout. Additional detail is included in Table 2. Figure 4. Top six types of freshwater fish pursued anglers who freshwater fished at least once in 2014. Table 2. Freshwater species targeted at least once in 2014. Freshwater Freshwater Catfish 29.5% 44.4% Any freshwater fish that bites 27.2% 42.4% Trout 31.0% 25.4% Carp 9.0% 21.2% Largemouth or spotted bass 55.7% 20.8% Smallmouth bass 29.6% 20.8% Panfish (crappie, perch, sunfish, bluegill/bream) 41.7% 20.2% Perch 20.6% 19.2% Salmon 8.7% 15.1% Walleye 20.0% 11.4% Striped bass (freshwater) or hybrid bass 13.3% 9.9% Steelhead 6.9% 7.1% Pickerel, pike or muskie 12.7% 6.6% White bass and sunshine bass 7.3% 5.4% Sturgeon 2.2% 4.5% Other fish 4.3% 3.1% Saugeye 3.6% 2.7% Total N=3374 N=276 6
Figure 5 and Table 3 report the most popular fishing lure and bait categories used by freshwater anglers. A strong majority of both female (70%) and male (82%) freshwater anglers utilize artificial bait to freshwater fish. The second most popular method is to use live bait (female 61%) and male (55%). Figure 5. Fishing methods used by freshwater anglers who fished at least once in 2014. Table 3. Fishing methods used by freshwater anglers at least once in 2014. Freshwater Fishing with artificial lures, except flies (includes hard baits, soft baits, jigs and spinners) Freshwater 81.6% 70.1% Fishing with live bait 55.3% 60.7% Fishing with dead bait (liver, fish eggs, cut fish, dead shrimp, etc, including all types of dough baits and other commercially prepared baits) 29.0% 31.3% Fly fishing flies 16.1% 7.4% Did not use bait (bowfishing, spearfishing, noodling) 2.8% 8.0% Other non-conventional baits (including bread, corn, etc) 5.4% 4.7% Other 1.3%.9% Total N=3375 N=276 Most women who freshwater fish report: Fishing from land or pier (54%) Fishing for catfish (44%) or any fish that bites (42%), and Fishing with artificial baits (70%) 7
Saltwater Fishing Among female saltwater anglers, the most popular place to fish is from a bass boat (women 35% and men 16%, Figure 6). anglers are two times more likely to report saltwater fishing from a powerboat than females. Between one-third and one-half of saltwater anglers fish from land, regardless of gender. Substantially fewer saltwater anglers pursue fish from a kayak or canoe. Additional detail is provided in Table 4. Figure 6. Top three places where saltwater anglers fished at least once in 2014. Table 4. Places where saltwater anglers fished at least once in 2014. Saltwater Saltwater Bass Boat 16.0% 35.4% Powerboat (including charter) 58.5% 33.1% Land, shore, beach, pier, dock, bridge, wading 45.1% 32.9% Boat (non-power) 9.2% 22.0% Kayak 14.1% 13.5% Canoe 6.4% 8.5% Floating Tube 2.3% 2.4% Other 3.8% 2.0% Ice.7% 1.0% Total N=1761 N=174 Nearly 40% of all female saltwater anglers report that they pursued any fish that bites while fishing, equitable to the percentage of male saltwater anglers. Women are more likely than men to target salmon (16% female vs. 10% male), but less likely to target redfish or speckled trout. Among the next three most popular types of saltwater fish, the percentage of female anglers responding that they pursued that particular fish falls below the percentage of male anglers. An in-depth list of the types of saltwater fish targeted is included in Table 5. 8
Figure 7. Top six types of saltwater fish pursued by saltwater anglers who fished at least once in 2014. Table 5. Saltwater species targeted at least once in 2014 Saltwater Saltwater Saltwater Feale Saltwater Any saltwater fish that bites 38.6% 39.6% Bonefish 6.1% 7.8% Redfish, red drum, channel Spotted seatrout or 34.8% 22.9% bass weakfish 13.3% 6.8% Speckled trout 25.6% 17.6% Cobia 9.5% 6.8% Salmon 10.1% 15.7% Yellow tail 11.6% 6.6% Shark 13.8% 14.2% Perch 4.6% 5.8% Black drum 13.3% 13.0% Calico bass 7.4% 5.2% Flounder 23.7% 12.8% Haddock 1.6% 4.9% Atlantic croaker 7.5% 11.9% King fish 8.5% 4.8% Grouper, snapper, sea bass 20.4% 11.1% Bonito 6.9% 4.4% Amberjack 10.6% 10.7% False albacore 2.5% 4.4% Barracuda 8.2% 10.5% Striped bass 16.0% 4.4% Bluefish 15.5% 9.8% Scorpion fish 4.8% 4.0% Snook 15.7% 9.5% Tarpon 10.3% 3.7% Sheephead 15.2% 9.4% Scup 2.9% 3.5% Whiting 7.6% 9.2% Other fish 9.5% 3.2% Pompano 10.0% 9.1% Sturgeon 2.4% 3.1% Rockfish (Pacific coast Billfish 7.4% 9.0% only) 10.2% 2.5% Halibut 10.5% 8.8% Wahoo 6.1% 2.3% Cod (all species) 6.3% 8.6% Permit 3.5% 2.1% Sea perch (Pacific Dolphin 11.9% 8.4% coast) 4.2% 1.5% Tuna 13.2% 8.4% Tautog (Blackfish) 4.1% 1.2% Mackerel (king, spanish, boston, cero, etc) 15.8% 8.1% Total N=1758 N=173 9
