Most Americans support hunting and fishing, national survey finds

HARRISONBURG, VA. — As the 35th Annual National Hunting and Fishing Day approaches on Sept. 23, a new nationwide survey shows hunting and fishing are supported by most Americans 18 years of age and older.

Conducted by Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Virginia, the nationwide survey found that support for hunting and fishing has remained strong over the past decade, with about three out of every four Americans approving of legal hunting and more than nine out of 10 approving of recreational fishing.

"We have been seeing public support for hunting increase in several states over the past decade, but this is the first nationwide study where we could verify that public support has increased [nationwide] over the past decade," says Mark Damian Duda, executive director of Responsive Management.

"In 1995, 73 percent of Americans approved of hunting, while in 2006, 78 percent approved of hunting," Duda says. "Support for fishing nationwide, as well as in numerous states where we have conducted studies, [also] remains very high."

Most Americans still approve of recreational fishing, although approval for fishing has decreased slightly, from 95 percent in 1995 to 93.3 percent in 2006.

The survey results reflect the opinions of randomly selected U.S. adult residents based on a scientific telephone survey of 813 Americans conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 9, 2006. The sampling error is 3.44 percentage points.

Poll data

2006 survey

Hunting

Do you approve or disapprove of legal hunting?

Fishing

Do you approve or disapprove of recreational fishing?

1995 Survey

Hunting

Do you approve or disapprove of legal hunting?

Fishing

Do you approve or disapprove of legal fishing?

Duda says more Americans are learning about the role hunting plays in wildlife management and about the amount of money hunting and fishing contributes to fish and wildlife conservation efforts. Those factors, coupled with a visible increase in deer in urban areas and the need to actively manage these deer populations, are among the reasons Duda cites for the public's continued approval of hunting.

"National Hunting and Fishing Day was officially established in 1972 to celebrate sportsmen and their role in fostering conservation and the scientific management of natural resources and wildlife," Duda says. "This year those celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day [can] celebrate at least a decade of public support for their activities"

Officials in the hunting and fishing industries are also encouraged by the public support and cite the important role that sportsmen play in a number of areas, including conservation and the economy.

"Sportsmen are essential to wildlife protection and management. Game management programs, which are funded by sportsmen's dollars, have brought back numerous wildlife species from unhealthy population levels [these species include] wild turkey, wood ducks, white-tailed deer, beaver, pronghorn antelope and Canada geese, to name a few," says Steve Williams, current president of the Wildlife Management Institute and former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"In addition, sportsmen's dollars have purchased and managed millions of acres of fish and wildlife habitat benefiting all fish and wildlife species and the public who enjoy them," Williams says.

Matt Hogan, executive vice president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, agrees.

"Public support for hunting and fishing is crucial for conservation efforts," Hogan says. "State fish and wildlife agencies have been and continue to be funded in large part by the contributions of sportsmen and women through license sales and excise tax payments on hunting and fishing equipment.

"To put it simply, without hunters and anglers, state fish and wildlife agencies would not be able to do their job conserving and managing wildlife for all Americans to enjoy."

Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sport Fishing Association, says, "Hunting and fishing have major economic impacts on the U.S. economy. According to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sportsmen and women spend more than $70 billion on hunting and fishing each year. Spreading that out across other sectors of the economy, sportfishing alone contributes $116 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

"It's gratifying to know that the American public supports activities [that have] such a strong cultural heritage."

Responsive Management is a Virginia-based public opinion polling and survey research firm specializing in natural resources, fisheries, wildlife, outdoor recreation and environmental issues. The organization has assessed public attitudes on these issues for 18 years. Surveys are conducted with scientific rigor according to the standards of the Council of American Survey Research Organizations.

For more information, visit the firm's Web site at ResponsiveManagement.com