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The Economic Impact of Parks and Recreation In Illinois
— The Tip of the Iceberg

By Dr. Allen V. Sapora

Economic conditions are basic to social structure. As economic conditions change, life styles change, and the quality of life is affected. Illinois is noted for its industrial production, its massive agricultural complex, natural resources such as oil and coal, a transportation system which extends over both land and water, and a quality of life that reflects these resources. Illinois' economic status, despite the present recession, is rather awesome. The following are a few statistics that support this fact:

1. The 1981 Gross Product of the state of Illinois in current dollars was $152.9 million, and $73.8 million in constant dollars. The state ranks thirteenth among all other states in the U.S. in gross national product.

2. Illinois has consistently ranked first or second in agricultural wealth and in export of both agricultural and manufactured products. Illinois houses one of the nation's largest markets for industrial goods and services, and for consumer goods.

3. Per capita income in Illinois in 1978 was $8.903; in 1982 it was $12,162, which ranked eighth in the nation, higher than the per capita income of $11,056 for U.S. in general.

4. The 1980 Census indicates that, despite competition from the sunshine states, Illinois had a population of 11,426,518, a 2.8 percent increase from 1970 to 1980, which includes a net migration loss of 2.1 percent. It still has the second largest city in the U.S. with a population over 3 million, 66 cities with a population between 20,000 and 50,000, a rural population of 14 percent and a technically oriented farm population of 2.7 percent. The State's population is approximately 78 percent white, 14.7 percent black, and 7.3 percent other groups.

5. Illinois is the air and rail hub of the nation. It has the second largest rail system in the U.S. and the busiest commercial airport (O'Hare) in the world. It has over 7.3 million licensed motor vehicles and the third longest local and interstate network of highways in the nation.

Considering various expenditures for its products and services, the people employed and the wealth generated, what impact does the functions related to the leisure of the people have upon the economy of the State of Illinois?"

The purpose of this article is to raise a basic question that has become more relevant with the changing economy. Considering various expenditures for its products and services, the people employed and the wealth generated, what impact does the functions related to the leisure of people have upon the economy of the State of Illinois? What data do we now have about Illinois that provides some clues to the answer to this question, and what plans are under way to discover new data about the economic impact of leisure resources in the State? Leisure related expenditures have become a commodity and can be, to a certain extent, identified as a significant element of the economy of the State. This fact was abruptly brought to my attention in developing data for my recent book — Leisure Services in Hungary and Illinois: A Comparative Study.* I found I could locate only a limited amount of data in Illinois identifying the economic aspects of leisure products and services compared to the detailed economic statistics about leisure services that were readily available in Hungary.

The lack of in-depth economic data about the leisure services system in Illinois is generally recognized by park and recreation lay and professional leaders. The Illinois Association of Park Districts is initiating a study "to document the role of recreation in the State economy and to show that an investment in recreation by local, regional and state governments (and other groups) is truly an investment in life." A task force representing various groups throughout the State has been formulated by Dr. Ted Flickinger, Executive Director of the Illinois Association of Park Districts, to develop an economic study of leisure systems in Illinois. The 1980 Census and other state and local statistics provide up-to-date information previously unavailable to assess the economic impact of leisure services. These data and computer technology make possible new approaches to investigation by the task force.

Some estimates of the extent of the economic impact of park and recreation expenditures in the U.S. have been made over the past thirty years. A report prepared by the National Recreation and Park Association, and cited in Parks and Recreation Magazine, indicates that the demand for recreation and leisure opportunities is increasing in spite of the present strained economic conditions. Annual expenditures for leisure time activities in the U.S. have increased from $58 billion in 1965 to $244 billion in 1981, a 47 percent real-dollar increase. It is estimated that one out of every 15 jobs nationwide in 1979 was generated through spending for leisure pursuits. Annual expenditures are estimated to be $12 billion or more in Illinois.

It has been, and still remains, a formidable task to assess the economic impact of the expenditures of people in public; voluntary agency, private and commercial units that provide recreation and leisure time products and opportunities for people.

*MANAGING EDITORS COMMENT: Dr. Alien Sapora completed his book in 1981. All proceeds from this book have been designated for scholarship funds in the Department of Leisure Studies, U. of I. Copies are available by writing to: Stipes Publishing Co.. 1612 Chester St.. Champaign. IL 61820

Illinois Parks and Recreation    12    September/October 1983


Traditional industries are defined in terms of the amount of an item or commodity produced. Leisure service activities, however, do not easily identify themselves because the consumer may have multiple goals in some activities in which the relationship between work or production and leisure can not always be clearly identified. Thus it is difficult to assess the personal expenditures of informal groups and individuals in their pursuit of many leisure activities.

