North Dakota Residents' Use of Social Media and Its Influence On Their Hunting and Shooting Participation

NORTH DAKOTA RESIDENTS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THEIR HUNTING AND SHOOTING PARTICIPATION
Conducted for the National Shooting Sports Foundation By the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, and Responsive Management 2012
This project is supported by the Hunting Heritage Partnership, a grant program of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc.
Grant #26, Reporting Period: April 1, 2012 - March 12, 2013
NORTH DAKOTA RESIDENTS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THEIR HUNTING AND SHOOTING PARTICIPATION
2012
North Dakota Game and Fish Department

Terry Steinwand, Director Greg Link, Chief, Conservation and Communications Division
The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports

Bill Creighton, CEO
Responsive Management National Office

Mark Damian Duda, Executive Director Martin Jones, Senior Research Associate Tom Beppler, Research Associate Steven J. Bissell, Ph.D., Qualitative Research Associate Andrea Criscione, Research Associate Patrick Doherty, Research Associate Lauren Jefferson, Research Associate Amanda Ritchie, Research Associate Carol L. Schilli, Senior Statistician Tim Winegord, Survey Center Manager Alison Lanier, Business Manager 130 Franklin Street Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Phone: 540/432-1888 Fax: 540/432-1892 E-mail: mark@responsivemanagement.com www.responsivemanagement.com
Acknowledgments
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, and Responsive Management would like to thank Melissa Schilling of the National Shooting Sports Foundation for her input, support, and guidance on this project.
North Dakota Residents Use of Social Media and Its Influence on Their Hunting and Shooting Participation
STUDY OVERVIEW
This study was conducted under a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to determine the extent to which social media influences North Dakota residents participation in outdoor recreation, particularly hunting and shooting. The study entailed a telephone survey of members of the general population in North Dakota, as well as hunters and target shooters residing in the state. Overall, the data suggest that while many North Dakotans visit social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to obtain information about recreational activities and opportunities, such sites have not replaced more traditional means like the Internet in general, word-of-mouth from family, friends and others, and print (rather than online) newspapers. However, because about half of North Dakota residents, slightly less than half of North Dakota hunters, and a little over a quarter of North Dakota shooters are fairly regular users of social media, and because social media, relative to many other outreach methods, provide timely and cost-effective opportunities for information dissemination, social media communications strategies should certainly be utilized by agencies as often as possible. Additionally, the survey data appear to confirm that social media outreach will be most effective in the targeting of younger markets: social media use was more common among members of the general population and hunters than among shooters, and shooters as a whole tended to be older than the other two respondent groups (respondents younger than the median age of 47 years old also showed greater propensity for social media use than did respondents the median age or older). Also, because the survey found that social media use is more common among females than males, agencies may be able to help generate increased interest and participation from younger women by focusing on this type of outreach. At the same time, it is critical to keep in mind that while social media may be an effective way to transmit various messages, the use of such media does not in itself guarantee the successful reception of any specific message. Rather, social media represent a means to an end, the end in this case being social influence from family members and friends in the form of invitations encouraging those around them to try hunting or shooting. Indeed, the overriding importance of invitations and encouragement from friends and family members in getting people to try hunting and shooting is demonstrated by the fact that among North Dakota residents and hunters surveyed, encouragement from family members is a greater motivator to trying a new activity than is the expectation of personal enjoymentthat is to say, many people are likely to try a new recreational activity, even if they are unsure they will enjoy themselves, if they are invited to do so by a family member. In this way, the research findings suggest that, rather than constituting any silver bullet in agency outreach and communications techniques, social media as a whole are more promising for the extent to which they expand ways for family members, friends, and others to communicate with and entice one another through the sharing of experiences, photos, and other invitational information. Whereas such sharing was certainly possible before the popularization of social media, social media websites now make this sharing (including invitations and other influence) simple and commonplace. Thus, one of the most important ways an agency can take advantage of social media will be to encourage its constituents to use social media platforms to share things with friends and family members about their own experiences hunting and shooting.
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NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
The survey found that among North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters, Facebook is by far the most popular social media website, and the most important appeal of such a site is the opportunity it provides to communicate with family and friends; further, apart from receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in an activity, the next most important action that would influence people to participate in a new activity is the ability to view images and pictures of friends and family members engaging in the activityone of the essential functions of a social media site like Facebook. Just as these findings reinforce the importance of social media communication within existing networks of people (families, circles of friends, groups of coworkers, etc.), one limitation in the way an agency might communicate with its constituents through social media is illustrated by the fact that, currently, only about one in five North Dakota social media users engage with or follow a specific agency, organization, or provider of recreational opportunities through a social media platform. Still, despite such a modest level of present social media engagement with agencies and organizations, the survey results suggest that numerous other pieces regarding North Dakotans interest and involvement in social media are currently in place: Most North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters who use social media feel that such sites are effective at helping people make decisions about whether to engage in recreational activities; While non-social media contact such as phone calls, emails, and text messages are likely to be more influential than social media in encouraging people to participate in recreational activities, a substantial percentage of those who already use social media agree that they are more likely to participate in an event or activity if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media; Around half of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters own a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, and social media use is highly correlated with ownership of such devices; In line with the above, large majorities of North Dakota resident, hunter, and shooter mobile device owners are likely to use a hypothetical free app providing automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity; Overwhelming majorities of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters agree that receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media would encourage them to gain knowledge about the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities more often.
Finally, the data reinforce that, because support for hunting and target shooting among North Dakotans is nearly universal, there exists a considerable margin by which participation in these activities can increase. The key, as stated earlier and as reinforced elsewhere by the quantitative results, will be for agencies and other organizations to encourage their constituents at every opportunity to post about and describe their recreational experiences on their preferred social media platforms. Utilized in this manner, the overall effectiveness of social media as an outreach tool will be self-sustaining, particularly with regard to the promotion of new recreational opportunities like hunting and shooting.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY This study was conducted under a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to determine the extent to which social media influences North Dakota residents participation in outdoor recreation, particularly hunting and shooting. The study entailed a telephone survey of members of the general population in North Dakota, as well as hunters and target shooters residing in the state.
For the survey, telephones were selected as the preferred sampling medium because of the almost universal ownership of telephones among North Dakota residents (both landlines and cell phones were called). The telephone survey questionnaire was developed cooperatively by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, and Responsive Management. The software used for data collection was Questionnaire Programming Language (QPL). The analysis of data was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences as well as proprietary software developed by Responsive Management.
Responsive Management obtained a total of 1,509 completed interviews with North Dakota residents, including 1,004 interviews with members of the general population, 255 interviews with hunters, and 250 interviews with target shooters.
Throughout this report, findings of the telephone survey are reported at a 95% confidence interval. For the entire sample of North Dakota residents, the sampling error is at most plus or minus 3.09 percentage points, based on a sample size of 1,004 and a population size of 522,720 North Dakota residents ages 18 years old and older. For the sample of hunters, the sampling error is at most plus or minus 6.13 percentage points, based on a sample size of 255 and a population size of 111,660 hunters in the North Dakota license database used for the sample. Finally, because no reliable source exists to identify the size of the target shooter population in North Dakota, sampling error was not calculated for this respondent group.
iv SURVEY FINDINGS AT A GLANCE
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Overall, the most common sources of information for recreational activities among North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters include the Internet in general, word-ofmouth from family, friends, neighbors, and others, and print (rather than online) newspapers. About half of North Dakota residents, slightly less than half of North Dakota hunters, and a little over a quarter of North Dakota shooters are fairly regular users of social media (i.e., they visit social media sites at least sometimes). Among all three respondent groups, Facebook is by far the most popular social media website, distantly followed by YouTube and Twitter. The most important appeal of social media websites is the opportunity to communicate with family and friends. Most North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters who use social media feel that such sites are somewhat effective, rather than very effective, at helping people make decisions about whether to engage in recreational activities. Only about one in five North Dakota social media users engage with or follow a specific agency, organization, or provider of recreational opportunities through a social media platform. Less than half of North Dakota social media users regularly use social media to actively seek information about recreational activities, share things with others about recreational activities, or organize outings or events with friends or family members. Contact such as phone calls, emails, and text messages from friends or family members are generally more influential than social media invitations and reminders in encouraging people to participate in recreational activities. Among North Dakota residents and hunters, encouragement from family members is a greater motivator to trying a new activity than is the expectation of personal enjoyment. Most North Dakota resident social media users and about half of hunter and shooter social media users agree that they are more likely to participate in an event or activity if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media. Around half of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters own a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. While only small percentages of North Dakota resident, hunter, and shooter mobile device owners currently use mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities, large majorities of each group are likely to use a hypothetical free app providing automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity. Overwhelming majorities of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters agree that receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media would encourage them to gain knowledge about the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities more often.
Support for hunting and target shooting among North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters is nearly universal, and interest in going hunting or target shooting in North Dakota in the next year is quite high among all three groups. Relatively small percentages of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters regularly play video games; however, a number of those who play hunting- or shooting-related video games agree that such games increase their interest in actually going hunting or target shooting.
GENERAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES An initial question in the survey asked respondents about the main sources they used to learn about recreational activities, and the most common are the Internet, word-of-mouth from family, friends, neighbors, and others, and print (rather than online) newspapers: Among general population North Dakota residents, 39% use the Internet, 37% rely on family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and general word-of-mouth, and 25% use print newspapers. Smaller percentages use television (18%) and print magazines (13%). Among North Dakota hunters, nearly half (46%) depend on family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and general word-of-mouth, while a third (33%) use the Internet to learn about recreational activities. Meanwhile, 13% use print newspapers, 11% use television, and 10% use print magazines. Among North Dakota shooters, the top source of information is the Internet (38%), followed by word-of-mouth from family, friends, and others (33%), and print newspapers (23%). Similar to the other groups, smaller percentages of shooters use print magazines (12%) and television (11%), while a further 11% name the North Dakota Game and Fish Department print magazine (as opposed to the online version) as a source of information on recreational activities. ATTITUDES TOWARD AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA General Use of Social Media Substantial percentages of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters visit social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube at least sometimes (the survey measured usage on a scale of daily, frequently, sometimes, rarely, or never):
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NDGFD / CAHSS / RM Slightly more than half of North Dakota general population residents (51%) visit social media sites at least sometimes; meanwhile, nearly a third (30%) say they visit such sites daily, while 39% never visit social media sites. Just under half of North Dakota hunters (43%) and slightly more than a quarter of shooters (28%) visit social media sites at least sometimes; at the same time, almost half of hunters (42%) and well over half of shooters (58%) never visit social media sites. (At the other end of the spectrum, 24% of hunters and just 12% of shooters visit such sites daily.) Respondents who said they visited social media sites at least rarely were asked which sites they visited most often: by far, the most commonly used social media site is Facebook, distantly followed by YouTube and Twitter: Among North Dakota general population residents who visit social media sites, 86% use Facebook. The next most commonly visited sites among those who use social media are YouTube (24% of residents who use social media visit this site) and Twitter (14%). Meanwhile, less than a tenth of residents use Google+ (7%), Pinterest (4%), or LinkedIn (1%). Facebook is also by far the most popular site among North Dakota hunters and shooters who visit social media sites (76% of hunters and 79% of shooters who use social media visit Facebook). This is followed by YouTube (29% of hunters and 13% of shooters who use social media), Twitter (3% of hunters and 13% of shooters who use social media), and Google+ (7% of hunters and 2% of shooters who use social media). A follow-up question asked respondents what they liked most about the social media sites they visited most often, and the most common response is that the site(s) allows communication with family and friends: Among North Dakota general population residents who use social media and who named at least one most-visited social media site (respondents could name up to three preferred sites), 66% say that the site(s) allows them to communicate with family and friends, while a further 29% say that their favorite site(s) helps them stay informed. Other important aspects are that the site is entertaining (16%), that the site is easy to use or relevant (15%), or that the site allows the person to look up information (14%).
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Preferred qualities among North Dakota hunters and shooters who use social media and who named at least one most-visited social media site generally resemble responses from general population residents: 53% of hunters and 49% of shooters say that the site(s) allows them to communicate with family and friends, 18% of hunters and 26% of shooters say that their most-visited site(s) is informative, 18% of hunters and 16% of shooters say that their favorite site(s) is convenient and accessible, and 21% of hunters and 8% of shooters say that their favorite site(s) has entertaining content.
Opinions Regarding the Effectiveness of Social Media in Influencing DecisionMaking The survey asked respondents who used social media their opinions on the effectiveness of social media to accomplish two separate things: provide opportunities to engage with others in ways that help people to make decisions in general, and provide opportunities to engage with others in ways that help people to make decisions specifically about recreational activities and whether to participate in them. Large majorities of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters feel that social media are effective at doing both of the two things, although respondents in all three groups more often say that social media are somewhat effective, as opposed to very effective: Regarding the effectiveness of social media to help people make decisions in general:
o
76% of North Dakota general population residents who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, with 30% saying very effective;
77% of North Dakota hunters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, with 29% saying very effective;
72% of North Dakota shooters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, with just 16% saying very effective;
Regarding the effectiveness of social media to help people make decisions specifically about recreational activities and whether to participate in them:
o
74% of North Dakota general population residents who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, while 27% say very effective;
69% of North Dakota hunters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, while 24% say very effective;
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o
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM 59% of North Dakota shooters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, while 20% say very effective.
Engagement With Specific Agencies and Organizations Via Social Media The survey asked respondents who used social media whether they engaged with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter (this could include following an agency or organization or being signed up for regular updates or alerts via a social media website). Among respondents who used social media, no more than a fifth of each of the three respondent groups said they engaged with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities: Among North Dakota general population residents who used social media, 19% said they followed a specific agency or organization through social media.
o
North Dakota residents who engage with a specific agency or organization most commonly engage with a non-profit organization (28%), followed by an outdoor recreation club (16%), a school or college (14%), or a business of some type (10%). The most common reasons for engaging with a specific agency or organization are because the individual sought specific information, such as activity or special event dates (45% of those who engaged with an agency or organization gave this reason), followed by being a member of or working for the agency or organization (29%), or having shared or common interests with the agency or organization (22%).
Among North Dakota hunters and shooters who used social media, 17% of hunters and just 7% of shooters said they followed a specific agency or organization through social media.
o
North Dakota hunters who engage with a specific agency or organization most commonly engage with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (28%), a non-profit organization (20%), a business of some type (16%) or an outdoor recreation club (12%). The most common reasons for engaging with a specific agency or organization among hunters who do so are because the individual sought specific information, such as activity or special event dates (40%), having shared or
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common interests with the agency or organization (16%), or being a member of or working for the agency or organization (16%).
o
North Dakota shooters who engage with a specific agency or organization overwhelmingly engage with various types of businesses (43% of shooters who engage with specific agencies or organizations mentioned this type), followed by nonprofit organizations (38%), and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (25%). Shooters most common reasons for engaging with a specific organization include having shared or common interests with the organization (57%) or seeking specific information of some kind (25%).
Specific Uses of Social Media Respondents who used social media were asked how often they visited social media sites for three specific reasons (as in a previous line of questions, the survey used a scale of daily, frequently, sometimes, rarely, or never): to actively seek information about recreational activities in which to participate or become involved with; to share things with other people about recreational activities in which they participate; and to organize outings or events with friends or family members. In general, less than half of each of the three respondent groups do these things at least sometimes: Regarding actively seeking information about recreational activities in which to participate or become involved with:
o
44% of North Dakota general population residents who use social media do this at least sometimes, while 25% do this never;
35% of North Dakota hunters who use social media do this at least sometimes, while 32% do this never;
17% of North Dakota shooters who use social media do this at least sometimes, while 43% do this never.
Regarding sharing things with other people about recreational activities in which they participate:
o
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o
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM 43% of North Dakota hunters who use social media do this at least sometimes, while 27% do this never;
o
Regarding organizing outings or events with friends or family members:

