When it comes to fun in the sun, three out of four Floridians prefer spending their time in the water.
A PIE Center survey illustrates the priorities Floridians put on water quality, based on the most popular outdoor activities. Researcher Alexa Lamm, a faculty member in the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, asked members of the general public about their opinions on various water issues as part of a new quarterly series of public opinion surveys.
Respondents were most likely to spend time at the beach or swim when outdoors. Seventy-seven percent said they spent most of their time on the beach, while 73 percent preferred to swim.
Clean beaches and oceans were also two of the top three concerns for residents when it comes to the level of importance in water quality. Clean drinking water led the way with 93 percent of respondents saying quality was either highly or extremely important, followed by clean beaches at 90.5 percent and clean oceans at 89.3 percent.
Even though drinking water is important to residents, Floridians tend to think of the ocean more when it comes to water recreation, PIE Center Director Tracy Irani said, because Florida has one of the longest coastlines of any state.
“Broadly speaking, it’s all about the coastline when it comes to water recreation in the state, even though there may be people who are very actively engaged inland,” she said. “When we think of water, we think about the beaches. We think about the ocean. We don’t necessarily relate it directly to freshwater and drinking water.”
Canoeing and kayaking were the lowest-ranking water-related activities. Similarly, the water quality of rivers, lakes and springs were not as important to the survey participants as other water bodies, said Lamm, an assistant professor of public opinion analysis in the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication.
“We do think about people actively engaged in freshwater resources, but maybe not at the level we thought,” she said. “Maybe it’s a very specific population that’s using those resources.”
Even though the majority of Floridians are spending their time in the water, respondents recognized inland activities as well. Cycling, hunting, hiking and golfing were rated in the top ten outdoor activities.
