 |
| Posted January 31, 2002 |
| Updated USATF Masters Demographics
By Ken Stone Dr. Eric Zemper of Michigan has shared the latest version of his USATF masters demographics survey -- a project unveiled at the 2001 USATF national meeting in Mobile, Alabama. This information has potential value to those seeking to market masters as a genuine target audience with high education and lots of spendable income. USATF
MASTERS TRACK AND FIELD At the request of the USATF Masters
Track and Field Committee, a survey instrument was developed seven
years ago by Exercise Research Associates (ExRA) and administered at
the five USATF National Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships
between 1994 and 1998, and again in 2000.
The purpose of the survey is to provide
demographic data on participants in the Masters national meet to
potential championship site bidders, and for use in attracting
corporate sponsorship of the Masters track and field program.
The survey form was distributed in the athletes’ registration
packets, with a request to complete and return it to a drop-off box at
the meet venue or by mail after the completion of the meet.
A majority of the respondents chose to
mail the survey form to ExRA. In
1994, a total of 394 participants returned completed forms,
representing approximately 30% of the total number of participants in
that meet. In 1995, there were 91 respondents,
about 7% of the entries. It
is assumed that the lower response rate in 1995 was the result of many
athletes not returning the survey instrument if they had already done
so the previous year; plus, there was little emphasis on reminding
participants to complete the form at the 1995 meet.
In 1996, there were 186 respondents,
representing 20% of the entries.
The response rate in 1997 was just over 15% (183 respondents),
while in 1998 there were 195 respondents (18.4%).
In 2000 there was approximately a 17%
response rate (221 respondents).
The 1,270 respondents during the six years of this survey
represent 18% of the total entries.
In doing voluntary mail-in surveys of this nature, 20% is
generally considered a very good response rate.
Over the six years this survey has been
administered, all states have been represented, plus a small number of
individuals from nine foreign countries.
Seventy percent of the respondents were male and 30 percent
were female. Based on analysis of the responses, a
fairly consistent picture of the participants in the National Masters
Track and Field Championships has been developed.
While there continue to be year-to-year fluctuations in some
questions, which may be attributable to the area of the country where
the meet was held, the total results have become fairly stable.
The average age of the respondents is
55 years old, with 70% being married, 13% single and the remaining 17%
divorced, separated or widowed. They
have an average of 2 children, with an average of 0.5 children living
at home. Participants in the National Masters
Championships definitely tend toward the up-scale, with 84% being
college graduates (30% with masters degrees and 18% with doctorates),
and 70% with household yearly incomes of $50,000 or more (23% with
$100,000 or more). For the year 2000 participants, the
median income is in the range of $60,000 to $75,000, as it is for all
respondents over the past six years.
However, in the last two years this survey has been completed,
there has been a trend toward more Masters reporting income in the
upper income brackets. One-quarter
are retired, while the majority of the remainder are employed in
education (20%), service industry (11%) or medical fields (10%).
Eighty percent of those who are not
retired are in decision-making positions in their employment, being
business owners, managerial/administrative or professional staff. They tend to have a variety of information sources, with
two-thirds owning personal computers (the percentage owning personal
computers has risen noticeably in the last two years the survey has
been completed), 80% having access to cable TV, and having an average
of 5.2 magazine subscription per household. They
own an average of 1.5 automobiles and, in addition, over half own at
least one recreational vehicle of some type.
Over 85 percent own stocks, bonds or similar investments,
nearly 90% own their own home, and 40% own additional property for
personal use or as an investment.
These Masters athletes purchase an average of 3.1 pairs of
running shoes per year, 55% regularly consume soft drinks, 56% consume
spring or bottled water, and 46% consume alcoholic beverages. For leisure time activities,
approximately 55% of these athletes spend up to 10% of their annual
income, while 45% spend more than 10%.
They take an average of two vacations per year, spending an
average of 7.4 nights per vacation.
They eat out nine times per month, and take an average of five
airline trips per year. Approximately
one in five plans to purchase a new vehicle within the next year, with
one in eight undecided. With regard to participation in Masters
track and field, these athletes attend an average of four out-of-town
competitions per year, usually accompanied by one other individual.
About 57% use air travel to attend the Masters Championships.
Of those from outside the state where the Championships take
place, over 66% take part in local or regional vacation activities
beyond participation in the competition.
Over 30% spend more than $1,000 on their stay, with an
additional 38% spending $400 to $1,000.
In the last two years the survey has been completed, there has
been a trend toward budgeting more for this competition. Collecting demographic information on
participants in the USATF National Masters Championships continues to
prove successful, and continues to provide an interesting profile of
these athletes. The
computer software for entering, storing and analyzing the data from
the survey instrument will continue to be available for the
committee's use. This data collection and analysis package may be used for
collection of demographic data from both Indoor and Outdoor
Championships for whatever length of time the committee desires. RESULTS 1994-98, 2000
2000 (N=221)
Totals (N=1270) Gender:
Male 72.4%
70.4%
Female 27.6%
29.6% Age:
Average =
58.0
55.5 Marital Status:
Married
73.2%
70.5%
Single
9.1%
12.5%
Divorced
11.4%
11.5%
Separated 0.9%
1.0%
Widowed 5.4%
4.5% Education:
High School (non-grad.)
0.0%
0.4%
High School graduate
3.6%
4.4%
College (non-grad.)