o
Opinions on Actions Influencing Recreational Participation All respondents (not just those who visited social media sites) were read a list of things that could potentially influence their participation in recreational activities, and were asked whether each item on the list would influence them a great deal, a moderate amount, a little, or not at all in helping them to decide whether to participate. The list included the following: Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with you; Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity; Receiving text alerts on your mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity; Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity; Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity; Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before you decide to try it; Being able to post a picture of yourself participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram; Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment; Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on your own likes and interests listed on your Facebook page.
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In general, the actions having the most degree of influence involve personal or direct contact or invitations from friends or family members; on the other hand, items involving websites or the distribution of automatic information generally receive lower ratings of influence. The most instructive ranking concerns the items that would influence respondents to participate in a new activity or type of recreation a great deal: Among North Dakota general population residents, the top item in the ranking, by far, is receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (54% of residents say this would influence them a great deal). Other important items in the list had at least a fifth of residents saying they would influence them to participate in a new activity or type of recreation a great deal:
o
Being able to see images and pictures of friends and family members engaging in the activity before they decided to try it (32% say this would have a great deal of influence);
Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (31%);
Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (26%);
Receiving text alerts on a mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity (21%).
Among North Dakota hunters and shooters, the top item in the ranking is, again, receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (56% of hunters and 46% of shooters say this would influence them a great deal). The only other items with at least a fifth of hunters and shooters rating them as having a great deal of influence are receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (34% of hunters and 21% of shooters) and receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (27% of hunters and 28% of shooters).
Individuals who used social media were asked whether they had ever decided to participate in an activity or other event primarily because of an invitation or reminder received from a friend or family member through social media: slightly more than half of North Dakota resident social media users (55%), more than a third of North Dakota hunter social media
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NDGFD / CAHSS / RM users (38%), and about a quarter of North Dakota shooter social media users (24%) said that they had done so. Individuals who decided to participate in an activity because of a social media invitation from a friend or family member most commonly attended social events with friends or family (44% of general population residents, 56% of hunters, 31% of shooters) sports events or activities (12% of general population residents, 16% of hunters, 25% of shooters), or fishing or hunting trips (8% of general population residents, 8% of hunters, 23% of shooters).
In a similar question, respondents who used social media were asked whether they had ever purchased a product or participated in an activity or other event primarily because they received a coupon, invitation, or reminder from a company or organization through social media: slightly more than a third of North Dakota resident social media users (35%), a third of North Dakota hunter social media users (33%), and nearly half of North Dakota shooter social media users (47%) had done this. Social media users who decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity because of a coupon, invitation, or other reminder most commonly mentioned general coupons or marketing promotions (36% of general population residents, 56% of hunters, 15% of shooters), sports events or activities (18% of general population residents, 7% of hunters, 4% of shooters), or fishing or hunting trips (9% of general population residents, 15% of hunters). Note that the vast majority of North Dakota shooters who had purchased a product or participated in an activity because of a coupon, invitation, or other reminder received through social media (74%) could not recall the specific type of product, activity, or event.
o
Residents, hunters, and shooters who purchased a product or participated in an activity because of a coupon, invitation, or other reminder most commonly received such coupons and reminders from known, trusted companies and organizations, rather than new or unknown companies and organizations: 83% of residents, 81% of hunters, and 62% of shooters who made use of such coupons and reminders did so with known, trusted companies, compared to just 11% of residents, 15% of hunters, and 4% of shooters who received and used coupons and reminders from new or
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unknown companies and organizations. (Note that 35% of shooters said they were unsure of whether the company/organization was known and trusted or new and unknown.)
Respondents who used social media were asked whether they agreed or disagreed that they are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if they receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site: Among North Dakota general population social media users, 61% agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media, while 33% disagree: Among North Dakota hunter social media users, 54% agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media, while 37% disagree: Among North Dakota shooter social media users, 45% agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media, while 44% disagree: OWNERSHIP AND USE OF MOBILE DEVICES The survey measured ownership of various computer and smartphone devices: large majorities of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters own personal computers and laptops, while generally no more than half of each group own smartphones or tablet devices. Among North Dakota general population residents:
o o o o
82% own a personal computer; 70% own a laptop; 41% own a smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android; 29% own a tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Nook.
Among North Dakota hunters:

o o o
75% own a personal computer; 66% own a laptop; 51% own a smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android;
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o
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM 26% own a tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Nook.
Among North Dakota shooters:

o o o o
Smartphone owners most commonly use their smartphones to browse websites or surf the Internet, check email, for professional networking or business purposes, or to check the weather.
Common uses of tablets are fairly similar to those of smartphones, with tablet owners most often mentioning browsing websites or surfing the Internet, read books or e-books, checking email, professional networking or business purposes, or playing games.
Substantial percentages of mobile device (i.e., smartphone or tablet) owners use their device at least sometimes to learn about opportunities to participate in new activities or types of recreation (as before, the survey used a scale of daily, frequently, sometimes, rarely, or never): Among North Dakota general population mobile device owners, 48% use a smartphone or tablet to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes (24% say they never use their mobile device for this purpose). Among North Dakota hunter mobile device owners, 57% use a smartphone or tablet to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes (22% say they never use their mobile device for this purpose). Among North Dakota shooter mobile device owners, 27% use a smartphone or tablet to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes (38% say they never use their mobile device for this purpose).
While only small percentages of North Dakota resident, hunter, and shooter mobile device owners currently use mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities, large
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majorities of each group say they would be likely to use a hypothetical free app providing automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity.
Less than half of North Dakota resident, hunter, and shooter mobile device owners have ever used a mobile device to scan a QR (Quick Response) code anywhere, but notable percentages of each group say they would be likely to use their mobile device to scan QR codes containing information on how, when, or where to participate in a preferred recreational activity. GENERAL RECREATIONAL PREFERENCES In a question regarding preference for indoor recreational activities, outdoor recreational activities, or both types about equally, North Dakota general population residents are split between preferring outdoor activities (46%) and both types about equally (46%). Just 8% say they generally prefer indoor recreational activities. On the other hand, majorities of both hunters (64%) and shooters (62%) express a preference for outdoor activities, while about a third of each group (34% of hunters and 33% of shooters) say they enjoy both indoor and outdoor activities about equally.
Hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities top the lists of recreational activities in which residents, hunters, and shooters most enjoy participating.
Most North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters say they are interested in participating in new recreational activities that they have never tried, although they more often say they are somewhat interested, rather than very interested.
The survey asked respondents to rate on a scale of 0 to 10 the importance of three different factors in helping them to decide whether to participate in a new activity: that the respondent thought that they would personally enjoy the activity, that friends invite the respondent to participate and encourage their involvement, and that family invite the respondent to participate and encourage their involvement. Among members of the general population and
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NDGFD / CAHSS / RM hunters, the item with the highest mean rating of importance is that family invite them to participate and encourage their involvement (among general population residents, this item receives a mean rating of 7.45; among hunters, the mean rating is 6.93). By contrast, the item with the highest mean rating of importance among shooters is that the respondent himself or herself thought that they would personally enjoy the activity (in the latter group, this item receives a mean rating of 7.19). Meanwhile, for all three groups, the item with the lowest mean rating of importance is that friends invite the respondent to participate and encourage their involvement.
ATTITUDES TOWARD AGENCY USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PROMOTING RECREATION Overwhelming majorities of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters agree that receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media would encourage them to gain knowledge about the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities more often.
Similar to the above, strong majorities of all three respondent groups would look for information from the Department at least as often as they do now if the Department were to offer information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Substantial percentages of residents, hunters, and shooters are interested in receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube: Among general population residents, 60% are interested in receiving information from the Department through social media, with 21% very interested (38% say they are not at all interested in receiving information in this way). Among hunters, 55% are interested in receiving information from the Department through social media, with 26% very interested. Just under half (42%) are not at all interested.
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Shooters express the least amount of interest in receiving information from the Department through social media: 45% are interested, with just 16% very interested; meanwhile, more than half (55%) say they are not at all interested.
ATTITUDES TOWARD HUNTING AND SHOOTING Support for hunting among all three groups of respondents is quite strong: 87% of North Dakota residents, 91% of hunters, and 89% of shooters support legal, regulated hunting, with most expressing strong, rather than moderate, support. Among North Dakota general population residents, 60% are interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, with 44% very interested. Among North Dakota hunters, 95% are interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, with 89% very interested. Among North Dakota shooters, 78% are interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, with 62% being very interested.
As with hunting, support for legal target shooting is nearly universal among all three groups of respondents: 91% of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters support legal target shooting. Again, most support is strong. Among North Dakota general population residents, 59% are interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year, with 34% very interested. Among North Dakota hunters, 79% are interested in going target shooting in the state in the next year, with 47% very interested. Among North Dakota shooters, 68% are interested in going target shooting in the state in the next year, with a third (33%) very interested.
North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters most commonly say that there are too few public shooting ranges in the state, rather than too many or about the right amount: Among general population residents, 43% say that there are too few public shooting ranges, 23% say there are about the right amount, and 34% are unsure. Among hunters, 56% say that there are too few public shooting ranges, 25% say there are about the right amount, and 16% are unsure.
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NDGFD / CAHSS / RM Among shooters, 41% say that there are too few public shooting ranges, 25% say there are about the right amount, and 34% are unsure.
OPINIONS ON HUNTING AND SHOOTING VIDEO GAMES The survey explored propensity for video games, particularly video games involving or focused on hunting or shooting activities. In general, no more than about a quarter of residents, hunters, or shooters play video games at least sometimes. However, hunting and shooting games do appear to be fairly commonly played by regular video game players: Among North Dakota general population residents:
o
Around a quarter (27%) play video games at least sometimes, while 55% say they never play video games.
Among video game players, 45% currently play or have played hunting video games, while 31% currently play or have played shooting video games. The most common hunting- and shooting-related video games include various Cabelas games, Call of Duty, and Buck Hunter.
General population residents who play hunting video games are fairly split regarding whether such games make them more interested in actually going hunting: 54% agree that the games increase their interest in the actual sport, while 37% disagree; 10% neither agree nor disagree or are unsure. By far, the most common reason for disagreeing is that the respondents interest is only in video games, and not the actual activity.
There is slightly more agreement that shooting-related video games increase interest in the actual activity: 57% of residents who play shooting-related video games agree that such games make them more interested in actually going shooting, while 33% disagree (10% are again unsure or neither agree nor disagree). The most common reasons for disagreeing are that the respondents interest is only in video games, not the actual activity, or that the respondent has no interest in shooting an actual firearm.

o
Nearly a fifth (18%) play video games at least sometimes, while 56% say they never play video games.
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Among video game players, 50% currently play or have played hunting video games, and 47% currently play or have played shooting video games. As before, the most common hunting- and shooting-related video games include various Cabelas games, Call of Duty, and Buck Hunter.
52% of hunters who play hunting-related video games agree that the games increase their interest in the actual sport; at the same time, 32% disagree, and 17% neither agree nor disagree or are unsure. As before, a common reason for disagreeing is that the respondents interest is only in video games, and not the actual activity (note that a substantial percentage of those who disagree were unsure of a specific reason for their disagreement).
While 41% of hunters who play shooting-related video games agree that such games make them more interested in actually going shooting, 49% disagree (10% are unsure or neither agree nor disagree). Once again, the most common reason for disagreeing is that the respondents interest is only in video games, not the actual activity.

o
15% play video games at least sometimes, while 64% say they never play video games.
Among video game players, 55% currently play or have played hunting video games, and 25% currently play or have played shooting video games. (Cabelas games, Call of Duty, and Buck Hunter remain the most common games.)
A third of shooters who play hunting-related video games (33%) agree that the games increase their interest in the actual sport; at the same time, 38% disagree, and 29% neither agree nor disagree or are unsure. The most common reasons for disagreeing are that the respondents interest is only in video games or that video games are more fun; note that, as with hunters, a substantial percentage of shooters who disagree were unsure of a specific reason for their disagreement.
Shooters who play video games most commonly disagree that such games make them more interested in actually going shooting: 67% are in disagreement, with just 29% agreeing and 5% neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Among those who disagree, the unanimous reason is that the respondents interest is only in video games, not the actual activity.
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NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction and Methodology ........................................................................................................1 Use of Telephones for the Survey ...........................................................................................1 Questionnaire Design ..............................................................................................................1 Survey Sample.........................................................................................................................1 Telephone Interviewing Facilities ...........................................................................................2 Interviewing Dates and Times.................................................................................................2 Telephone Survey Data Collection and Quality Control.........................................................2 Data Analysis...........................................................................................................................3 Sampling Error ........................................................................................................................4 Additional Information about the Presentation of Results in the Report ................................5 General Sources of Information on Recreational Activities ............................................................6 Attitudes Toward and Use of Social Media...................................................................................10 General Use of Social Media.................................................................................................10 Opinions Regarding the Effectiveness of Social Media in Influencing Decision-Making..........................................................................................12 Engagement With Specific Agencies and Organizations Via Social Media.........................13 Specific Uses of Social Media...............................................................................................15 Opinions on Actions Influencing Recreational Participation................................................16 Ownership and Use of Mobile Devices .........................................................................................76 General Recreational Preferences ................................................................................................105 Attitudes Toward Agency Use of Social Media in Promoting Recreation..................................117 Attitudes Toward Hunting and Shooting .....................................................................................125 Opinions on Hunting and Shooting Video Games.......................................................................148 Demographic Data .......................................................................................................................164 About Responsive Management ..................................................................................................185
INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY

