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Specializing in Survey Research on Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Issues
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RBFF and Responsive Management
Release Results From Major Angler Participation and R3 Study
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A Note From Responsive Management
Executive Director Mark Damian Duda
I hope this newsletter finds you well during these unprecedented times. We at Responsive Management made the move to work from home at the beginning of the pandemic and feel fortunate to be able to continue working remotely. We are moving forward with our survey research projects for fish and wildlife agencies, conservation nonprofits, and the R3 community. With our Survey Center interviewers now working safely from home, we've found that survey response rates are currently higher than usual---many Americans are home and eager to talk about something other than the virus.
As social distancing began, I found myself looking through old photos of all the good times fishing and boating with others. As the "new norm" of social distancing and working from home continued, I was fortunate to move to my home on Chincoteague Island where I have been able to get on the water in between work and long-distance meetings. In my opinion, fishing and boating continue to be the best forms of relaxation during this stressful time.
I hope you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy, and I look forward to catching up with you---hopefully on the water---soon.
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 esponsive Management recently partnered with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) on a major study to determine actionable strategies for angler participation and recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3).
As America continues to change demographically, attitudinally, and technologically, the R3 community must understand the implications in order to better address the needs of current and prospective anglers. With this in mind, RBFF and Responsive Management undertook substantial new human dimensions research to determine how fishing can stay relevant in a constantly evolving society.
Funded under a Multistate Conservation Grant, the project entailed a scientific, probability-based nationally representative survey of more than 3,000 U.S. residents (including supplemental oversamples of African-Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans) and two series of focus groups, one with general population residents in a diverse set of locations across the country and the other with angler R3 professionals. In addition to providing an updated look at motivations, barriers, and interests among active, sporadic, lapsed, and non-anglers, the study examined the roles of social media, smartphone apps, and other innovations in angler participation and R3.
The project resulted in a detailed final report with hundreds of research findings and action items. Selected results include the following:
Changing Demographics
- America's population is increasing dramatically just as the country is becoming more urbanized. The American population is also both aging and becoming more diverse. The study results highlight the need to support fishing opportunities in urban areas, promote the relevance of fishing to multicultural audiences, and encourage mentoring among those who age out of the license requirement.
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Urban fishing programs work.
A prime example is the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources' urban fishing program
, which has been a major angler recruitment success. Urban fishing programs like Iowa's are vital because they enhance the relevance of state fish and wildlife agencies by expanding programs and services to previously under-represented audiences.
Target Markets for Angler R3
- Target markets are often thought of in terms of demographic groups, but they also must be thought of in terms of specific recreationist groups. Responsive Management's research has shown that other outdoor recreationists who do not fish are extremely important target markets.
- Two of the most important target markets of outdoor recreationists for recruitment combined with the greatest propensity to fish consist of boaters and campers.
- Hikers, bicyclists, and runners/joggers represent other key markets for recruitment, as these groups show a high propensity to be interested in fishing.
Interest in Fishing
- Overall, more than a third of Americans are very interested in fishing. In addition to the importance of urban programs (as noted above), the groups most likely to be very interested in fishing include:
- Boaters (both motorboaters and paddlers)
- Those with children in their household
- Males
- Campers
- Middle-aged residents (ages 35-54)
- Southeast region residents
Constraints to Fishing Participation
- Access, litter, and water quality are important dissatisfactions over which agencies and the fishing industry have some control.
- The perception that fishing is boring or requires too much patience is a common complaint among non-anglers.
License Purchasing Preferences
- 1 in 6 anglers purchased their most recent license online. Speed and ease of purchasing are the top reasons for preferring online license purchasing.
- Two-thirds of anglers purchased their most recent license at a bait store or sporting goods store. The desire for a hard-copy license, being in the store anyway, and the ease of purchase are the top reasons for preferring in-store purchasing.
Familiarity With State Agency Websites
- About a quarter of U.S. residents are very or somewhat familiar with their state fish and wildlife agency's website. Site visitors most often seek license/permit/tag information, regulations and season dates, and fishing locations.
Fishing Outreach
- About a third of U.S. residents are interested in a free phone app showing where to fish, what's biting, local events, and license requirements.
- Just 16% of residents have watched online videos to learn about fishing; 20% have tried other self-teaching methods on fishing. Those most likely to watch online videos to learn about fishing include African-Americans, young people, boaters, males, and those with children in their household.
- Some R3 professionals feel that the perceived lack of relevance of fishing to certain audiences (for example, females, Latinos, youth, and residents of urban areas) is as detrimental to fishing participation as a lack of angler R3 programs.
