Walking rocks! It is the best stress buster going and free and easy to do!

I love it. Power walk 40 min a day outside...rain, snow, or sleet..never miss it.

Walking is a very important part of my life.

Walking helps me gather my thoughts before a big meeting or presentation.

My parents encouraged me to walk a lot when I was a young child and the habit of walking and my pleasure in it has persisted.

July, 2011

Purpose: to examine attitudes and behaviors concerning walkingFocus on avid walkers

On-line survey sponsored by America WalksPartner Organizations: AARP (participating state chapters) Active Transportation Alliance Alliance for Biking & Walking American Public Health Association Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) Bike Walk Virginia California Walks Initiative for Bike & Ped Innovation (IBPI) at Portland State U. PedNet Coalition PEDS Rails-To-Trails Conservancy Safe Routes to School National Partnership Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition Walk Boston Walk San Diego Walk San Francisco Walking.About.com Willamette Pedestrian Coalition

About the survey:

Survey conducted between April 27 & June 13Publicized through homepages e-mailsWent viral facebook, twitter, blogsPurposive sample; n = 7,019Some less avid walkers also included among respondents

Demographic profile Survey U.S.RaceWhite, non-Hispanic 90.1% 67.0%Asian 1.6% 4.8%African-American 2.4% 11.6%Hispanic 2.1% 14.2%EducationBachelors degree 33.8% 17.4%Grad training or degree 47.2% 10.1%Median HH Income $46,256 $41,994% 45 55.0% 34.4%% Female 65.0% 50.9%

Frequency of Walking Frequency PercentNever 33 0.5 Rarely 257 3.7A few times a month 415 6.01-2 days a week 889 12.83-4 days a week 1589 22.85-6 days a week 1510 21.7Everyday 2264 32.5Total 6957 100.0

77.0% are avid walkers!

Frequency of Walking

Walk Frequency by Age

Frequent Infrequent Age Walker Walker 18-24 63.7% 36.3% 25-30 57.6% 42.4% 31-44 51.6% 48.4% 45-64 52.9% 47.1% 65+ 61.1% 38.9%

Walk Frequency by Education

Frequent Infrequent Education Walker Walker h.s or less 45.9% 54.1% some coll. 52.0% 48.0% coll. deg. 50.0% 50.0% grad. deg. 58.5% 41.5%

Length of Time a Person Has Been WalkingFrequency Percent< 1 year 301 7.51 year up to 2 years 349 8.62 years up to 3 years 356 8.83 years up to 5 years 439 10.9> 5 years 2,592 64.2Total 4,037 100.0

Almost two-thirds have been walking more than 5 years.

Length of Time

Where Do People Walk?Frequency PercentGym 93 1.7Treadmill at home 75 1.4Mall 16 0.3Parks/forests 427 8.0Sidewalks/streets 3,422 63.9Other 90 1.7Combination of places 1,233 23.0Total 5,356 100.0

More than two-thirds use sidewalks/streets

Where Do People Walk?

Source of Original Encouragement Frequency PercentFamily member 287 5.4Friend 219 4.1Health care professional 212 4.0Organization in my community 59 1.1Organization I work for 140 2.6Media 353 6.6Just decided on my own 3,037 56.7Dont remember 284 5.3Other 763 14.3Total 5,354 100.0

Just decided on my own?!

Orientation toward Walking for Non-Pet Owners & Pet Owners

Orientation toward Walking by Age(excludes pet owners)18-24 25-30 31-44 45-64 65+ TOTALHealth/ relaxation 7.7% 13.0% 27.6% 45.8% 52.5% 35.3%

Get to a destination 50.5% 43.3% 31.4% 13.0% 10.3% 23.6%

Both reasons 41.8% 43.7% 41.0% 41.3% 37.2% 41.2%

Walking for health/relaxation increases with age.