This study was conducted under a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) to determine the extent to which social media influences North Dakota residents participation in outdoor recreation, particularly hunting and shooting. The study entailed a telephone survey of members of the general population in North Dakota, as well as hunters and target shooters residing in the state. Specific aspects of the research methodology are discussed below.
USE OF TELEPHONES FOR THE SURVEY For the survey, telephones were selected as the preferred sampling medium because of the almost universal ownership of telephones among North Dakota residents (both landlines and cell phones were called). Additionally, telephone surveys, relative to mail or Internet surveys, allow for more scientific sampling and data collection, provide higher quality data, obtain higher response rates, are more timely, and are more cost-effective. Telephone surveys also have fewer negative effects on the environment than do mail surveys because of reduced use of paper and reduced energy consumption for delivering and returning the questionnaires.
QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN The telephone survey questionnaire was developed cooperatively by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, and Responsive Management, based on the research teams familiarity with studies examining sources of information for hunting, sport shooting, and other types of recreation. Responsive Management conducted pre-tests of the questionnaire to ensure proper wording, flow, and logic in the survey.
SURVEY SAMPLE The samples of North Dakota general population residents and target shooters were obtained from professional sampling firms that specialize in providing scientific samples for surveys, including representative samples with cell phones. The sample of hunters was provided by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, based on its licensing records. All three North Dakota general population, shooter, and hunter survey samples were representative of their respective populations.
2 TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING FACILITIES
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
A central polling site at the Responsive Management office allowed for rigorous quality control over the interviews and data collection. Responsive Management maintains its own in-house telephone interviewing facilities. These facilities are staffed by interviewers with experience conducting computer-assisted telephone interviews on the subjects of outdoor recreation and natural resources.
To ensure the integrity of the telephone survey data, Responsive Management has interviewers who have been trained according to the standards established by the Council of American Survey Research Organizations. Methods of instruction included lecture and role-playing. The Survey Center Managers and other professional staff conducted a project briefing with the interviewers prior to the administration of this survey. Interviewers were instructed on type of study, study goals and objectives, handling of survey questions, interview length, termination points and qualifiers for participation, interviewer instructions within the survey questionnaire, reading of the survey questions, skip patterns, and probing and clarifying techniques necessary for specific questions on the survey questionnaire.
INTERVIEWING DATES AND TIMES Telephone surveying times are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., local time. A five-callback design was used to maintain the representativeness of the sample, to avoid bias toward people easy to reach by telephone, and to provide an equal opportunity for all to participate. When a respondent could not be reached on the first call, subsequent calls were placed on different days of the week and at different times of the day. The survey was conducted in October 2012.
TELEPHONE SURVEY DATA COLLECTION AND QUALITY CONTROL The software used for data collection was Questionnaire Programming Language (QPL). The survey data were entered into the computer as each interview was being conducted, eliminating manual data entry after the completion of the survey and the concomitant data entry errors that may occur with manual data entry. The survey questionnaire was programmed so that QPL
branched, coded, and substituted phrases in the survey based on previous responses to ensure the integrity and consistency of the data collection.
The Survey Center Managers and statisticians monitored the data collection, including monitoring of the actual telephone interviews without the interviewers knowledge, to evaluate the performance of each interviewer and ensure the integrity of the data. The survey questionnaire itself contains error checkers and computation statements to ensure quality and consistent data. After the surveys were obtained by the interviewers, the Survey Center Managers and/or statisticians checked each completed survey to ensure clarity and completeness.
Responsive Management obtained a total of 1,509 completed interviews with North Dakota residents, including 1,004 interviews with members of the general population, 255 interviews with hunters, and 250 interviews with target shooters. It is important to note that the survey asked some questions only of specific respondents. In particular, this was done when a followup question did not apply to some respondents. For instance, only those who said they visited social media websites daily, often, sometimes, or rarely were asked follow-up questions about social media. In the results, these follow-up questions generally include a parenthetical statement indicating that the question was asked only of certain respondents and/or that the graph shows responses only among a specific subgroup in the sample.
DATA ANALYSIS The analysis of data was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences as well as proprietary software developed by Responsive Management. The results were weighted by demographic characteristics so that the samples were representative of North Dakota residents as a whole.
On questions that asked respondents to provide a number (e.g., number of years lived in North Dakota), the graph shows ranges of numbers rather than the precise numbers. Nonetheless, in the survey each respondent provided a precise number, and the dataset includes this precise number, even if the graph only shows ranges of numbers. Note that the calculation of means and medians used the precise numbers that the respondents provided.
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Crosstabulations were run on many questions, including crosstabulations by the hunter and shooter samples. Other crosstabulations were run, as appropriate, as part of the analysis. Finally, some questions show the results broken down by various individual respondent categories, particularly major demographic categories.
SAMPLING ERROR Throughout this report, findings of the telephone survey are reported at a 95% confidence interval. For the entire sample of North Dakota residents, the sampling error is at most plus or minus 3.09 percentage points. This means that if the survey were conducted 100 times on different samples that were selected in the same way, the findings of 95 out of the 100 surveys would fall within plus or minus 3.09 percentage points of each other. Sampling error was calculated using the formula described below, with a sample size of 1,004 and a population size of 522,720 North Dakota residents ages 18 years old and older. For the sample of hunters, the sampling error is at most plus or minus 6.13 percentage points, based on a sample size of 255 and a population size of 111,660 hunters in the North Dakota license database used for the sample. Finally, because no reliable source exists to identify the size of the target shooter population in North Dakota, sampling error was not calculated for this respondent group.
Sampling Error Equation
B=
Np (.25) .25 Ns (1.96 ) Np 1
Where:
B = maximum sampling error (as decimal) NP = population size (i.e., total number who could be surveyed) NS = sample size (i.e., total number of respondents surveyed)
Derived from formula: p. 206 in Dillman, D. A. 2000. Mail and Internet Surveys. John Wiley & Sons, NY.
Note: This is a simplified version of the formula that calculates the maximum sampling error using a 50:50 split (the most conservative calculation because a 50:50 split would give maximum variation).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRESENTATION OF RESULTS IN THE REPORT In examining the results, it is important to be aware that the questionnaire included several types of questions:

Open-ended questions are those in which no answer set is read to the respondents; rather, they can respond with anything that comes to mind from the question. Closed-ended questions have an answer set from which to choose. Single or multiple response questions: Some questions allow only a single response, while other questions allow respondents to give more than one response or choose all that apply. Those that allow more than a single response are indicated on the graphs with the label, Multiple Responses Allowed. Scaled questions: Many closed-ended questions (but not all) are in a scale, such as excellent-good-fair-poor. Series questions: Many questions are part of a series, and the results are primarily intended to be examined relative to the other questions in that series (although results of the questions individually can also be valuable). Typically, results of all questions in a series are shown together.
Some graphs show an average, either the mean or median (or both). The mean is simply the sum of all numbers divided by the number of respondents. Because outliers (extremely high or low numbers relative to most of the other responses) may skew the mean, the median may be shown. The median is the number at which half the sample is above and the other half is below. In other words, a median of 150 means that half the sample gave an answer of more than 150 and the other half gave an answer of less than 150.
Most graphs show results rounded to the nearest integer; however, all data are stored in decimal format, and all calculations are performed on unrounded numbers. For this reason, some results may not sum to exactly 100% because of this rounding on the graphs. Additionally, rounding may cause apparent discrepancies of 1 percentage point between the graphs and the reported results of combined responses (e.g., when strongly support and moderately support are summed to determine the total percentage in support).
Finally, some graphs pertain to more than one section of the report, so these graphs are discussed in more than one section of the report. In these instances when the graph is discussed in more than one section, the graph is only shown in one section with a call-out in the other section indicating where the graph is located.
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
GENERAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

An initial question in the survey asked respondents about the main sources they used to learn about recreational activities, and the most common are the Internet, word-of-mouth from family, friends, neighbors, and others, and print (rather than online) newspapers: Among general population North Dakota residents, 39% use the Internet, 37% rely on family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and general word-of-mouth, and 25% use print newspapers. Smaller percentages use television (18%) and print magazines (13%).
o
A second graph following the general population results shows a breakdown of the top groups who use the Internet or online resources (including the Internet in general, specific websites, and/or social media sites) to learn about recreational activities. At the top of this ranking of major demographic and participatory subgroups within the general population sample are those who have played hunting or shooting video games before (63% of whom use the Internet or any online resource to learn about recreational activities), followed by those with children under the age of 18 living in their household (62%), those who own a smartphone (58%), those who use Facebook (58%), and those who own a tablet device (58%). At the bottom of the ranking are those who do not use Facebook (just 31% of this group use the Internet or any online resource to learn about recreational activities), those who visit social media sites rarely or never, and those the median age of 47 or older (34%).
Among North Dakota hunters, nearly half (46%) depend on family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and general word-of-mouth, while a third (33%) use the Internet to learn about recreational activities. Meanwhile, 13% use print newspapers, 11% use television, and 10% use print magazines.
Among North Dakota shooters, the top source of information is the Internet (38%), followed by word-of-mouth from family, friends, and others (33%), and print newspapers (23%). Similar to the other groups, smaller percentages of shooters use print magazines (12%) and television (11%), while a further 11% name the North Dakota Game and Fish Department print magazine (as opposed to the online version) as a source of information on recreational activities.
Q15. In general, what sources do you use to learn about recreational activities to participate in or become involved with? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Internet Family / friends / co-workers / neighbors / general word-of-mouth Newspapers - PRINT TV Magazines - PRINT 18 13 7 6 5 25 39 37
Multiple Responses Allowed
Radio Facebook North Dakota Game and Fish Department magazine - PRINT Internet - specific website North Dakota Game and Fish Department official website Newspapers - DIGITAL/ONLINE Pinterest Google+ YouTube North Dakota Game and Fish Department magazine - DIGITAL/ONLINE Other Don't know
General population
3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 7
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Percent of each of the following groups who use the Internet or any online resource to learn about recreational activities:
Has played hunting or shooting video games Has children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Owns a smartphone Uses Facebook Owns a tablet device Visits social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes Is younger than the median age (47) Education level is bachelor's degree or higher Has lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of years (35) Is very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Is female Is very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Has been shooting Has never been hunting Lives in a small city / town or rural area Lives in an urban or suburban area Has been hunting Did not indicate being very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Did not indicate being very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Is male Has never been shooting Does not own a tablet device Has never played hunting or shooting video games Has lived in North Dakota for the median number of years (35) or more Education level is less than a bachelor's degree Does not own a smartphone Does not have children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Is the median age (47) or older Visits social media sites rarely or never Does not use Facebook
63 62 58 58 58 57 57 54 52 51 48 48 47 46 45 44 44 43 42 42 41 40 39 38 38 36 36 34 32 31 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
Q15. In general, what sources do you use to learn about recreational activities to participate in or become involved with? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Family / friends / co-workers / neighbors / general word-of-mouth Internet Newspapers - PRINT TV Magazines - PRINT Multiple Responses Allowed North Dakota Game and Fish Department magazine - PRINT Internet - specific website North Dakota Game and Fish Department official website Radio Facebook North Dakota Game and Fish Department magazine Newspapers - DIGITAL/ONLINE YouTube Other Don't know 0
7 13 11 11 10 12 11 23 46
33 33 38
8 6 8 5 5 6 4 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 3 4 5
Hunters Target shooters
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
10
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
ATTITUDES TOWARD AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

GENERAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA Substantial percentages of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters visit social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube at least sometimes (the survey measured usage on a scale of daily, frequently, sometimes, rarely, or never): Slightly more than half of North Dakota general population residents (51%) visit social media sites at least sometimes; meanwhile, nearly a third (30%) say they visit such sites daily, while 39% never visit social media sites.
o
A second graph following the general population results shows a breakdown of the top groups who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes. At the top of this ranking of major demographic and participatory subgroups within the general population sample are those who use Facebook (89% of whom visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes), those younger than the median age of 47 (72%), those who own a smartphone (71%), those who have lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of 35 years (67%), and those who have played hunting or shooting video games before (67%).
Another graph shows a breakdown of the top groups who visit social media sites rarely or never: in this analysis, the top groups include those who do not use Facebook (90% of whom visit social media sites rarely or never), those the median age of 47 or older (67%), those who do not own a smartphone (62%), and those who have lived in North Dakota for the median of 35 years or more (62%).
North Dakota residents who said they never visited social media sites were asked why they never did so, and the most reason, by far, was simply having no interest (59% of those who never visit social media sites gave this answer). Other, less common reasons included having no time (15%) or not having enough patience with electronics or computers in general (12%).
Just under half of North Dakota hunters (43%) and slightly more than a quarter of shooters (28%) visit social media sites at least sometimes; at the same time, almost half of hunters (42%) and well over half of shooters (58%) never visit social media sites. (At the other end of the spectrum, 24% of hunters and just 12% of shooters visit such sites daily.)
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As before, the most common reason among hunters and shooters for never visiting social media sites is a lack of interest (57% of hunters and 58% of shooters gave this answer). Other common reasons included not having patience with computers or electronics (19% of hunters and 15% of shooters who never visited social media sites said this), not owning the necessary computers, smartphones, or other electronics (17% of hunters; 13% of shooters), or not having enough time (8% of hunters; 19% of shooters).
Respondents who said they visited social media sites at least rarely were asked which sites they visited most often: by far, the most commonly used social media site is Facebook, distantly followed by YouTube and Twitter: Among North Dakota general population residents who visit social media sites, 86% use Facebook. The next most commonly visited sites among those who use social media are YouTube (24% of residents who use social media visit this site) and Twitter (14%). Meanwhile, less than a tenth of residents use Google+ (7%), Pinterest (4%), or LinkedIn (1%).
o
Another graph shows responses to this question out of all respondents to the survey, including those who said they never visit social media sites: this graph shows that, in total, 52% of North Dakota residents use Facebook, 15% visit YouTube, and 9% use Twitter.
A graph following the general population results shows a breakdown of the top groups who use Facebook. At the top of this ranking of major demographic and participatory subgroups within the general population sample are those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes (91% of whom use Facebook), those the median age of 47 or younger (72%), those who own a smartphone (71%), those who have lived in North Dakota for less than the median of 35 years (69%), and those who get information about outdoor recreation from digital or online sources (67%).
Facebook is also by far the most popular site among North Dakota hunters and shooters who visit social media sites (76% of hunters and 79% of shooters who use social media visit Facebook). This is followed by YouTube (29% of hunters and 13% of shooters who
12
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM use social media), Twitter (3% of hunters and 13% of shooters who use social media), and Google+ (7% of hunters and 2% of shooters who use social media).
o
As before, a graph shows responses to the question out of all hunters and shooters surveyed, including those who said they never visit social media sites: in total, 44% of hunters and 34% of shooters use Facebook, 17% of hunters and 6% of shooters visit YouTube, 2% of hunters and 6% of shooters use Twitter, and 4% of hunters and 1% of shooters use Google+.
A follow-up question asked respondents what they liked most about the social media sites they visited most often, and the most common response is that the site(s) allows communication with family and friends: Among North Dakota general population residents who use social media and who named at least one most-visited social media site (respondents could name up to three preferred sites), 66% say that the site(s) allows them to communicate with family and friends, while a further 29% say that their favorite site(s) helps them stay informed. Other important aspects are that the site is entertaining (16%), that the site is easy to use or relevant (15%), or that the site allows the person to look up information (14%). Preferred qualities among North Dakota hunters and shooters who use social media and who named at least one most-visited social media site generally resemble responses from general population residents: 53% of hunters and 49% of shooters say that the site(s) allows them to communicate with family and friends, 18% of hunters and 26% of shooters say that their most-visited site(s) is informative, 18% of hunters and 16% of shooters say that their favorite site(s) is convenient and accessible, and 21% of hunters and 8% of shooters say that their favorite site(s) has entertaining content.
OPINIONS REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN INFLUENCING DECISION-MAKING The survey asked respondents who used social media their opinions on the effectiveness of social media to accomplish two separate things: provide opportunities to engage with others in ways that help people to make decisions in general, and provide opportunities to engage with others in ways that help people to make decisions specifically about recreational
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activities and whether to participate in them. Large majorities of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters feel that social media are effective at doing both of the two things, although respondents in all three groups more often say that social media are somewhat effective, as opposed to very effective: Regarding the effectiveness of social media to help people make decisions in general:
o
76% of North Dakota general population residents who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, with 30% saying very effective;
77% of North Dakota hunters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, with 29% saying very effective;
72% of North Dakota shooters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, with just 16% saying very effective;
Regarding the effectiveness of social media to help people make decisions specifically about recreational activities and whether to participate in them:
o
74% of North Dakota general population residents who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, while 27% say very effective;
69% of North Dakota hunters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, while 24% say very effective;
59% of North Dakota shooters who use social media say that social media are effective at doing this, while 20% say very effective.
ENGAGEMENT WITH SPECIFIC AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA The survey asked respondents who used social media whether they engaged with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter (this could include following an agency or organization or being signed up for regular updates or alerts via a social media website). Among respondents who used social media, no more than a fifth of each of the three respondent groups said they engaged with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities: Among North Dakota general population residents who used social media, 19% said they followed a specific agency or organization through social media. A second graph shows
14
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM the responses to this question out of all respondents to the survey, including those who said they never visit social media sites: this graph shows that, in total, 12% of North Dakota residents follow a specific agency or organization through social media.
o
North Dakota residents who engage with a specific agency or organization most commonly engage with a non-profit organization (28%), followed by an outdoor recreation club (16%), a school or college (14%), or a business of some type (10%). The most common reasons for engaging with a specific agency or organization are because the individual sought specific information, such as activity or special event dates (45% of those who engaged with an agency or organization gave this reason), followed by being a member of or working for the agency or organization (29%), or having shared or common interests with the agency or organization (22%).
Among North Dakota hunters and shooters who used social media, 17% of hunters and just 7% of shooters said they followed a specific agency or organization through social media. As before, an additional graph shows the responses to this question out of all North Dakota hunters and shooters surveyed, including those who said they never visit social media sites: in total, 10% of North Dakota hunters and 3% of North Dakota shooters follow a specific agency or organization through social media.
o
North Dakota hunters who engage with a specific agency or organization most commonly engage with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (28%), a non-profit organization (20%), a business of some type (16%) or an outdoor recreation club (12%). The most common reasons for engaging with a specific agency or organization among hunters who do so are because the individual sought specific information, such as activity or special event dates (40%), having shared or common interests with the agency or organization (16%), or being a member of or working for the agency or organization (16%).
North Dakota shooters who engage with a specific agency or organization overwhelmingly engage with various types of businesses (43% of shooters who engage with specific agencies or organizations mentioned this type), followed by nonprofit organizations (38%), and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (25%). Shooters most common reasons for engaging with a specific organization include
15
having shared or common interests with the organization (57%) or seeking specific information of some kind (25%).
SPECIFIC USES OF SOCIAL MEDIA Respondents who used social media were asked how often they visited social media sites for three specific reasons (as in a previous line of questions, the survey used a scale of daily, frequently, sometimes, rarely, or never): to actively seek information about recreational activities in which to participate or become involved with; to share things with other people about recreational activities in which they participate; and to organize outings or events with friends or family members. In general, less than half of each of the three respondent groups do these things at least sometimes: Regarding actively seeking information about recreational activities in which to participate or become involved with:
o
Regarding sharing things with other people about recreational activities in which they participate:
o
Regarding organizing outings or events with friends or family members:

o
16
o
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM 31% of North Dakota hunters who use social media do this at least sometimes, while 41% do this never;
o
OPINIONS ON ACTIONS INFLUENCING RECREATIONAL PARTICIPATION All respondents (not just those who visited social media sites) were read a list of things that could potentially influence their participation in recreational activities, and were asked whether each item on the list would influence them a great deal, a moderate amount, a little, or not at all in helping them to decide whether to participate. The list included the following: Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity; Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with you; Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity; Receiving text alerts on your mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity; Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity; Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity; Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before you decide to try it; Being able to post a picture of yourself participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram; Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment; Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on your own likes and interests listed on your Facebook page.
In general, the actions having the most degree of influence involve personal or direct contact or invitations from friends or family members; on the other hand, items involving websites or the distribution of automatic information generally receive lower ratings of influence. The most instructive ranking concerns the items that would influence respondents to participate in a new activity or type of recreation a great deal:
17
Among North Dakota general population residents, the top item in the ranking, by far, is receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (54% of residents say this would influence them a great deal). Other important items in the list had at least a fifth of residents saying they would influence them to participate in a new activity or type of recreation a great deal:
o
Being able to see images and pictures of friends and family members engaging in the activity before they decided to try it (32% say this would have a great deal of influence);
Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (31%);
Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (26%);
Receiving text alerts on a mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity (21%).
Among North Dakota hunters and shooters, the top item in the ranking is, again, receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (56% of hunters and 46% of shooters say this would influence them a great deal). The only other items with at least a fifth of hunters and shooters rating them as having a great deal of influence are receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (34% of hunters and 21% of shooters) and receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity (27% of hunters and 28% of shooters).
Individuals who used social media were asked whether they had ever decided to participate in an activity or other event primarily because of an invitation or reminder received from a friend or family member through social media: slightly more than half of North Dakota resident social media users (55%), more than a third of North Dakota hunter social media users (38%), and about a quarter of North Dakota shooter social media users (24%) said that they had done so. Individuals who decided to participate in an activity because of a social media invitation from a friend or family member most commonly attended social events with friends or family (44% of general population residents, 56% of hunters, 31% of shooters) sports
18
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM events or activities (12% of general population residents, 16% of hunters, 25% of shooters), or fishing or hunting trips (8% of general population residents, 8% of hunters, 23% of shooters).
In a similar question, respondents who used social media were asked whether they had ever purchased a product or participated in an activity or other event primarily because they received a coupon, invitation, or reminder from a company or organization through social media: slightly more than a third of North Dakota resident social media users (35%), a third of North Dakota hunter social media users (33%), and nearly half of North Dakota shooter social media users (47%) had done this. Social media users who decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity because of a coupon, invitation, or other reminder most commonly mentioned general coupons or marketing promotions (36% of general population residents, 56% of hunters, 15% of shooters), sports events or activities (18% of general population residents, 7% of hunters, 4% of shooters), or fishing or hunting trips (9% of general population residents, 15% of hunters). Note that the vast majority of North Dakota shooters who had purchased a product or participated in an activity because of a coupon, invitation, or other reminder received through social media (74%) could not recall the specific type of product, activity, or event.
o
Residents, hunters, and shooters who purchased a product or participated in an activity because of a coupon, invitation, or other reminder most commonly received such coupons and reminders from known, trusted companies and organizations, rather than new or unknown companies and organizations: 83% of residents, 81% of hunters, and 62% of shooters who made use of such coupons and reminders did so with known, trusted companies, compared to just 11% of residents, 15% of hunters, and 4% of shooters who received and used coupons and reminders from new or unknown companies and organizations. (Note that 35% of shooters said they were unsure of whether the company/organization was known and trusted or new and unknown.)
19
Respondents who used social media were asked whether they agreed or disagreed that they are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if they receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site: Among North Dakota general population social media users, 61% agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media, while 33% disagree:
o
The most common reason residents agree with the above is that social media reminders simply help them to remember, followed by being able to see if others they know are involved, and that the information is accessible and convenient.
The most common reason residents disagree with the above is that the person simply prefers to be asked or invited in person, followed by not using any social media sites with invitation features, thinking that social media reminders are not convenient or not checking such sites often enough, and that social media reminders have no real influence one way or the other.
Among North Dakota hunter social media users, 54% agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media, while 37% disagree:
o
The most common reason hunters agree with the above is that social media reminders simply help them to remember, followed by information through social media being accessible and convenient, and that they would not know about such information or reminders otherwise.
The most common reason hunters disagree with the above is that they do not use social media sites with invitation features, followed by such sites not being convenient enough or the respondent not checking them enough, and that social media reminders have no real influence one way or the other.
Among North Dakota shooter social media users, 45% agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive an invitation or reminder through social media, while 44% disagree:
o
The most common reason shooters agree with the above is that social media invitations or reminders help them to remember.
20
o
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM The most common reason shooters disagree with the above is that they do not use social media sites with invitation features, followed by simply not liking social media sites, and that such sites are not convenient enough or the respondent does not check them enough.
21
Q24. In general, how often do you visit social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Daily
30
Frequently
11
51% of North Dakota residents use social media at least sometimes
Sometimes
10
Rarely
10
General population
Never
39
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
22
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Percent of each of the following groups who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes:
Uses Facebook Is younger than the median age (47) Owns a smartphone Has lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of years (35) Has played hunting or shooting video games Gets information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Has children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Owns a tablet device Has never been hunting Is female Is very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has never been shooting Education level is bachelor's degree or higher Lives in a small city / town or rural area Is very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Lives in an urban or suburban area Did not indicate being very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Education level is less than a bachelor's degree Has been shooting Did not indicate being very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has been hunting Does not own a tablet device Has never played hunting or shooting video games Does not have children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Is male Does not get information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Has lived in North Dakota for the median number of years (35) or more Does not own a smartphone Is the median age (47) or older Does not use Facebook
89 72 71 67 67 65 65 62 61 61 54 53 53 52 52 52 51 51 50 50 47 47 46 44 41 40 38 38 33 10 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
23
Percent of each of the following groups who visit social media sites rarely or never:
Does not use Facebook Is the median age (47) or older Does not own a smartphone Has lived in North Dakota for the median number of years (35) or more Does not get information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Is male Does not have children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Has never played hunting or shooting video games Does not own a tablet device Has been hunting Did not indicate being very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has been shooting Education level is less than a bachelor's degree Did not indicate being very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Lives in an urban or suburban area Is very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Lives in a small city / town or rural area Education level is bachelor's degree or higher Has never been shooting Is very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Is female Has never been hunting Owns a tablet device Has children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Gets information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Has played hunting or shooting video games Has lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of years (35) Owns a smartphone Is younger than the median age (47) Uses Facebook
90 67 62 62 60 59 56 54 53 53 50 50 49 49 48 48 48 47 47 46 39 39 38 35 35 33 33 29 28 11 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
24
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q27. What are the reasons you never visit social media sites? (Asked of those who never visit social media sites.)
No interest
59
No time
15
Not enough patience with electronics / computers Multiple Responses Allowed Do not own necessary electronics / smartphone / laptop / etc.
12
Note: results are among the 39% of North Dakota residents who never visit social media sites.
Privacy or security issues
General population
Do not have applicable account
Health reasons
Other
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
25
Q24. In general, how often do you visit social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
24 Daily 12
10 Frequently 6
43% of North Dakota hunters and 28% of North Dakota shooters use social media at least sometimes
9 Sometimes 10
14 Rarely 14
42 Never 58
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
26
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q27. What are the reasons you never visit social media sites? (Asked of those who never visit social media sites.)
No interest
57 58
Not enough patience with electronics / computers
19 15
Do not own necessary electronics / smartphone / laptop / etc.
17 13
Note: results are among the 42% of North Dakota hunters and 58% of North Dakota shooters who never visit social media sites.
No time
8 19
Do not have applicable account
5 1
Other
1 0
Don't know
4 6
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
27
Q29/31/33. Social media sites used. (Among those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Facebook
86
YouTube
24
Twitter Multiple Responses Allowed
14
Note: results are among the 61% of North Dakota residents who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.
Google+
General population Pinterest

4
LinkedIn
Other
10
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
28
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q29/31/33. Social media sites used. (Among all North Dakota residents)
Facebook
52
YouTube
15
Google+
Pinterest
General population
LinkedIn
Other
Don't know
N/A: Do not visit any social media sites 0 20
39
40 Percent
60
80
100
29
Percent of each of the following groups who use Facebook:

Visits social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes Is younger than the median age (47) Owns a smartphone Has lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of years (35) Gets information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Has played hunting or shooting video games Owns a tablet device Has children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Is female Has never been hunting Is very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has never been shooting Education level is bachelor's degree or higher Lives in a small city / town or rural area Is very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Did not indicate being very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Lives in an urban or suburban area Education level is less than a bachelor's degree Has been shooting Did not indicate being very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has been hunting Has never played hunting or shooting video games Does not own a tablet device Does not have children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Is male Does not get information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Does not own a smartphone Has lived in North Dakota for the median number of years (35) or more Is the median age (47) or older Visits social media sites rarely or never
91 72 71 69 67 66 66 65 64 61 55 55 54 53 52 52 51 51 51 51 49 48 47 46 41 40 39 38 34 12 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
30
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q29/31/33. Social media sites used. (Among those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Facebook
76 79
YouTube
29 13
3 13
Google+
7 2
Note: results are among the 57% of North Dakota hunters and 42% of North Dakota shooters who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.
LinkedIn
2 4
Pinterest
1 2
Other
13 5
Don't know
7 3
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
31
Q29/31/33. Social media sites used. (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Facebook
44 34
YouTube
17 6
2 6
Google+
4 1
LinkedIn
1 2
Pinterest
1 1
Other
7 2
Don't know
4 1
N/A: Do not visit any social media sites 0 20 40
42 58
60 Percent
80
100
32
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q35/36/37. What do you like most about the site you visit the most / second most / third most? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
The site allows me to communicate with family and friends
66
The site helps me stay informed
29
The site is entertaining / I watch games and play videos Multiple Responses Allowed
16
The site is easy to use, relevant
15
The site allows me to look up information
14
General population
The site is popular
I'm familiar with the site
Other
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
33
Q35/36/37. What do you like most about the site you visit the most / second most / third most? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
The site allows me to communicate with family and friends The site is informative
18 26
53 49
The site is convenient and accessible The content (music, videos, etc.) is entertaining
18 16
21 8
The site is popular
7 7
No particular reason
12 8
Other
8 3
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
34
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q38. How effective do you think social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are at providing opportunities to engage with others in ways that help you make decisions in general? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Very effective
30
Somewhat effective
46
General population
Not at all effective
22
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
35
Q38. How effective do you think social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are at providing opportunities to engage with others in ways that help you make decisions in general? (Asked of those who visit social media sites often, sometimes, or rarely.)
29 Very effective 16
Somewhat effective
48 56
20 Not at all effective 24
Hunters Target shooters 3 Don't know 4
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
36
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q39. How effective do you think social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are at providing opportunities to engage with others in ways that help you make decisions specifically about recreational activities and whether to participate in them? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Very effective
27
Somewhat effective
47
General population Not at all effective 24
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
37
Q39. How effective do you think social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are at providing opportunities to engage with others in ways that help you make decisions specifically about recreational activities and whether to participate in them? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
24 Very effective 20
Somewhat effective
45 39
29 Not at all effective 39 Hunters Target shooters 3 Don't know 3
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
38
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q40. In terms of Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites you might visit, do you engage with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Yes
19
No
80
General population
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
39
Q40. In terms of Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites you might visit, do you engage with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Yes
12
No
49
General population
N/A: Do not visit any social media sites
39
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
40
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q41. Which agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities do you engage with on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites? (Asked of those who engage with agencies, organizations, or providers of recreation on social media.)
Non-profit organization
28
Outdoor recreation club
16
School / college Multiple Responses Allowed
14
Business North Dakota Game and Fish Department Tourism / travel office
10
Note: Graph reflects subset of the 61% of North Dakota residents who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.
General population
8
State / local parks and recreation
Church
Other
10
Don't Know 0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
41
Q42. What made you decide to engage with this specific agency, organization, or provider of recreational activities or opportunities? (Asked of those who engage with agencies, organizations, or providers of recreation on social media.)
Seeking specific information (activities, special events, etc.)
45
Member of / work for / otherwise involved with agency or organization Multiple Responses Allowed
29
Have shared interests / interests in common with agency or organization
22
General population Referred by friend or family member

