Asking the Public to

The following pages summarize the findings of the Community Survey, made public through Google Forms online from May through September 2022 . A total of 634 adults completed the survey online In addition, a printed survey also was made available and those results, from 28 adults, have been entered into the online survey so they could be included in Google analytics

Note: There also were 381 respondents who indicated they would be willing to be contacted in the future to engage further with the City Parks Department.

Who We Asked

The survey was made public and therefore, no restrictions were put upon respondents The age question was posed to be able to compare with the national trends seen regarding park usage by age

Park Usage by Age

12 and under

13 to 18

19 to 30

31 to 45

46 to 55

55 to 70

71 and older

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF THE COMMUNITY SURVEY UTILIZATION:

An impressive 96 .5% of survey participants have visited a city park at least three to five times in the past year, with the remaining 3 5% stating they tend to visit a park or park facility only during special events or occasions

More than 40% of respondents said they visit a park or use a facility at least once per week, or 52 times per year . By comparison, the national average for park visitation is 29 times per year, according to the National Recreation and Park Association

According to the National City Parks Alliance, a park’s features may indicate how readily it is used For example, parks with playgrounds and walking loops are visited more frequently than other types of parks For every play element added to a playground, use (and activity level) increases by 50 percent, and parks with walking loops were found to have 80 percent more users, over twice as many seniors, and 90 percent higher levels of moderateto-vigorous physical activity https://cityparksalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/active-parks-healthy-cities.pdf?pdf=report

In the past year, how often have you or someone in your household visited or used a park, a facility or a program offered by Lancaster Parks & Recreation?

638 responses

At least once a week

Once or twice a month

On and off, depending on the season

Around 3 to 5 times a year

Usually only during a special event/occasion