Orientation toward Walking by Age

Orientation toward Walking by Sex(excludes pet owners)

Female Male TOTAL Health/relaxation 38.6% 29.5% 35.3% Get to a destination 18.8% 32.1% 23.6% Both reasons 42.6% 38.4% 41.1%

Female health/relaxation; male - instrumental

Walking and Walkability Walkability of Neighborhood Low Medium High Total Infrequent walkers 35.1% 22.0% 11.9% 22.7% Frequent walkers 64.9% 78.0% 88.1% 77.3% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

We moved to Baltimore City's Federal Hill neighborhood specifically because of its walkability.

When deciding which neighborhood to live in, walkability was a main factor for me.

Walkability needs to be a our top national transportation priority

My neighborhood is really nice in terms of walkability.

Walkability is a dealbreaker for me. Won't live anywhere without good transport and local shopping.

Orientation toward Walking by Walkability Factor (excludes pet owners)

Low Medium High Walkability Walkability Walkability TOTAL Health/relaxation 56.2% 32.8% 14.2% 31.4% Get to a destination 11.5% 25.0% 35.6% 25.7% Both reasons 32.3% 42.3% 50.3% 42.9% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Low walkability health/relaxation; high walkability instrumental.

Orientation toward Walking by Population Density (excludes pet owners)

Low Middle High Density Density Density TOTAL Health/relaxation 59.4% 41.3% 12.4% 35.1% Get to a destination 8.7% 19.1% 38.1% 23.6% Both reasons 31.9% 39.6% 49.4% 41.3% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Low density health/relaxation; high density instrumental.

Orientation and Length of Walking (mins.) (excludes pet owners)

15 to < 30 30 to < 60 60 to < 90 90+ Dont know Health/ relaxation 33.9% 50.1% 12.2% 3.6% 0.3%

Get to a destination 83.5% 14.0% 0.8% 0.8% 1.0%

Both reasons 57.1% 33.2% 6.4% 2.3% 1.0%

Health/relaxation long trips; instrumental short trips

Accessories While Walking

Electronic device56.7%Walking shoes51.4%Water bottle23.2%Pedometer12.7%Reflector12.0%Walking poles 2.1%Body weights 1.4%

Reasons for Walking (percentage who answered very important)

Walking helps me to maintain good health - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 71.1Walking helps me to feel calm and less stressed - - - - - - - - - - -60.6Walking gives me more physical energy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 58.2Walking gets me out of the house and I feel better afterwards - - - 53.6Walking helps me to maintain my weight - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 52.0Walking allows me to get to a specific destination such as work, school, or a store - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 51.8Walking gives me an opportunity to go out and explore my surroundings - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 47.7Walking helps me to lose weight - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 34.2Walking allows me to take care of my pet - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -22.4Walking is how I get to/from transit stops - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22.1Walking gives me an opportunity to spend time with family or friends - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17.0Walking is my main form of transportation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9.7

It is a win/win form of transportation.

Walking helps me reduce my environmental impact.

Gives me uninterrupted talk time with my husband or daughter.

I enjoy the time alone.

I simply feel better after a walk.

Walking is the most sensible way to go short distances.

Type of Walker and Medical Conditions

Frequent Walkers Infre- Health/ Get to a quent relaxation destination Both walkers TOTAL 15 lbs. overweight 36.6 19.5 25.9 41.9 31.8Hypertension 19.4 7.2 12.5 18.7 15.0Depression 7.8 9.3 9.4 12.8 9.9Arthritis 11.8 5.2 9.2 10.9 9.6Asthma 7.8 8.4 9.1 8.5 8.5Osteoporosis 6.9 1.4 4.1 4.1 4.4Diabetes 6.1 1.8 3.5 4.8 4.2Heart disease 4.4 0.6 2.0 3.1 2.7Cancer 2.2 0.5 1.5 1.6 1.5None of the above 36.4 60.3 49.0 38.5 44.9You should walk more.

Reasons for Not Walking (percentage who strongly agree)

I am involved in other physical activities and do not feel the need to walk more - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16.9In my neighborhood things like not enough sidewalks or speeding motor vehicles discourage me from walking more - - - 13.3I do not have time to walk more - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12.8With things like work or family responsibilities, I do not have the energy left to walk more - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10.8There are not many desirable places nearby in which to walk - - - 10.6I am just not that enthusiastic about walking more - - - - - - - - - 6.9The level of crime in my neighborhood discourages me from walking more - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.4

no sidewalks, speeding cars, and unrestrained dogs

laziness!