10.9%
11.3%
College graduate
26.7%
22.2%
Graduate work (non-degree)
11.8%
13.3%
Masters Degree
28.5%
29.8%
Doctoral Degree
18.6%
18.5% Employment
Arts & Entertainment
0.0%
1.5%
Area:
Education
17.3%
19.2%
Government
5.5%
5.3%
Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism
0.5%
0.7%
Legal
2.3%
2.5%
Manufacturing
1.8%
1.9%
Medical/Dental
8.6%
9.7%
Research/Consulting
4.5%
4.9%
Retail
2.3%
2.1%
Service 11.8%
11.4%
Transportation
1.4%
0.9%
Retired 28.2%
26.3%
Engineering/Architecture
5.0%
2.7%
Banking/Accounting
2.7%
2.1%
Homemaker
2.3%
0.9%
Communications
1.8%
1.4%
Agriculture
0.5%
0.9%
Other
3.6%
3.6% Employment
Clerical/Secretarial 1.4%
1.3%
Type:
Managerial/Administrative
20.9%
16.7%
Non-Managerial Employee
4.1%
5.9%
Owner
9.1%
7.9%
Professional
26.8%
34.5%
Sales
5.5%
5.3%
Retired
28.2%
26.5%
Other
4.1%
1.7% Income:
<$20,000
2.9%
2.8%
$20,000 - $29,999
1.9%
5.5%
$30,000 - $39,999
6.7%
10.3%
$40,000 - $49,999
9.0%
11.5%
$50,000 - $59,999
15.2%
13.5%
$60,000 - $74,999
16.7%
15.5%
$75,000 - $99,999
14.8%
17.8%
>$100,000
32.9%
23.1% Number of Children
Average =
2.2
2.1 Number of Children at Home:
Average =
0.5
0.5 Number in Household:
Average =
2.3
2.3 Number accompanied to meet:
Average =
0.6
0.7 Number of out-of-town competitions
per year:
3.6
3.8 Travel to meet by: *
Auto/Recr. vehicle
30.9%
41.3%
Airline
67.3%
57.4%
Train
1.4%
1.0%
Bus
0.4%
0.3% Travel Plans: *
Competition only
53.4%
47.6%
Competition & local
17.6%
23.2%
vacation activities
Competition & regional
29.0%
29.2%
vacation activities *For these
questions, keep in mind that in 1994, 14.4% of the respondents were
from Oregon, in 1995 19.8% were from Michigan, in 1996 18.8% were from
Washington, 41.5% were from California in 1997, 3.1% were from Maine
in 1998, and 16.3% were from Oregon in 2000.
It is estimated that about 25% of the respondents were from
within one day's drive from Eugene in 1994, 35% were from within one
day's drive from East Lansing in 1995, 28.5% were from within one
day's drive of Spokane in 1996, 48.6% were within one day's drive of
San Jose in 1997, 26.2% were within a day’s drive of Orono in 1998,
and 27% were from within one day’s drive of Eugene in 2000.
2000(N=221)
Totals (N=1270) Trip Budget:*
<$200
16.1%
17.7%
$200 - $399
10.6%
14.6%
$400 - $599
16.6%
16.9%
$600 - $799
12.0%
13.1%
$800 - $999
3.2%
7.6%
$1,000 - $1,199
13.8%
10.0%
$1,200 - $1,399
7.8%
6.1%
$1,400 - $1,599
4.6%
3.5%
>$1,600
15.2%
10.5% *For this
question, keep in mind that 14.4% of the respondents were from Oregon
in 1994, 19.8% were from Michigan in 1995, 18.8% were from Washington
in 1996, in 1997 41.5% were from California, 3.1% were from Maine in
1998, and 16.3% were from Oregon in 2000. Number of airline trips per year:
Average =
5.5
4.9 Number of vacations per year:
Average =
2.0
2.0 Length of stay (in nights):
Average =
6.7
7.4 Number of times eat out per month
8.7
8.9 Number of cars owned:
Average = 1.5
1.5 Number of vans owned:
Average =
0.1
0.1 Number of pickups owned:
Average = 0.3
0.2 Number of recreational vehicles
owned:
0.1
0.1 Number of boats owned:
Average =
0.1
0.1 Number of airplanes owned:
0.0 (n=1)
0.0 (n=12) Plan to purchase new vehicle
No
67.7%
68.2% Have a personal computer: No 16.3%
33.8% Type of PC:
IBM-compatible
84.2%
76.8%
Mac system
15.8%
22.2%
Other
0.0%
1.0% Number of athletic shoe purchases per
year:
3.1
3.1 Regularly consume: Soft
drinks
45.7%
55.2%
Alcoholic beverages
48.9%
45.7%
Spring/bottled water
60.2%
56.0% Cable TV access:
84.0%
79.2% Number of magazine subscriptions:
4.7
5.2 Percent of income spent
on leisure
0 - 5%
15.9%
16.8%
6 - 10%
36.8%
38.1%
11 - 15%
19.1%
21.1%
16 - 20%
20.5%
14.2%
> 20%
7.7%
9.8% Own stocks, bonds, etc.
91.3%
87.9% Own or rent residence: Own 87.3%
88.2%
Rent
12.7%
11.8% Own additional property:
No
66.5%
60.5% Yes
- personal use
11.0%
13.7% Yes
- income/invest.
13.3%
19.8%
Yes - both
9.2%
6.0% Eric D.
Zemper, Ph.D.
|