CINCINNATI — Nine out of 10 moms surveyed nationwide said that camping is one of the best activities to strengthen family communication and bonding, in part because kids spend less time on social media while vacationing outdoors.
More than 800 moms and their kids ages six to 12 were recently surveyed by Touchstone Research on a number of vacation topics. Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts commissioned the study.
Ninety percent of moms felt that camping/glamping lead to greater family communication and bonding compared to other activities. “Respondents said that spending time together as a family and communicating face-to-face has the biggest impact, followed by spending time together cooking over a campfire and spending time away from online activities such as social media,” said Kyle Morrison, research manager at Touchstone Research.
Among moms with camping experience, 95% said family members are less likely to engage in social media or other online activities while camping/glamping compared to when at home. They cited several reasons:
Three-quarters credited the variety of camping/glamping activities, including swimming, organized games and activities, and cooking, which leave less time available for online activities.
Two-thirds said camping stimulates quality conversations between family members that overshadows the need to communicate with other people online. This, in turn, leads to better communication and feelings of connectedness between family members.
Eighty-five percent of moms who have camped before also said that camping/glamping helps their family relax more than other types of vacations. “Respondents credited the quality time spent with family, the presence of nature and the ability to unplug from distractions as the main reasons why camping/glamping helps their family relax,” Morrison said.
Nine-out-of-10 moms with camping experience said their family has made some of its best memories while camping/glamping; nearly all of them (98%) said they would recommend camping or glamping to friends and/or family members who have not yet tried it.
The survey also found that moms prefer camping over other types of vacations. Seventy percent said they are somewhat to very comfortable camping, compared with vacationing in an RV (63%) or staying in a hotel room (62%). Just more than one-third (37%) are comfortable traveling by air, with only one-in-five moms comfortable taking a cruise.
Providing children with an opportunity to learn new life skills, controlling their family’s environment and saving money on eating out were identified as top camping attributes.
Conducted in the U.S. by Touchstone Research, Inc. on behalf of Jellystone Park, the survey’s margin of error is ± 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. It was completed April 24, 2021.