4
Other
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
42
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q40. In terms of Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites you might visit, do you engage with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
17 Yes 7
82 No 93
1 Don't know 0
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
43
Q40. In terms of Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites you might visit, do you engage with any specific agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
10 Yes 3
47 No 39
1 Don't know 0 Hunters Target shooters
N/A: Do not visit any social media sites
42 58
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
44
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q41. Which agencies, organizations, or providers of recreational activities or opportunities do you engage with on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites? (Asked of those who engage with agencies, organizations, or providers of recreation on social media.)
North Dakota Game and Fish Department Non-profit organization
20 38
28 25
Business
16 43
Note: Graph reflects subset of the 57% of North Dakota hunters and 42% of North Dakota shooters who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.
Outdoor recreation club

8 0
12 13
School / college
State / local parks and recreation
4 0
Other
4 13
Don't know
8 0
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
45
Q42. What made you decide to engage with this specific agency, organization, or provider of recreational activities or opportunities? (Asked of those who engage with agencies, organizations, or providers of recreation on social media.)
Seeking specific information (activities, special events, etc.)
40 25
Have shared interests / interests in common with agency or organization
16 57
Member of / work for / otherwise involved with agency or organization
16 0
Site is aesthetically pleasing
4 13
Referred by friend or family member
8 0
Other
16 0
Don't know
4 13
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
46
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q44. How often do you visit social media sites to actively seek information about recreational activities in which to participate or become involved with? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Daily
Frequently
44% of North Dakota social media users visit social media sites to actively seek information about recreational activities at least sometimes.
32 General population
Sometimes
Rarely
31
Never
25
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
47
Q44. How often do you visit social media sites to actively seek information about recreational activities in which to participate or become involved with? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
1 Daily 0
12 Frequently 8
35% of hunters and 17% of shooters who use social media visit social media sites to actively seek information about recreational activities at least sometimes.
22 Sometimes 9
34 Rarely 40
32 Never 43
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
48
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q45. How often do you visit social media sites to share things with other people about recreational activities in which you participate? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Daily
Frequently
14
45% of North Dakota social media users visit social media sites to share things with other people about recreation at least sometimes.
Sometimes
Rarely
33
Never
23
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
49
Q45. How often do you visit social media sites to share things with other people about recreational activities in which you participate? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
4 Daily 10
17 Frequently 6
43% of hunters and 39% of shooters who use social media visit social media sites to share things with other people about recreation at least sometimes.
22 23 Hunters Target shooters 30
Sometimes
Rarely 11
27 Never 50
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
50
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q46. How often do you visit social media sites to organize outings or events with friends or family members? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Daily
Frequently
12
33% of North Dakota social media users visit social media sites to organize outings or events with friends or family members at least sometimes.
20
Sometimes
General population Rarely 36
Never
31
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
51
Q46. How often do you visit social media sites to organize outings or events with friends or family members? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
1 Daily 0
9 Frequently 6
31% of hunters and 18% of shooters who use social media visit social media sites to organize outings or events with friends or family members at least sometimes.
21
Sometimes 12 Hunters Target shooters 27 Rarely 28
41 Never 54
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
52
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would influence them a great deal to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota residents)
Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page
54 32 31 26 21 19 General population 14 13 10 10 10 9 8 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
53
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would influence them a great deal or a moderate amount to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota residents)
Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity
83 68 64 60 42 42 General population 39 37 34 33 31 31 30 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
54
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would influence them a great deal, a moderate amount, or a little to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota residents)
Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them
93 82 81 69 65 57 56 54 54 51 51 49 General population 48 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
55
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would not influence them at all to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota residents)
Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity
50 50 47 47 45 42 42 41 34 31 18 18 6 0 20 40 60 80 100 General population
Percent
56
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would influence them a great deal to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment
46 21 34 27 28 6 11 7 3 4 1 3 1 1 19 18
56
16 13 12
10 8 7 6 6 6 Hunters Target shooters
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
57
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would influence them a great deal or a moderate amount to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page
73 62 58 53 38 35 21 13 18 16 16 13 39 35 33 29 26 26 24 23 23 23 0 20 40 60 80 49 45 61
83
100
Percent
58
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would influence them a great deal, a moderate amount, or a little to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram
91 90 72 72 63 71
69 63 60 54 41 36 32 52 50 50 48 38 45 60
42 41 38 40 29 0 20 37 40 60 Hunters Target shooters
80
100
Percent
59
Q48-Q61. Percent who indicated that each of the following would not influence them at all to participate in a new activity or type of recreation: (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Q59. Being able to post a picture of themselves participating in the activity on a site like Facebook, Tumblr, or Instagram Q61. Automatically receiving personalized information about opportunities to participate in things based on their own likes and interests listed on their Facebook page Q60. Being able to use a site like GroupOn to get discounts on activity participation or equipment Q54. Receiving timely information via Twitter or another social media site regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q57. Being able to read blog or message board posts from friends, family members, or other participants about their experiences with the activity Q53. Being able to use Facebook, Twitter, or another social media site to reach out to friends or family members to invite them participate in the activity with them Q52. Receiving a Facebook invite from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q56. Being able to watch YouTube videos of other people participating in the activity Q55. Receiving text alerts on their mobile phone regarding how, when, or where to participate in the activity Q58. Being able to see images and pictures of friends, family members, or other people engaging in the activity before they decide to try it Q51. Receiving a text message from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q49. Receiving an email from a friend or family member to participate in the activity Q48. Receiving a phone call from a friend or family member to participate in the activity
60 58 58 54 56 51 47 48 47 44 38 38 44 27 33 27 26 28 9 8 0 20 40 60 35 59
66
64 62 56
80
100
Percent
60
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q64. Have you ever decided to participate in an activity or other event primarily because you received an invitation or reminder from a friend or family member through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Yes
55
No
44
General population
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
61
Q64. Have you ever decided to participate in an activity or other event primarily because you received an invitation or reminder from a friend or family member through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
38 Yes 24
62 No 76
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
62
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q65. What type of activity or event was it? (Asked of those who decided to participate in an activity or event because they received an invitiation or reminder through social media.)
Social event with family or friends
44
Sports event or activity
12
Fishing or hunting trip
Shopping event such as craft fair, expo, home-based business (e.g., Tupperware)
General population
Concert
Benefit
Camping
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
63
Q65. What type of activity or event was it? (Asked of those who decided to participate in an activity or event because they received an invitiation or reminder through social media.)
56 31
16 25
Fishing or hunting trip
8 23
Benefit
8 0

8
Camping
4 0
Other
0 17
Don't know
12 8
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
64
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q66. Have you ever decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity or other event primarily because you received a coupon, invitation, or reminder from a company or organization through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Yes
35
No
64
General population
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
65
Q66. Have you ever decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity or other event primarily because you received a coupon, invitation, or reminder from a company or organization through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
33 Yes 47
65 No 51
2 Don't know 2
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
66
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q67. What type of product, activity, or event was it? (Asked of those who decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity because of hearing from a company or organization through social media.)
Coupons or marketing
36
18
Fishing or hunting trip or activity Multiple Responses Allowed
Social event with family or friends Shopping event such as craft fair, expo, home-based business (e.g., Tupperware) Benefit
General population
3
Concert
Other
Don't know
29
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
67
Q67. What type of product, activity, or event was it? (Asked of those who decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity because of hearing from a company or organization through social media.)
Coupons or marketing
56 15
Fishing or hunting trip or activity
15 0
7 4
Benefit
7 0
4 4
4 0
Other
7 0
Don't know
7 74
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
68
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q68. Was the company or organization whose coupon, invitation, or reminder you received a known or trusted one with which you were familiar, or a new or unknown one with which you were unfamiliar? (Asked of those who decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity because of hearing from a company or organization through social media.)
Known, trusted company/organization
83
New, unknown company/organization
11
General population
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
69
Q68. Was the company or organization whose coupon, invitation, or reminder you received a known or trusted one with which you were familiar, or a new or unknown one with which you were unfamiliar? (Asked of those who decided to purchase a product or participate in an activity because of hearing from a company or organization through social media.)
Known, trusted company / organization
81 62
New, unknown company / organization
15 4
4 Don't know 35
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
70
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q69. In general, do you agree or disagree that you are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if you receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Strongly agree
24
Moderately agree
37
Neither agree nor disagree
General population Moderately disagree 19
Strongly disagree
14
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
71
Q70. Why do you agree that you are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if you receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who use social media and who agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive a social media reminder.)
It helps me remember
48
I can see if others I know and like are involved Information is accessible and convenient I feel special when I am invited through Facebook I am more persuaded to attend if invited through Facebook
13
13
10
General population
6
I would not know about it otherwise
Other
10
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
72
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q71. Why do you disagree that you are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if you receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who use social media and who disagree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive a social media reminder.)
I prefer to be asked in person Don't use Facebook / don't use any social media sites with invitation features It's not convenient / I don't check social media often enough It does not influence my decision one way or the other I have concerns about personal security / privacy I don't like social media I don't get invitations through Facebook Other
6
24
19
19
16
General population
Don't Know 0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
73
Q69. In general, do you agree or disagree that you are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if you receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Strongly agree
15 3
Moderately agree
39 42
6 8
Moderately disagree
16 25
Strongly disagree
21 19
Don't know
3 3
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
74
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q70. Why do you agree that you are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if you receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who use social media and who agree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive a social media reminder.)
35 48
It helps me remember
Information is accessible and convenient
18 4
I would not know about it otherwise
13 2
I can see if others I know are involved
10 6
I am more persuaded to attend if invited through Facebook I feel special when I am invited through Facebook
6 10
6 6
Other
14 21
Don't know
6 2
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
75
Q71. Why do you disagree that you are more likely to participate in an activity or other event if you receive an invitation or reminder through a social media site like Facebook? (Asked of those who use social media and who disagree that they are more likely to participate in an activity or event if they receive a social media reminder.)
Don't use Facebook / don't use any social media sites with invitation features It's not convenient / I don't check it often enough It does not influence my decision one way or the other Multiple Responses Allowed I don't like social media
4 21 11 9 11 2 2 0 0 2 6 6 4 2 19 13 15 9 33 39
I prefer to be asked in person
I don't get invitations through Facebook
It's easy to say no I have concerns about personal security / privacy Other
Don't know 0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
76
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
OWNERSHIP AND USE OF MOBILE DEVICES

The survey measured ownership of various computer and smartphone devices: large majorities of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters own personal computers and laptops, while generally no more than half of each group own smartphones or tablet devices. Among North Dakota general population residents:
o o o o o
82% own a personal computer; 70% own a laptop; 41% own a smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android; 29% own a tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Nook. A second graph following the general population results shows a breakdown of the top groups who own a smartphone. At the top of this ranking of major demographic and participatory subgroups within the general population sample are those who own a tablet device (68% of whom own a smartphone), those younger than the median age of 47 (58%), those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes (56%), those who have children under the age of 18 living in their household (56%), and those who use Facebook (56%).
Another graph shows the breakdown of major demographic and participatory subgroups within the general population sample that own a tablet device: in this analysis, the top groups include those who own a smartphone (48% of whom own a tablet device), those who have children under the age of 18 living in their household (40%), those who get information about outdoor recreation from digital or online sources (37%), those who have played hunting or shooting video games before (37%), and those who use Facebook (37%).

o o o o

o
82% own a personal computer;
77
o o o
60% own a laptop; 35% own a smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android; 19% own a tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Nook.
Smartphone owners most commonly use their smartphones to browse websites or surf the Internet, check email, for professional networking or business purposes, or to check the weather: Among North Dakota general population smartphone owners, 53% use their device to browse websites or surf the Internet, 25% check email, 13% use their device for professional networking or business purposes, and 11% check the weather. Among North Dakota hunter smartphone owners, 48% use their device to browse websites or surf the Internet, 29% check email, 11% use their device for professional networking or business purposes, and 11% check the weather. Among North Dakota shooter smartphone owners, 31% use their device to browse websites or surf the Internet, 26% check email, 11% use their device for professional networking or business purposes, and 21% check the weather.
Common uses of tablets are fairly similar to those of smartphones, with tablet owners most often mentioning browsing websites or surfing the Internet, read books or e-books, checking email, professional networking or business purposes, or playing games: Among North Dakota general population tablet owners, 43% use their device to browse websites or surf the Internet, 27% read books or e-books, 19% check email, 15% use their device for professional networking or business purposes, and 14% play games. Among North Dakota hunter tablet owners, 45% use their device to browse websites or surf the Internet, 30% check email, 18% read books or e-books, and 17% play games. Among North Dakota shooter tablet owners, 35% use their device to browse websites or surf the Internet, 28% read books or e-books, 15% check email, and 9% play games.
Substantial percentages of mobile device (i.e., smartphone or tablet) owners use their device at least sometimes to learn about opportunities to participate in new activities or types of
78
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM recreation (as before, the survey used a scale of daily, frequently, sometimes, rarely, or never): Among North Dakota general population mobile device owners, 48% use a smartphone or tablet to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes (24% say they never use their mobile device for this purpose).
o
A second graph shows the results of this question out of all North Dakota residents, including those who do not own a mobile device: in this analysis, a total of 25% use a mobile device to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes.)
Among North Dakota hunter mobile device owners, 57% use a smartphone or tablet to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes (22% say they never use their mobile device for this purpose).
o
A second graph shows the results of this question out of all North Dakota hunters, including those who do not own a mobile device: in this analysis, a total of 31% use a mobile device to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes.)
Among North Dakota shooter mobile device owners, 27% use a smartphone or tablet to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes (38% say they never use their mobile device for this purpose).
o
A second graph shows the results of this question out of all North Dakota shooters, including those who do not own a mobile device: in this analysis, a total of 11% use a mobile device to learn about recreational activities or opportunities at least sometimes.)
While only small percentages of North Dakota resident, hunter, and shooter mobile device owners currently use mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities, large majorities of each group say they would be likely to use a hypothetical free app providing automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity: Among North Dakota general population mobile device owners, 14% currently use an app related to recreational activities or opportunities. (As before, a graph of the results
79
out of all residents surveyed shows that a total of 7% of North Dakota residents use a recreational activity app.)
o
More than three-quarters of North Dakota general population mobile device owners (77%) would be likely to download and use a free app for automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity (31% are very likely to use such an app).
Among North Dakota hunter mobile device owners, 13% currently use an app related to recreational activities or opportunities. (As before, a graph of the results out of all hunters surveyed shows that a total of 7% of North Dakota hunters use a recreational activity app.)
o
Nearly three-quarters of North Dakota hunter mobile device owners (71%) would be likely to download and use a free app for automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity (34% are very likely to use such an app).
Among North Dakota shooter mobile device owners, 7% currently use an app related to recreational activities or opportunities. (As before, a graph of the results out of all shooters surveyed shows that a total of 3% of North Dakota shooters use a recreational activity app.)
o
More than three-quarters of North Dakota shooter mobile device owners (76%) would be likely to download and use a free app for automatic reminders, updates, and other information on how to participate in a preferred recreational activity (22% are very likely to use such an app).
Less than half of North Dakota resident, hunter, and shooter mobile device owners have ever used a mobile device to scan a QR (Quick Response) code anywhere, but notable percentages of each group say they would be likely to use their mobile device to scan QR codes containing information on how, when, or where to participate in a preferred recreational activity: Among North Dakota general population mobile device owners, 39% have ever used their mobile device to scan a QR code somewhere. (A graph of the results out of all
80
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM residents surveyed shows that a total of 20% of North Dakota residents have ever used their mobile device to scan a QR code somewhere.)
o
More than half of North Dakota general population mobile device owners (54%) would be likely to use their mobile device to scan QR codes containing information on how, when, or where to participate in a preferred recreational activity, with 19% being very likely.
Among North Dakota hunter mobile device owners, 34% have ever used their mobile device to scan a QR code somewhere. (A graph of the results out of all hunters surveyed shows that a total of 18% of North Dakota hunters have ever used their mobile device to scan a QR code somewhere.)
o
Almost half of North Dakota hunter mobile device owners (46%) would be likely to use their mobile device to scan QR codes containing information on how, when, or where to participate in a preferred recreational activity, with 14% being very likely.
Among North Dakota shooter mobile device owners, 21% have ever used their mobile device to scan a QR code somewhere. (A graph of the results out of all shooters surveyed shows that a total of 8% of North Dakota shooters have ever used their mobile device to scan a QR code somewhere.)
o
Similar to hunters, nearly half of North Dakota shooter mobile device owners (44%) would be likely to use their mobile device to scan QR codes containing information on how, when, or where to participate in a preferred recreational activity, although just 8% are very likely to do so.
81
Q74. Computer, smartphone, and tablet devices owned. (Among all North Dakota residents)
A personal computer
82
A laptop computer Multiple Responses Allowed
70
A smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android
41
General population
A tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Nook
29
None of these
20
40
60 Percent
80
100
82
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Percent of each of the following groups who own a smartphone:

Owns a tablet device Is younger than the median age (47) Visits social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes Has children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Uses Facebook Gets information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Is very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Has lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of years (35) Is very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has been shooting Education level is bachelor's degree or higher Has been hunting Is male Lives in a small city / town or rural area Lives in an urban or suburban area Did not indicate being very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Is female Education level is less than a bachelor's degree Does not have children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Did not indicate being very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Does not get information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Has lived in North Dakota for the median number of years (35) or more Does not own a tablet device Has never been shooting Has never been hunting Is the median age (47) or older Does not use Facebook Visits social media sites rarely or never
68 58 56 56 56 53 53 53 48 47 47 46 45 41 39 38 37 36 33 32 31 31 30 28 28 25 25 25 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
83
Percent of each of the following groups who own a tablet device:

Owns a smartphone Has children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Gets information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Has played hunting or shooting video games Uses Facebook Education level is bachelor's degree or higher Visits social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes Is younger than the median age (47) Is very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Has lived in North Dakota for less than the median number of years (35) Has been shooting Is male Lives in a small city / town or rural area Is very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Has been hunting Did not indicate being very interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year Is female Has never been hunting Has never played hunting or shooting video games Lives in an urban or suburban area Did not indicate being very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year Has lived in North Dakota for the median number of years (35) or more Is the median age (47) or older Education level is less than a bachelor's degree Does not have children under the age of 18 living in his / her household Has never been shooting Visits social media sites rarely or never Does not get information about outdoor recreation from digital / online sources Does not use Facebook Does not own a smartphone
48 40 37 37 37 36 35 34 33 33 32 31 31 30 30 29 28 27 26 26 26 26 24 24 23 23 23 22 21 16 0 20 40 60 80 100
Percent
84
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q74. Computer, smartphone, and tablet devices owned. (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
A personal computer
75 82
66
A laptop computer Multiple Responses Allowed

60
A smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android
51 35
A tablet, such as an iPad, Kindle Fire, or Nook
26 19
11
None of these
13
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
85
Q77. Excluding talking and texting, what are the main things you use your smartphone for? (Asked of those who own a smartphone.)
Browsing websites / surfing Internet Checking email Professional networking / business purposes Checking weather Multiple Responses Allowed Using apps Playing games Using camera / taking pictures Watching videos / watching YouTube Reading news / checking headlines Listening to music / playing mp3s / using iPod / iTunes Location-based searches Other Don't know 0
7 6 4 4 3 2 2 14 13 11 9 25
53
Note: results are among the 41% of North Dakota residents who own a smartphone.
General population
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
86
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q77. Excluding talking and texting, what are the main things you use your smartphone for? (Asked of those who own a smartphone.)
48 31 29 26 11 21 11 11 8 6 3 11 5 2 4 2 3 2 2 0 2 0 13 6 7 6
Browsing websites / surfing Internet Checking email Checking weather Professional networking / business purposes Multiple Responses Allowed Using apps Playing games Using camera / taking pictures Reading news / checking headlines Location-based searches Listening to music / playing mp3s / using iPod / iTunes Watching videos / watching YouTube Other Don't know 0
Note: results are among the 51% of North Dakota hunters and 35% of North Dakota shooters who own a smartphone.
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
87
Q84. What are the main things you use your tablet for? (Asked of those who own a tablet.)
Browsing websites / surfing Internet Reading books / e-books Checking email Professional networking / business purposes Multiple Responses Allowed Playing games Listening to music / playing mp3s / using iPod / iTunes Using apps Watching videos / watching YouTube Reading news / checking headlines Checking weather Using camera / taking pictures Other Don't know 0
3 5 19 27
43
15
14
Note: results are among the 29% of North Dakota residents who own a tablet device.
General population
12
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
88
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q84. What are the main things you use your tablet for? (Asked of those who own a tablet.)
Browsing websites / surfing Internet Checking email Reading books / e-books Playing games Multiple Responses Allowed Professional networking / business purposes Watching videos / watching YouTube Using apps Listening to music / playing mp3s / using iPod / iTunes Using camera / taking pictures Checking weather Reading news / checking headlines Other Don't know 0
5 2 0 3 4 5 2 3 2 2 0 2 0 15 17
45 35 30 15 18 28 17 9 8 6 9
Note: results are among the 26% of North Dakota hunters and 19% of North Dakota shooters who own a tablet device.
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
89
Q89. How often do you use a mobile device to learn about opportunities to participate in new activities or types of recreation? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
Daily
Frequently
22
48% of North Dakota mobile device owners use a smartphone or tablet to learn about opportunities to participate in recreation at least sometimes
Sometimes
19
General population
Rarely
27
Note: results are among the 50% of North Dakota residents who own a smartphone or tablet device.
Never
24
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
90
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q89. How often do you use a mobile device to learn about opportunities to participate in new activities or types of recreation? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Daily
Frequently
11
25% of all North Dakota residents use a smartphone or tablet to learn about opportunities to participate in recreation at least sometimes
Sometimes
10
Rarely
14
Never
12
N/A: Do not own a mobile device
50
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
91
Q89. How often do you use a mobile device to learn about opportunities to participate in new activities or types of recreation? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
12 Daily 9
22 Frequently 11
57% of North Dakota hunters and 27% of North Dakota shooters who own a mobile device use their smartphone or tablet to learn about opportunities to participate in recreation at least sometimes
23 Sometimes 7
21 Rarely 35
Note: results are among the 55% of North Dakota hunters and 41% of North Dakota shooters who own a smartphone or tablet device.
22 Never 38
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
92
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q89. How often do you use a mobile device to learn about opportunities to participate in new activities or types of recreation? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
6 Daily 4
12 Frequently 4
31% of all North Dakota hunters and 11% of all North Dakota shooters use a smartphone or tablet to learn about opportunities to participate in recreation at least sometimes
13 Sometimes 3
11 Rarely 14
12 Never 16
45 59
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
93
Q90. Do you currently use any mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
Yes
14
No
85
General population
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
94
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q90. Do you currently use any mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Yes
No
43
General population
50
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
95
Q92. If a free app were available for download that provided automatic reminders, updates, and other information regarding how, when, or where to participate in one of your preferred recreational activities, how likely would you be to download and use it? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
Very likely
31
Somewhat likely
46
General population Not at all likely 22
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
96
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q90. Do you currently use any mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
13 Yes 7
86 No 92
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
97
Q90. Do you currently use any mobile apps related to recreational activities or opportunities? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
7 Yes 3
47 No 38
45 N/A: Do not own a mobile device 59
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
98
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q92. If a free app were available for download that provided automatic reminders, updates, and other information regarding how, when, or where to participate in one of your preferred recreational activities, how likely would you be to download and use it? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
34 Very likely 22
37 Somewhat likely 54
29 Not at all likely 25
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
99
Q93. Have you ever used a mobile device to scan a QR code anywhere? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
Yes
39
General population
No
61
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
100
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q93. Have you ever used a mobile device to scan a QR code anywhere? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Yes
20
No
31
General population
50
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
101
Q94. Assuming your mobile device was able to scan QR codes, how likely would you be to use your mobile device to scan QR codes that contained information on how, when, or where to participate in one of your preferred recreational activities? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
Very likely
19
Somewhat likely
35
General population
Not at all likely
45
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
102
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q93. Have you ever used a mobile device to scan a QR code anywhere? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
34 Yes 21
66 No 79
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
103
Q93. Have you ever used a mobile device to scan a QR code anywhere? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
18 Yes 8
36 No 32
45 N/A: Do not own a mobile device 59
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
104
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q94. Assuming your mobile device was able to scan QR codes, how likely would you be to use your mobile device to scan QR codes that contained information on how, when, or where to participate in one of your preferred recreational activities? (Asked of those who own a smartphone or tablet.)
14 Very likely 8
32 Somewhat likely 36
53 Not at all likely 55
1 Don't know 1
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
105
GENERAL RECREATIONAL PREFERENCES

In a question regarding preference for indoor recreational activities, outdoor recreational activities, or both types about equally, North Dakota general population residents are split between preferring outdoor activities (46%) and both types about equally (46%). Just 8% say they generally prefer indoor recreational activities. On the other hand, majorities of both hunters (64%) and shooters (62%) express a preference for outdoor activities, while about a third of each group (34% of hunters and 33% of shooters) say they enjoy both indoor and outdoor activities about equally.
Hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities top the lists of recreational activities in which residents, hunters, and shooters most enjoy participating: Among general population residents, the most preferred activities include fishing (37% say they most enjoy participating in this), hunting (36%), walking/jogging/running (19%), camping (13%), boating (11%), and watching television or movies (10%). Among North Dakota hunters, the top activities are hunting (81%), fishing (59%), camping (15%), boating (10%), and watching television or movies (10%). Among North Dakota shooters, the most preferred activities are hunting (62%), fishing (55%), camping (12%), boating (12%), and golf (10%).
Most North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters say they are interested in participating in new recreational activities that they have never tried, although they more often say they are somewhat interested, rather than very interested: Among North Dakota general population residents, about three-quarters (74%) are interested in trying new recreational activities, with 15% very interested. Meanwhile, 26% say they are not at all interested in doing so. Among North Dakota hunters, two-thirds (66%) are interested in trying new recreational activities, with 13% very interested. At the same time, a third (33%) are not at all interested. Among North Dakota shooters, almost two-thirds (63%) are interested in trying new activities, although just 7% say they are very interested. However, over a third (36%) are not at all interested in doing so.
106
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
The survey asked respondents to rate on a scale of 0 to 10 the importance of three different factors in helping them to decide whether to participate in a new activity: that the respondent thought that they would personally enjoy the activity, that friends invite the respondent to participate and encourage their involvement, and that family invite the respondent to participate and encourage their involvement. Among members of the general population and hunters, the item with the highest mean rating of importance is that family invite them to participate and encourage their involvement (among general population residents, this item receives a mean rating of 7.45; among hunters, the mean rating is 6.93). By contrast, the item with the highest mean rating of importance among shooters is that the respondent himself or herself thought that they would personally enjoy the activity (in the latter group, this item receives a mean rating of 7.19). Meanwhile, for all three groups, the item with the lowest mean rating of importance is that friends invite the respondent to participate and encourage their involvement.
107
Q95. In terms of recreational activities you enjoy doing in your free time, do you generally prefer indoor activities, outdoor activities, or both about equally? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Indoor activities
Outdoor activities
46
General population
Both about equally
46
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
108
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q95. In terms of recreational activities you enjoy doing in your free time, do you generally prefer indoor activities, outdoor activities, or both about equally? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
2 Indoor activities 5
64 Outdoor activities 62
Hunters Target shooters 34 Both about equally 33
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
109
Q98. Specifically, what recreational activities do you enjoy participating in most? (Among all North Dakota residents) (Part 1)
Fishing Hunting Walking / jogging / running Camping Boating Watching TV / watching movies Reading
37 36 19 13 11 10 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3
Hiking / trail use for physical fitness Biking / mountain biking Team sports Gardening Golf Relaxing Winter sports (cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling) Swimming in pools / natural waters Artistic activities Motorsports (ATVs, motorcycles) Equestrian activities Target shooting Weightlifting / working out / strength training Cooking
General population
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
110
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q98. Specifically, what recreational activities do you enjoy participating in most? (Among all North Dakota residents) (Part 2)
Listening to music Knitting / sewing / crocheting Video games / computer games Playing cards Spectating at sports events
2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1
Picnicking / BBQing / cooking out Outdoor or wildlife photography Attending special events (festivals, concerts) Other watersports (waterskiing, kayaking, jetskiing) Pool / billiards / table tennis / ping pong / foosball / darts Playing on the computer / Internet surfing / Web browsing Playing board games, completing puzzles Bowling Other None; do not participate in any recreational activities Don't know
General population
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
111
Q98. Specifically, what recreational activities do you enjoy participating in most? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters) (Part 1)
Hunting Fishing Camping Boating Watching TV / watching movies Walking / jogging / running 7 15 12 10 12 10 62 59 55 81
8 8 6 10
Golf Hiking / trail use for physical fitness Team sports Target shooting Relaxing Reading Gardening Biking / mountain biking Spectating at sports events Winter sports (cross country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling) Playing on the computer / Internet surfing / Web browsing Attending special events (festivals, concerts) Motorsports (ATVs, motorcycles) 1
7 8 5 7 7
4 4 2 6
4 4 3 4 0 3 3 0 0 4 4 6
1 2
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
112
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q98. Specifically, what recreational activities do you enjoy participating in most? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters) (Part 2)
2 1 2 1 0 2 2 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 0
Equestrian activities Swimming in pools / natural waters Playing cards Cooking Weightlifting / working out / strength training Video games / computer games
Knitting / sewing / crocheting Picnicking / BBQing / cooking out Outdoor or wildlife photography Pool / billiards / table tennis / ping pong / foosball / darts Artistic activities Other watersports (waterskiing, kayaking, jetskiing) Tennis Bowling Working in or around the home Other None; do not participate in any recreational activities Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
113
Q103. In general, how interested are you in participating in new recreational activities that you've never tried before? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Very interested
15
Somewhat interested
59
General population
Not at all interested
26
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
114
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q103. In general, how interested are you in participating in new recreational activities that you've never tried before? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
13 Very interested 7
Somewhat interested
53 56
Don't know 1
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
115
Q106-Q108. On a scale of 0 - 10 where 0 is not at all important and 10 is extremely important, the mean rating of importance of each of the following in helping respondents decide whether to participate in a new activity in which they have never participated: (Among all North Dakota residents)
Q108. That family members invite you to participate and encourage your involvement
7.45
Q106. That they think they might personally enjoy the activity
7.40
General population
Q107. That friends invite them to participate and encourage their involvement
6.90
4 Mean
10
116
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q106-Q108. On a scale of 0 - 10 where 0 is not at all important and 10 is extremely important, the mean rating of importance of each of the following in helping respondents decide whether or not to participate in a new activity in which they have never participated: (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Q108. That family members invite you to participate and encourage your involvement
6.93 7.12
Q106. That they think they might personally enjoy the activity
6.91 7.19 Hunters Target shooters
Q107. That friends invite them to participate and encourage their involvement
6.65 6.58
4 Means
10
117
ATTITUDES TOWARD AGENCY USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN PROMOTING RECREATION