Purchase of Fishing Equipment
- A quarter of U.S. residents bought fishing equipment in the past 5 years.
- Most new fishing equipment is purchased in a store rather than online. Three quarters of those who purchased new fishing equipment bought all of it in a store, while about a quarter bought some of it online.
- The most important influences on equipment purchase decisions are recommendations from friends/family, help from sales associates, and customer reviews, in that order.
- A substantial percentage of people who fish and are obligated to buy a license do not do so (15.5% of all anglers who fished in the past 5 years did not buy a license). While not everyone who fishes is required to buy a license, the study results suggest that there are people who should be buying licenses but do not. This finding has numerous implications. In addition to the lost revenue, this means that a segment of anglers lack a connection to their state fish and wildlife agency. Communications must increase awareness of the license requirement as well as the importance of purchasing a license as an act of conservation and environmental responsibility.
- Despite the country's ongoing changes, Americans have not lost sight of the crucial role of fish and wildlife agencies. Overall, 9 out of 10 American adults agree that fish, wildlife, and their habitat require active management to ensure healthy populations. Roughly 4 out of 5 agree that their state agency plays an important role in managing fish and wildlife and their habitat. And three quarters agree that the work of their state's fish and wildlife agency is relevant to them.
- In some agencies, angler R3 takes a backseat to hunter R3. With relatively stable participation in fishing (compared to precipitous declines in hunting), some agencies see angler R3 as less urgent.
- Angler R3 challenges are sometimes bureaucratic and technological. In trying to implement some R3 initiatives, some agency staff are hindered by inflexible procurement and contracting policies, as well as IT difficulties.
- R3 program evaluation is not always a given. Some agencies do not regularly evaluate the effectiveness of their angler R3 programs, and some programs whose effectiveness has not been documented continue because of inertia or because they are "pet programs."
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Over the past 30 years, Responsive Management has conducted more research on fishing participation, fisheries management, and angler R3 than any other firm.
Examples of our current and recently completed studies include the following:
- A survey for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to measure freshwater anglers' effort, expenditures, economic impacts, and attitudes toward fisheries management.
- A survey for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to determine fishing participation, avidity, behaviors, and preferences, as well as opinions on fishing regulations.
- Focus groups and a survey of saltwater anglers for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to assess anglers' views on FWC programs, their use of information from the FWC, and their opinions on outreach material produced by the FWC.
- An annual survey for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to determine the numbers of residents participating in freshwater and saltwater sport fishing within the previous 12 months (results from the study are used to equitably allocate funding for freshwater and saltwater fisheries programs in the state).
- An annual survey for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to assess angler participation in seven different license strata, including freshwater, saltwater, combination, 1-day combination, 2-day combination, 3-day combination, and charter.
- A survey for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to assess rates of shellfish harvest among recreational divers, with an emphasis on scallop harvest.
- Two surveys for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Conservation Program to assess Virgin Islands and South Florida residents' knowledge of, attitudes toward, and perceptions of coral reefs and coral reef management.
- Focus groups of anglers for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (again in collaboration with RBFF) to improve R3 outreach with a focus on urban fishing locations.
- An angler R3 program funding needs assessment in partnership with RBFF to assist the R3 community in identifying high priority R3 program needs.
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30 years of continuous survey research only on
natural resource and outdoor recreation issues
Responsive Management is an internationally recognized survey research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues. Our mission is to help natural resource and outdoor recreation agencies and organizations better understand and work with their constituents, customers, and the public.
 Over the past 30 years, Responsive Management
has completed more than 1,000 human dimensions research studies across all 50 states and in 15 countries worldwide. We have conducted research for every state fish and wildlife agency, every federal natural resource agency, and most DNRs and conservation/sportsmen NGOs, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Coast Guard, and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as the Archery Trade Association, American Sportfishing Association, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Ducks Unlimited, Izaak Walton League of America, National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Trout Unlimited, and Wildlife Management Institute.
 We have also conducted data collection for the nation's top universities, such as Auburn University, Clemson University, Colorado State University, Duke University, George Mason University, Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, Penn State University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, Texas Tech, University of California-Davis, University of Florida, University of Montana, University of New Hampshire, University of Southern California, Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, Yale University, and many more.
Responsive Management Services
- Multi-modal surveys
- Telephone surveys
- Mail surveys
- Web-based surveys (when appropriate)
- Personal interviews
- Park / outdoor recreation intercepts
- Focus groups
- Needs assessments
- Data collection for researchers and universities
- Marketing, communications, outreach, and public relations plans
- Program evaluations
- Policy analyses
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Responsive Management
130 Franklin Street | Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801
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