A majority of both female and male anglers use live bait (54%, 67%) and artificial lures (60%, 68%) when saltwater fishing (Figure 8 and Table 6). anglers report using dead bait (58%) more often than female anglers (40%). Figure 8. Fishing methods used by anglers who saltwater fished at least once in 2014 Table 6. Fishing methods used by saltwater anglers at least once in 2014. Saltwater Saltwater Fishing with live bait 66.6% 64.0% Fishing with artificial lures, except flies (includes hard baits, soft baits, jigs and spinners) 68.4% 59.7% Fishing with dead bait (liver, fish eggs, cut fish, dead shrimp, etc, including all types of dough baits and other commercially prepared baits) 57.8% 39.6% Fly fishing flies 9.6% 6.4% Did not use bait (bowfishing, spearfishing, noodling) 3.3% 1.8% Other 1.8% 1.0% Other non-conventional baits (including bread, corn, etc) 1.7% 1.0% Total N=1761 N=174 Most women who saltwater fish report: Fishing from a bass boat (35%) or a powerboat (33%), Fishing for any fish that bites (40%), and Fishing with live bait (64%) or artificial lures (60%). 10
Fishing Equipment Purchases Terminal tackle and lures are the most frequently purchased fishing equipment by freshwater and saltwater anglers (Figure 9 and Table 7). Fewer female anglers purchased lures and terminal tackle relative to male anglers. anglers were more likely to purchase fishing apparel compared to female anglers (25% vs. 19%). anglers were more likely to purchase rods or reels separately while female anglers were more likely to purchase a combo (25% vs. 16%). Figure 9. Fishing equipment purchased at least once in 2014. Table 7. Fishing equipment purchased at least once in 2014. Lure (hard, soft, spinner, dough, jig - not fly fishing) 74.8% 52.7% Reel (not fly fishing) 33.5% 34.7% Fishing line (not fly fishing) 52.0% 33.6% Terminal tackle (hook, sinker, swivel, rig, bobber, leader) 56.8% 26.1% Combo (rod/reel) 16.2% 24.8% Rod (not fly fishing) 31.4% 23.7% Rod/Reel accessories 12.7% 21.5% Fishing apparel 24.8% 19.4% Other fishing equipment 29.9% 18.5% Fly fishing tackle and accessories 13.3% 11.6% Fishing electronics (GPS, sonar, fish finders) 6.7% 5.1% Ice fishing equipment 9.1% 4.9% Total N=3596 N=266 11
Table 8. How many children have you taken fishing within the last 12 months? None 32.9% 43.3% 1 18.7% 27.1% 2 21.9% 13.8% 3 10.2% 4.4% 4 5.9% 7.7% 5 or more 10.4% 3.7% Total N=2143 N=133 Table 9. What relation was the child(ren) to you? Son or daughter 42.1% 66.3% Grandson or granddaughter 17.3% 11.9% Nephew, niece or other relative 17.0% 10.6% Unrelated young person 18.1% 10.2% As part of a Scout troop, church group, or other 5.6% 1.1% youth organization Total N=1393 N=70 Women are more likely to report not taking children fishing (43%). But women are also more likely to take just one child fishing (27%) while men are more likely to take more than one child fishing in the last 12 months and those children are more likely to be unrelated to them. Of those women who took a child fishing, most were a son or daughter (66.3%). 12
Hunting and Shooting Activities Hunting Activities Hunters were asked about the types of species pursued and Figure 10 shows the top six pursued among female hunters. By far, whitetail deer are the most common type of quarry pursued by either women (67%) or men (68%) hunters. About one-quarter of both female and male hunters reported hunting turkey. A quarter of female hunters and one-third of male hunters pursued small game, such as rabbit and squirrel. Figure 10. Top six species pursued at least once in 2014 by those who reported hunting. Table 10. Species targeted for hunting at least once in 2014. Hunters Hunters Whitetail deer 67.9% 66.6% Turkey 25.5% 26.3% Small Game (rabbit, squirrel) 33.0% 26.2% Predator/Predator Calling 24.0% 22.6% Dove 14.2% 18.3% Upland Game Birds (quail, pheasant, grouse, chukar, woodcock) 18.9% 17.9% Waterfowl (ducks, geese) 18.8% 15.5% Varmint/Furbearers (badger, beaver, muskrat, otter, raccoon, skunk, etc.) 14.0% 14.4% Hog (including javelina) 16.6% 12.8% Bear 6.1% 7.0% Mule deer, Blacktail, Sitka 6.4% 6.5% Crow 5.7% 5.2% Any other game 2.7% 4.3% Antelope 1.7% 3.6% Elk 6.0% 2.6% Sheep, goat.5% 1.8% Alligator.4%.5% Total N=4653 N=87 13