Overwhelming majorities of North Dakota general population residents, hunters, and shooters agree that receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media would encourage them to gain knowledge about the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities more often: Among general population residents, 71% agree, with 39% strongly agreeing. Meanwhile, 21% disagree, with 10% in strong disagreement. Among hunters, 74% agree, with 34% strongly agreeing (20% disagree, with 10% strongly disagreeing). Among shooters, two-thirds (67%) agree, with a quarter (24%) strongly agreeing. At the same time, 27% disagree, with 15% in strong disagreement.
Similar to the above, strong majorities of all three respondent groups would look for information from the Department at least as often as they do now if the Department were to offer information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube: Among general population residents, 38% would look for information more often than they do now, while a further 43% would look about as often as they do now. On the other hand, 16% say they would look for information less often than they do now. Among hunters, 36% would look for information more often than they do now, while a further 36% would look about as often as they do now. At the same time, 19% say they would look for information less often than they do now. Among shooters, 20% would look for information more often than they do now, while 68% would look about as often as they do now. However, 8% say they would look for information less often than they do now.
Substantial percentages of residents, hunters, and shooters are interested in receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube:
118
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM Among general population residents, 60% are interested in receiving information from the Department through social media, with 21% very interested (38% say they are not at all interested in receiving information in this way).
Among hunters, 55% are interested in receiving information from the Department through social media, with 26% very interested. Just under half (42%) are not at all interested.
Shooters express the least amount of interest in receiving information from the Department through social media: 45% are interested, with just 16% very interested; meanwhile, more than half (55%) say they are not at all interested.
119
Q110. Do you agree or disagree that receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media would encourage you to gain knowledge about the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities more often? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Strongly agree
39
Moderately agree
32
Moderately disagree
11
Strongly disagree
10
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
120
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q110. Do you agree or disagree that receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media would encourage you to gain knowledge about the outdoors and participate in outdoor activities more often? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Strongly agree
34 24
Moderately agree
40 43
6 4
Moderately disagree
10 12 Hunters Target shooters
Strongly disagree
10 15
Don't know
1 2
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
121
Q111. If the North Dakota Game and Fish Department were to offer information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, would you look for information from the Department more often than you do now, about as often as you do now, or less often than you do now? (Among all North Dakota residents)
More often
38
About as often as now
43
General population
Less often
16
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
122
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q111. If the North Dakota Game and Fish Department were to offer information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, would you look for information from the Department more often than you do now, about as often as you do now, or less often than you do now? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
36 More often 20
About as often as now
36 68
19 Less often 8 Hunters Target shooters
9 Don't know 4
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
123
Q112. Are you very interested, somewhat interested, or not at all interested in receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Very interested
21
Somewhat interested
39
General population Not at all interested
38
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
124
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q112. Are you very interested, somewhat interested, or not at all interested in receiving North Dakota Game and Fish Department information about special events, opening dates, and other activities through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Somewhat interested
42 55
3 Don't know 1
20
40
Percent
60
80
100
125
ATTITUDES TOWARD HUNTING AND SHOOTING

Support for hunting among all three groups of respondents is quite strong: 87% of North Dakota residents, 91% of hunters, and 89% of shooters support legal, regulated hunting, with most expressing strong, rather than moderate, support. Among North Dakota general population residents:
o
60% are interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, with 44% very interested.
o
A crosstabulation of the question comparing those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes with those who visit social media sites rarely or never found that those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes are more likely to be somewhat interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year (p < 0.01).
Similarly, a crosstabulation comparing general population residents who use Facebook with those who do not found that those who use Facebook are more likely to be somewhat interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year (p < 0.05).
Those who indicated being interested in going hunting but who had not done so previously were asked if anything had prevented them from going hunting: while most of these respondents said that nothing had prevented them from going, lack of time and age/health reasons for two fairly common answers.
Those who said they were not at all interested in going hunting were asked if anything would make them more interested in going hunting in North Dakota: among the 8% who said that something would make them more interested in hunting, having someone to go with, better health, and more access were the top answers.
Among North Dakota hunters, 95% are interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, with 89% very interested. Among North Dakota shooters, 78% are interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, with 62% being very interested.
126
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
As with hunting, support for legal target shooting is nearly universal among all three groups of respondents: 91% of North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters support legal target shooting. Again, most support is strong. Among North Dakota general population residents:
o
59% are interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year, with 34% very interested.
o
A crosstabulation of the question comparing those who visit social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes with those who visit social media sites rarely or never found that residents who visit social media sites rarely or never are more likely to be not at all interested in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year (p < 0.05).
A crosstabulation comparing general population residents who use Facebook with those who do not found no significant differences in responses to this question.
Those who indicated being interested in going target shooting but who had not done so previously were asked if anything had prevented them from going: again, most of these respondents said that nothing had prevented them from going; however, lack of time was the next most common response.
Those who said they were not at all interested in going target shooting were asked if anything would make them more interested in going: among the 12% who said that something would make them more interested in target shooting, having someone to go with and better health were again the top answers.
Among North Dakota hunters, 79% are interested in going target shooting in the state in the next year, with 47% very interested. Among North Dakota shooters, 68% are interested in going target shooting in the state in the next year, with a third (33%) very interested.
North Dakota residents, hunters, and shooters most commonly say that there are too few public shooting ranges in the state, rather than too many or about the right amount: Among general population residents, 43% say that there are too few public shooting ranges, 23% say there are about the right amount, and 34% are unsure.
127
Among hunters, 56% say that there are too few public shooting ranges, 25% say there are about the right amount, and 16% are unsure. Among shooters, 41% say that there are too few public shooting ranges, 25% say there are about the right amount, and 34% are unsure.
128
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q113. In general, do you support or oppose legal, regulated hunting? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Strongly support
62
Moderately support
25
Neither support nor oppose
Moderately oppose
Strongly oppose
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
129
Q113. In general, do you support or oppose legal, regulated hunting? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
75 Strongly support 70
Moderately support
16 19
Moderately oppose
3 2
2 Strongly oppose 2
1 Don't know 5
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
130
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q115. How interested are you in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Very interested
44
Somewhat interested
16
General population
39
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
131
Q115. How interested are you in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among North Dakota general population residents)
Somewhat interested
20 13
36 Not at all interested 42 Visits social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes Visits social media sites rarely or never 0 Don't know 2
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
132
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q115. How interested are you in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among North Dakota general population residents)
Somewhat interested
19 13
37 Not at all interested 41
Uses Facebook Does not use Facebook 0 Don't know 2
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
133
Q118. Is there anything that has prevented you from going hunting? (Asked of those who indicated being somewhat or very interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year, but who have not been hunting.)
No; nothing has prevented me from going hunting Lack of time (nonspecific) Lack of time (family obligations) Age / health reasons Weather
46 11 9 8 6 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
No one to hunt with Lack of time (work obligations) I do not have a license Lack of access / nowhere to hunt / can't find hunting lands I have a license but did not get drawn for a tag Lack of knowledge Costs of equipment / firearms Cost of licenses Safety concerns I have not taken the hunter safety course Complicated regulations / difficulty understanding Have to travel too far
General population
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
134
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q120. Is there anything that would make you more interested in going hunting in North Dakota? (Asked of those who indicated being not at all interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year.)
Yes
No
91
General population
Don't know
Less than 1%
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
135
Q121. What would make you more interested in going hunting in North Dakota? (Asked of those who indicated that something would make them more interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year.)
Someone to go with
38
Better health Multiple Responses Allowed
22
More access
15
General population More time

9
Other
13
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
136
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q115. How interested are you in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
6 Somewhat interested 16
Hunters Target shooters 4 Not at all interested 22
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
137
Q122. In general, do you support or oppose legal target shooting? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Strongly support
65
Moderately support
26
Moderately oppose
Strongly oppose
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
138
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q122. In general, do you support or oppose legal target shooting? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
71 Strongly support 73
Moderately support
20 18
4 4
Moderately oppose
Strongly oppose 0
3 Don't know 4
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
139
Q124. How interested are you in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Very interested
34
Somewhat interested
25
General population
39
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
140
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q124. How interested are you in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among North Dakota general population residents)
Somewhat interested
27 24 Visits social media sites daily, frequently, or sometimes Visits social media sites rarely or never 43
36 Not at all interested
2 Don't know 1
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
141
Q124. How interested are you in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among North Dakota general population residents)
Somewhat interested
25 25
37 Not at all interested 42 Uses Facebook Does not use Facebook 2 Don't know 1
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
142
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q127. Is there anything that has prevented you from going target shooting? (Asked of those who indicated being somewhat or very interested in going shooting in North Dakota in the next year, but who have not been shooting.)
No; nothing has prevented me from going target shooting Lack of time Lack of ranges / areas in which to shoot Multiple Responses Allowed Lack of time Age / health reasons Lack of time Weather No one to shoot with Costs of equipment / firearms / ammunition / range fees Have to travel too far Don't have equipment 0
5 14
60
General population
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
143
Q129. Is there anything that would make you more interested in going target shooting in North Dakota? (Asked of those who indicated being not at all interested in going shooting in North Dakota in the next year.)
Yes
12
No
87
General population
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
144
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q130. What would make you more interested in going target shooting in North Dakota? (Asked of those who indicated that something would make them more interested in going hunting in North Dakota in the next year.)
Someone to go with
51
Better health Multiple Responses Allowed
15
More time
General population More access
Other
25
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
145
Q124. How interested are you in going target shooting in North Dakota in the next year? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Somewhat interested
32 35
1 Don't know 1
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
146
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q131. To the best of your knowledge, would you say there are too many, about the right amount, or too few public shooting ranges in North Dakota? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Too many
About the right amount
23
General population
Too few
43
Don't know
34
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
147
Q131. To the best of your knowledge, would you say there are too many, about the right amount, or too few public shooting ranges in North Dakota? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
2 Too many 0
About the right amount
25 25
56 Too few 41 Hunters Target shooters 16 Don't know 34
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
148
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
OPINIONS ON HUNTING AND SHOOTING VIDEO GAMES

The survey explored propensity for video games, particularly video games involving or focused on hunting or shooting activities. In general, no more than about a quarter of residents, hunters, or shooters play video games at least sometimes. However, hunting and shooting games do appear to be fairly commonly played by regular video game players: Among North Dakota general population residents:
o
Around a quarter (27%) play video games at least sometimes, while 55% say they never play video games.
Among video game players, 45% currently play or have played hunting video games, while 31% currently play or have played shooting video games. The most common hunting- and shooting-related video games include various Cabelas games, Call of Duty, and Buck Hunter.
General population residents who play hunting video games are fairly split regarding whether such games make them more interested in actually going hunting: 54% agree that the games increase their interest in the actual sport, while 37% disagree; 10% neither agree nor disagree or are unsure. By far, the most common reason for disagreeing is that the respondents interest is only in video games, and not the actual activity.
There is slightly more agreement that shooting-related video games increase interest in the actual activity: 57% of residents who play shooting-related video games agree that such games make them more interested in actually going shooting, while 33% disagree (10% are again unsure or neither agree nor disagree). The most common reasons for disagreeing are that the respondents interest is only in video games, not the actual activity, or that the respondent has no interest in shooting an actual firearm.

o
Nearly a fifth (18%) play video games at least sometimes, while 56% say they never play video games.
Among video game players, 50% currently play or have played hunting video games, and 47% currently play or have played shooting video games. As before, the most common hunting- and shooting-related video games include various Cabelas games, Call of Duty, and Buck Hunter.
149
52% of hunters who play hunting-related video games agree that the games increase their interest in the actual sport; at the same time, 32% disagree, and 17% neither agree nor disagree or are unsure. As before, a common reason for disagreeing is that the respondents interest is only in video games, and not the actual activity (note that a substantial percentage of those who disagree were unsure of a specific reason for their disagreement).
While 41% of hunters who play shooting-related video games agree that such games make them more interested in actually going shooting, 49% disagree (10% are unsure or neither agree nor disagree). Once again, the most common reason for disagreeing is that the respondents interest is only in video games, not the actual activity.