My girlfriend does not like walking that much.

There's no point. You have to drive anywhere to get to anything.

I don't usually consider walking as an alternative. I just hop in the car to go somewhere without thinking.

Safety Problems for Walkers Very big Somewhat of problem (%) problem (%) Total%Drivers talking on cell phones or using other electronic devices _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 26.5 27.7 54.2Speeding motor vehicles _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 22.9 30.3 53.2Unsmooth sidewalks or other walking surfaces _ _ 13.4 24.7 43.4Not enough sidewalks __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 18.7 20.7 39.4Poorly-lit streets _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10.7 22.6 33.3The sidewalks are too narrow _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6.8 16.5 23.3The walk signs or street signals do not give me enough time to walk across the street safely _ _ _ 5.5 12.6 18.1Crime _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3.4 10.1 13.5Dogs or other animals _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3.4 9.7 13.1

Drivers in my area do not give pedestrians the right of way in cross walks.

The greatest physical danger to frequent walkers in my community are speeding drivers who run red lights and fail to slow at crosswalks.

I would walk MUCH more often if we had sidewalks and more tickets for cell-phone/texting drivers.

Cars turn right on red without stopping or looking even when I have the WALK signal.

Distracted drivers is my number one concern while walking.

Transportation Used by School-age Children of Respondents (n=775) Automobile - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31.4%Walking - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23.5%School bus/van - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20.4%Child (children) uses a combination of means - - 14.8%Bicycle - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.6%More than one child in elementary school and they use different means of transportation - - - 2.8%Public transportation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1.7%Other - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1.7%

Transportation to School by WalkabilityWalkability of Neighborhood Transportation Low Medium High Total to school Automobile 38.3% 32.3% 17.2% 29.4% School bus 25.7% 20.4% 9.9% 18.7% Bike 1.5% 4.4% 5.9% 3.9% Walk 17.0% 21.7% 40.4% 26.1% All other 17.5% 21.2% 26.6% 21.7% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Transportation to School and Parents Walking Walking by Parents Transportation Infrequent Frequent Total to school Automobile 45.5% 26.4% 31.3% School bus/van 22.5% 19.6% 20.3% Bicycle 3.0% 4.0% 3.8% Walking 16.0% 26.2% 23.6% All else 13.0% 23.8% 21.0%

Only 6.6% heard or read about the benefits of walking through the media.Only 4.0% said that a health care professional encouraged them to walk.Even among those with medical conditions, only a small proportion received encouragement to walk from a health care professional.Many health/relaxation walkers have a serious medical condition.For them, walking is for the purpose of preventing further deterioration in health.Greater efforts need to be expended to publicize the multiple benefits of walking.

Among infrequent walkers, a higher percentage cited neighborhood factors (e.g., not enough sidewalks, speeding motor vehicles) rather than personal factors (e.g., not enough time).54.2% of respondents cite drivers talking on cell phones or using other electronic devices as a very big problem or somewhat of a problem.53.2% of respondents cite speeding motor vehicles as a very big problem or somewhat of a problem.More resources should be devoted to protecting pedestrians.

Large percentages of respondents noted infrastructure as a problem:Unsmooth sidewalks (43.4%)Lack of sidewalks (39.4%)Poorly lit streets (33.3%)Walkability matters.Walkability and population density are not the same. Avid walkers are in cities, suburbs and rural areas.Walkability matters.Children walk to school if there parents are walkers and if they live in walkable neighborhoods.Walkability matters.

Thank you.

now go take a walk.

Photo credits:slide 3 www.pedbikeimages.org/LucianoRizzi slide 13 www.pedbikeimages.org/LauraSandt slide 24; upper right www.pedbikeimages.org/MaxBushell slide 24; lower left www.pedbikeimages.org/DanBurden