Shooting Activities Shooters were asked about the types of shooting activities pursued and Figure 11 shows shooting participation among women. Two-thirds of female shooters participated in handgun shooting activities while 64% participated in rifle and another 47% in shotgun activities. In the case of rifle activities, the proportion of female shooters in the sport is much smaller than their male counterparts (78% vs. 64%). The proportion of female shooters participating in shotgun shooting activities is slightly higher than male shooters. Women, as well, are more likely to shoot bow/archery. Figure 11. Types of shooting participated in at least once in 2014 for those who reported shooting. Table 11. Types of shooting activities participated in 2014 Shooters Shooters Handgun 72% 66% Rifle 78% 64% Shotgun 41% 47% Bow/Archery 24% 30% Muzzleloader 14% 15% Other 2% 7% Crossbow 7% 7% Air rifle 16% 6% Total N=6316 N=118 Women report handgun shooting as their most frequent shooting activity (66%). 14
Hunting and Shooting Equipment Purchases Of those who purchased hunting and shooting equipment, the majority of all hunters and shooters, regardless of gender, reported purchasing ammunition at least once in 2014 (Figure 12 and Table 12). Forty-two percent of females purchased shooting accessories and 23% purchased hunting accessories. Women were much more likely to purchase hunting apparel (56%) compared to men (33%). And women are less likely to have purchased a firearm in 2014 (32% vs. 40%). Figure 12. Hunting/shooting equipment purchased at least once in 2014. 15
Table 12. Hunting/shooting equipment purchased at least once in 2014. Hunters/Shooters Hunters/Shooters Ammunition 76% 69% Hunting apparel 33% 56% Shooting accessories 47% 42% Firearms 40% 32% Hunting accessories 35% 23% Bowhunting 18% 20% Optics 30% 18% Game calls 16% 16% Hand loading 24% 12% Blackpowder 9% 11% Total N=6478 N=131 Of women who purchased hunting and shooting equipment, most purchased ammunition (69%) and hunting apparel (56%) in 2014. When asked if they took children hunting or shooting, the highest response for both men and women was that they did not take any children hunting or shooting. From the previous section, it is clear that men and women, both, are more likely to take children fishing rather than hunting or shooting. Table 13. How many children have you taken hunting within the past 12 months? Hunters/ Shooters Hunters/ Shooters None 53.8% 74.4% 1 21.5% 13.7% 2 15.5% 5.0% 3 5.3% 6.2% 4 1.6% 0.0% 5 or more 2.3%.8% Total N=3570 N=59 Table 14. In the past 12 months, have you participated in a planes, organized shooting tournament whether at the local, state, or national level? Hunters/ Shooters Hunters/ Shooters Yes 13.6% 18.9% No 86.4% 81.1% Total N=3560 N=59 Women were less likely to take children hunting or shooting (20% less than men). Of those that shot, 19% of women shot competitively; this is 5% more than men. 16
Outdoor Media Consumption Approximately half of sportswomen turn to magazines and websites to access media for information or entertainment related to hunting, shooting, or fishing (Figure 13 and Table 15). Just under half of sportswomen indicate that they access television program related to hunting, shooting, or fishing information or entertainment. For women, these are much smaller proportions relative to sportsmen indicating that men access these media types at a greater frequency than women. About one in five sportswomen report that they access none of these media types. Figure 13. Top six media types accessed for information or entertainment related to hunting, shooting or fishing Table 15. Types of media sportsmen and sportswomen* accessed for hunting, shooting or fishing information or entertainment in Jul-Sep 2014. Sportsmen Sportswomen Magazines 71% 60% Websites 73% 59% Television 51% 56% 47% of women access Social Media 30% 47% social media for information Books 17% 37% and entertainment related to State regulation guides 41% 32% Newspaper 18% 32% hunting, shooting or fishing. Did not use 6% 10% Radio 7% 8% Other 1% 0% Total N=2431 N=63 *Sportsmen and sportswomen defined as those who reported hunting, shooting or fishing at least once in the 2014. 17