o
15% play video games at least sometimes, while 64% say they never play video games.
Among video game players, 55% currently play or have played hunting video games, and 25% currently play or have played shooting video games. (Cabelas games, Call of Duty, and Buck Hunter remain the most common games.)
A third of shooters who play hunting-related video games (33%) agree that the games increase their interest in the actual sport; at the same time, 38% disagree, and 29% neither agree nor disagree or are unsure. The most common reasons for disagreeing are that the respondents interest is only in video games or that video games are more fun; note that, as with hunters, a substantial percentage of shooters who disagree were unsure of a specific reason for their disagreement.
Shooters who play video games most commonly disagree that such games make them more interested in actually going shooting: 67% are in disagreement, with just 29% agreeing and 5% neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Among those who disagree, the unanimous reason is that the respondents interest is only in video games, not the actual activity.
150
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q132. How often do you play video games, either on a console in your home or on a personal computer? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Daily
Frequently
27% of North Dakota residents play video games at least sometimes
Sometimes
12
General population
Rarely
19
Never
55
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
151
Q135/138. Do you currently play or have you ever played any video games focused on or related to hunting or shooting, such as Buck Hunter or Call of Duty? (Asked of those who indicated playing video games daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Yes - currently play or have ever played hunting video games
45
Note: results are among the 46% of North Dakota residents who play video games daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.
Yes - currently play or have ever played shooting video games
31
General population
No
42
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
152
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q139. Which hunting- or shooting-related video games have you played? (Asked of those who have played hunting- or shooting-related video games.)
Cabela's hunting game (e.g., Big Game Hunter, Outdoor Adventures)
34
Call of Duty
31
Note: graph reflects a subset of the 46% of North Dakota residents who play video games.
Buck Hunter
18
General population
Duck Hunt
Other hunting game
Halo
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
153
Q140. Do you agree or disagree that playing hunting-related video games makes you more interested in actually going hunting? (Asked of those who have played hunting-related video games.)
Strongly agree
28
Moderately agree
26
Moderately disagree
18
Strongly disagree
19
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
154
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q143. Why do you disagree that playing huntingrelated video games makes you more interested in actually going hunting? (Asked of those who disagree that playing hunting-related video games makes them more interested in actually going hunting.)
Interest is only in video games, not actual activities
52
No interest in killing anything
11
No interest in shooting an actual firearm Multiple Responses Allowed
Real hunting is more expensive
Real hunting is dangerous
General population
Video games are more fun
Not allowed to hunt / spouse, parent, or guardian won't let respondent go
Other
Don't know
18
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
155
Q145. Do you agree or disagree that playing shooting-related video games makes you more interested in actually going target shooting? (Asked of those who have played shooting-related video games.)
Strongly agree
36
Moderately agree
21
Moderately disagree
17
Strongly disagree
16
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
156
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q148. Why do you disagree that playing shootingrelated video games makes you more interested in actually going target shooting? (Asked of those who disagree that playing shooting-related video games makes them more interested in actually going shooting.)
Interest is only in video games, not actual activities No interest in shooting an actual firearm Multiple Responses Allowed No time to actually go shooting Real shooting is more expensive Video games are more fun Real shooting is dangerous
3 25
60
General population
1
Other
Don't know
21
20
40
60 Percent
80
100
157
Q132. How often do you play video games, either on a console in your home or on a personal computer? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Daily
4 6
Frequently
4 2
18% of North Dakota hunters and 15% of North Dakota shooters play video games at least sometimes 10 7
Sometimes
Rarely
25 20
Never
56 64
Don't know
1 1
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
158
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q135/138. Do you currently play or have you ever played any video games focused on or related to hunting or shooting, such as Buck Hunter or Call of Duty? (Asked of those who indicated playing video games daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.)
Yes - currently play or have ever played hunting video games Multiple Responses Allowed
50
55
Yes - currently play or have ever played shooting video games
47
25
Note: results are among the 43% of North Dakota hunters and 35% of North Dakota shooters who play video games daily, frequently, sometimes, or rarely.
Hunters
29
Target shooters
No
30
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
159
Q139. Which hunting- or shooting-related video games have you played? (Asked of those who have played hunting- or shooting-related video games.)
Cabela's hunting game
29 43
Call of Duty
39 18
Buck Hunter Multiple Responses Allowed
15 28
Other hunting game
4 7
Note: graph reflects a subset of the 43% of North Dakota hunters and 35% of North Dakota shooters who play video games.
Duck Hunt
8 0
Halo
3 0
Other
1 0
Don't know
11 5
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
160
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q140. Do you agree or disagree that playing hunting-related video games makes you more interested in actually going hunting? (Asked of those who have played hunting-related video games.)
22 10
Strongly agree
Moderately agree
30 23
11 27
Moderately disagree
15 25
Strongly disagree
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
161
Q143. Why do you disagree that playing huntingrelated video games makes you more interested in actually going hunting? (Asked of those who disagree that playing hunting-related video games makes them more interested in actually going hunting.)
Interest is only in video games, not actual activities Video games are more fun Multiple Responses Allowed
6 17 47 44
Real hunting is dangerous
6 5
Real hunting is more expensive No time to actually go hunting No interest in killing anything
6 0
6 0
0 5
Other
6 6
Don't know
24 26
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
162
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q145. Do you agree or disagree that playing shooting-related video games makes you more interested in actually going target shooting? (Asked of those who have played shooting-related video games.)
12 5
Strongly agree
Moderately agree
29 24
6 5
Moderately disagree
24 57
Strongly disagree
25 10
4 Don't know 0
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
163
Q148. Why do you disagree that playing shootingrelated video games makes you more interested in actually going target shooting? (Asked of those who disagree that playing shooting-related video games makes them more interested in actually going shooting.)
Interest is only in video games, not actual activities
64 100
Real shooting is dangerous Multiple Responses Allowed
12 0
Real shooting is more expensive
4 0
No time to actually go shooting
4 0

8
Other
Don't know
8 0
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
164
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
A graph shows the mean and median number of years lived in North Dakota among respondents: Among general population residents, the mean number of years lived in the state was 38.32, while the median was 35. Among hunters, the mean was 37.69, the median 37. Among shooters, the mean was 42.05, the median 44.
o
Respondents who said they had lived in North Dakota for less than 10 years were asked whether the recent oil boom had been a major reason, minor reason, or not a reason at all for their move to the state: while only 11% of general population residents indicated that the oil boom was a reason for their move, 32% of hunters and 39% of shooters who had lived in North Dakota for less than 10 years said that the oil boom had been a major reason for their move to the state.
Residence categories of respondents are shown, with small cities or towns and rural areas being fairly prevalent.
Regarding education levels, 40% of the general population sample, 35% of the hunter sample, and 33% of the shooter sample had completed a bachelors degree or higher.
Income and ethnic background categories are shown. Around a third of general population residents, hunters, and shooters said they had children under the age of 18 living in their household.
The general population resident mean age was 45.50 years, while the median was 47; mean age of hunters was 44.12 years, the median 42.5; mean age of shooters was 50.16 years, and the median was 50.5.
The general population gender split was even, while most hunter and shooter respondents to the survey were males.
165
Q151. How many years have you lived in North Dakota? (Among all North Dakota residents)
More than 50 years 46-50 years 7
31
41-45 years
36-40 years
31-35 years
13
26-30 years
21-25 years
11
General population
16-20 years
9 Mean = 38.32 Median = 35
11-15 years
6-10 years
5 years or less
Refused 0
1 20 40 Percent 60 80 100
166
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q151. How many years have you lived in North Dakota? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
More than 50 years 46-50 years 41-45 years 36-40 years 31-35 years 26-30 years 21-25 years 16-20 years 11-15 years 6-10 years 5 years or less Don't know Refused 0 5 6 8 3 6 13 13 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 8 Hunters Target shooters 10 Hunters: Mean = 37.69 Median = 37 Target shooters: Mean = 42.05 Median = 44 10 10 10 26
36
0 1 1
2 3 20 40 Percent 60 80 100
167
Q154. Was North Dakota's recent oil boom a major reason, a minor reason, or not a reason at all for your move to the state? (Asked of those who have been a North Dakota resident for less than 10 years.)
Major reason
Minor reason
General population
Not a reason at all
85
Don't know
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
168
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q154. Was North Dakota's recent oil boom a major reason, a minor reason, or not a reason at all for your move to the state? (Asked of those who have been a North Dakota resident for less than 10 years.)
32 Major reason 39
5 Minor reason 0
59 Not a reason at all 48
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
169
Q155. Do you consider your place of residence to be a large city or urban area, a suburban area, a small city or town, a rural area on a farm or ranch, or a rural area NOT on a farm or ranch? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Large city or urban area
27
Suburban area
Small city or town
Rural area on a farm or ranch
24
Rural area NOT on a farm or ranch
11
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
170
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q155. Do you consider your place of residence to be a large city or urban area, a suburban area, a small city or town, a rural area on a farm or ranch, or a rural area NOT on a farm or ranch? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Large city or urban area
30 18
Suburban area
3 3
Small city or town
33 38
Rural area on a farm or ranch
19 33
Rural area NOT on a farm or ranch
13 5
Don't know
Refused
1 2 0 20 40 Percent 60 80 100
171
Q156. What is the highest level of education you have completed? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Not a high school graduate High school graduate or equivalent Some college or trade school, no degree Associate's or trade school degree Bachelor's degree
22
21
15
General population 29
Master's degree
Professional or doctorate degree
Don't know
Refused
20
40
60 Percent
80
100
172
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q156. What is the highest level of education you have completed? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Not a high school graduate High school graduate or equivalent Some college or trade school, no degree Associate's or trade school degree Bachelor's degree
3 3 24 29 22 16 13 16 29 21 4 10 2 2 0 1 3 2 0 20 40 Percent 60 80 100
Master's degree
Professional or doctorate degree
Don't know
Refused
173
Q157. Which of these categories best describes your total household income before taxes last year? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Under $20,000
$20,000-$39,999
12
$40,000-$59,999
12
$60,000-$79,999
12
$80,000-$99,999
13
General population
$100,000$119,999
$120,000 or more
15
Don't know
Refused
19
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
174
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q157. Which of these categories best describes your total household income before taxes last year? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
Under $20,000 4 2 14 8 18 10 15 14 11 8 6 6 13 18 4 6 16 26 0 20 40 60 80 100 Hunters Target shooters
$20,000-$39,999
$40,000-$59,999
$60,000-$79,999
$80,000-$99,999
$100,000$119,999
$120,000 or more
Don't know
Refused
Percent
175
Q158. Do you consider yourself to be of Hispanic or Latino origin? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Yes
Less than 1% 0
No
98
General population Don't know Less than 1% 0
Refused
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
176
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q158. Do you consider yourself to be of Hispanic or Latino origin? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
1 Yes 4
96 No 93
0 Don't know 1
2 Refused 2
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
177
Q161. What races or ethnic backgrounds do you consider yourself? Please mention all that apply. (Among all North Dakota residents)
White or Caucasian
96
Native American or Alaskan native or Aleutian
General population
Refused
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
178
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q161. What races or ethnic backgrounds do you consider yourself? Please mention all that apply. (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
White or Caucasian
93 90
Hispanic or Latino Multiple Responses Allowed

4
Native American or Alaskan native or Aleutian
2 1
Refused
3
Don't know
2
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
179
Q163. Do you have children under the age of 18 currently living in your household? (Among all North Dakota residents)
Yes
35
General population No 64
Don't know
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
180
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q163. Do you have children under the age of 18 currently living in your household? (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
31 Yes 36
65 No 61
4 Don't know 3 Hunters Target shooters
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
181
Q164. Respondent's age. (Among all North Dakota residents)
65 years old or older
18
55-64 years old
15
45-54 years old
18
35-44 years old
14
General population
25-34 years old
17
18-24 years old
15
Mean = 45.50 Median = 47
Refused
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
182
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q164. Respondent's age. (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
65 years old or older
11 14
55-64 years old
17 22
45-54 years old
17 23
35-44 years old
16 16 Hunters: Mean = 44.12 Median = 42.5 Target Shooters: Mean = 50.16 Median = 50.5
25-34 years old
23 18
18-24 years old
11 0
Don't know
0 1
Hunters Target shooters 4 5
Refused
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
183
Q171. Respondent's gender. (Observed; not asked.) (Among all North Dakota residents)
Male
50
General population
Female
50
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
184
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Q171. Respondent's gender. (Observed; not asked.) (Among all North Dakota hunters and shooters)
84 Male 90
15 Female 10
20
40 Percent
60
80
100
185
ABOUT RESPONSIVE MANAGEMENT

Responsive Management is an internationally recognized public opinion and attitude 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.
Utilizing our in-house, full-service telephone, mail, and web-based survey center with 50 professional interviewers, we have conducted more than 1,000 telephone surveys, mail surveys, personal interviews, and focus groups, as well as numerous marketing and communication plans, needs assessments, and program evaluations.
Clients include the federal natural resource and land management agencies, most state fish and wildlife agencies, state departments of natural resources, environmental protection agencies, state park agencies, tourism boards, most of the major conservation and sportsmens organizations, and numerous private businesses. Responsive Management also collects attitude and opinion data for many of the nations top universities.
Specializing in research on public attitudes toward natural resource and outdoor recreation issues, Responsive Management has completed a wide range of projects during the past 22 years, including dozens of studies of hunters, anglers, wildlife viewers, boaters, park visitors, historic site visitors, hikers, birdwatchers, campers, and rock climbers. Responsive Management has conducted studies on endangered species; waterfowl and wetlands; and the reintroduction of large predators such as wolves, grizzly bears, and the Florida panther.
Responsive Management has assisted with research on numerous natural resource ballot initiatives and referenda and has helped agencies and organizations find alternative funding and increase their membership and donations. Additionally, Responsive Management has conducted major organizational and programmatic needs assessments to assist natural resource agencies and organizations in developing more effective programs based on a solid foundation of fact.
186
NDGFD / CAHSS / RM
Responsive Management has conducted research on public attitudes toward natural resources and outdoor recreation in almost every state in the United States, as well as in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. Responsive Management has also conducted focus groups and personal interviews with residents of the African countries of Algeria, Cameroon, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Responsive Management routinely conducts surveys in Spanish and has conducted surveys in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese and has completed numerous studies with specific target audiences, including Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, women, children, senior citizens, urban, suburban and rural residents, large landowners, and farmers.
Responsive Managements research has been upheld in U.S. District Courts; used in peer-reviewed journals; and presented at major natural resource, fish and wildlife, and outdoor recreation conferences across the world. Company research has been featured in most of the nations major media, including CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on the front pages of USA Today and The Washington Post. Responsive Managements research has also been highlighted in Newsweek magazine.
Visit the Responsive Management website at: www.responsivemanagement.com

North Dakota Residents' Use of Social Media and Its Influence On Their Hunting and Shooting Participation

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North Dakota Residents' Use of Social Media and Its Influence On Their Hunting and Shooting Participation

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NORTH DAKOTA RESIDENTS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THEIR HUNTING AND SHOOTING PARTICIPATION

North Dakota Game and Fish Department

The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports

Responsive Management National Office

iv SURVEY FINDINGS AT A GLANCE

Regarding organizing outings or events with friends or family members:

Among North Dakota hunters:

Among North Dakota shooters:

Among North Dakota hunters:

Among North Dakota shooters:

INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGY

2 TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING FACILITIES

Sampling Error Equation

Np (.25) .25 Ns (1.96 ) Np 1

GENERAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Multiple Responses Allowed

Hunters Target shooters

ATTITUDES TOWARD AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Regarding organizing outings or events with friends or family members:

51% of North Dakota residents use social media at least sometimes

Privacy or security issues

Do not have applicable account

Hunters Target shooters

Not enough patience with electronics / computers

Multiple Responses Allowed

Do not own necessary electronics / smartphone / laptop / etc.

Hunters Target shooters

Do not have applicable account

Twitter Multiple Responses Allowed

General population Pinterest

Twitter Multiple Responses Allowed

N/A: Do not visit any social media sites 0 20

Percent of each of the following groups who use Facebook:

Twitter Multiple Responses Allowed

Twitter Multiple Responses Allowed

Hunters Target shooters

N/A: Do not visit any social media sites 0 20 40

The site allows me to communicate with family and friends

The site helps me stay informed

The site is easy to use, relevant

The site allows me to look up information

The site is popular

I'm familiar with the site

Multiple Responses Allowed

The site is popular

Hunters Target shooters

Not at all effective

20 Not at all effective 24

Hunters Target shooters 3 Don't know 4

General population Not at all effective 24

29 Not at all effective 39 Hunters Target shooters 3 Don't know 3

N/A: Do not visit any social media sites

Outdoor recreation club

School / college Multiple Responses Allowed

State / local parks and recreation

Seeking specific information (activities, special events, etc.)

Have shared interests / interests in common with agency or organization

General population Referred by friend or family member

Hunters Target shooters

1 Don't know 0 Hunters Target shooters

N/A: Do not visit any social media sites

Multiple Responses Allowed

Outdoor recreation club