Given the above variables, significant data are now available that give some specific information about the question of the present economic impact of leisure costs and expenditures in Illinois. The data are from a variety of different reports and reflect conditions between 1978 and 1981. Many of the data reflect information reported only in five year cycles. Nevertheless, the information, not all-inclusive or completely current, points out clearly the general scope of the problem and the importance and urgent need for the more comprehensive in-depth study of the economic factors about leisure in Illinois already mentioned. The following preliminary summary of information now available discloses only the tip of the iceberg in the assessment of the impact of leisure and recreation upon the economy of Illinois.

PUBLIC TAX FUND EXPENDITURES

General information regarding the taxes expended for public park and recreation services are available. However, there remains the need for a more inclusive coordinated summary of these expenditures. Illustration 1 shows a general approach to this procedure which summarizes the major portion of public tax money expended in park and recreation services in Illinois in 1977. The total amount was $365,042.284, with specific expenditures by various agencies indicated. Illustration 2 includes a sample of the specific data obtained from one agency which indicates information about expenditures for recreation by the Illinois Department of Corrections in 1978. If one considers libraries as a leisure behavior expenditure. (certainly part of these expenditures could be so considered) the total tax expenditure in 1977 was $442,042,284.

It should be noted at this point this data includes only tax funds expended for operational costs. Fees and charges collected from participants by various public agencies include many additional expenditures. Also, and very important are the dollars expended by participants for travel, personal equipment and for entertainment that are associated

ILLUSTRATION I
MAJOR PORTION OF PUBLIC TAX MONEY EXPENDED ANNUALLY IN THE LEISURE SERVICES SYSTEM IN ILLINOIS 1977

Governmental Agency

Federal Government State of Illinois County Systems
Local Leisure Services Systems

Corps of Engineers

$3,702,715      

Shawnee National Forest

5,084,364      

Veterans Hospitals

780,000      

National Endowment for the Arts

850,000      

Land & Water Conservation (1978)

12,664,277      
Land & Water Utilization 6,711,917      

Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife

2,500,000      

Wildlife Restoration

1,934,969      

Illinois State Department of Conservation

  $90,124,4002    

State Office of Tourism

  701,161    

State Appropriation to Illinois Arts Council

  2,100,000    

State of Illinois Hospitals Recreation Therapy.

  1,853,000    

State Department of Corrections

  1,245,100    

County Forest Preserves

    $38,619,450  

County Conservation Districts

    2,462,320  

Chicago Public School Recreation

     

$ 5,000,000

Park Districts

     

180,625,230

Cities, Towns, Villages (outside Chicago)

     

7,486,262

Local Band Tax

     

597,119

Total Leisure Services Taxes

$34,228,242 $96,023,661 $41,081,770

$193,708,611

COMBINED TOTALS

     

$365,042,284

Public Libraries

     

77,784,364

TOTAL

$34,228,242 $96,023,661 $41,081,770

$271,492,975

   COMBINED TOTALS

     

$442,826,648

1The Table reflects not all but the major tax funds levied in 1977. Fees and charges collected by agencies not included; it is estimated they would be approximately an additional 30 percent.

2This figure includes and reflects Federal grant funds appropriated to the Department of Conservation.


ILLUSTRATION 2
STATE OF- ILLINOIS - PRISON AND CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS
BUDGET AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF FOR RECREATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES*
1977
Name of Prison

Budget(Dollars)

Prison Population

Professional
Recreation
staff

Stateville

145,400

2,681

8

Joliet

83,000

1,168

4

Sheridan

64,500

323

3

Dwight (Women)

13,000

270

1

Pontiac

77,900

1,997

4

Vandalia

62,000

650

3

Menard (Correctional Unit)

111,900

2,620

5

Menard

118,600

295

7

Vienna (Minimum Security)

129,600

563

7

Logan (Correctional Unit) (first year of operation)

178,000

700

10

Juvenile (9) Five have recreation
programs for those under 16 years of age.

DuPage, Illinois Youth Center

15,000

44

1

Hanna City

76,300

84

3

Joliet

66,800

107

3

St. Charles

59,200

366

2.5

Illinois Valley View

43,900

220

2

TOTALS

$1,245,100

12,088

63.5

*An example of how each item of data in Illustration 1 was obtained.

SOURCE: Runyen, Illinois Department of Corrections. 1978.


 

Illinois Parks and Recreation    13    September/October 1983


with public park and recreation agency programs. This additional data has not been assessed but does indeed have a very significant impact upon the economy of Illinois.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT VOLUNTARY AGENCIES

These groups provide a variety of leisure time, informal education programs and services depending upon the objectives of the agency. Although they are not generally referred to as recreation agencies, many of them conduct various types of recreation programs and provide leadership and facilities for people to participate during their non-work time. Most of them are registered under special corporate laws administered by the Illinois Secretary of State. Many, the exact number is unknown, operate without a legal corporate identification.

It is difficult to totally capture the scope of the leisure services of Not-For-Profit registered corporations. A study in 1971 by Illinois legislators revealed there were over 31,000 of them; by 1978 there were 41,690 Not-For-Profit agencies in Illinois, with the number increasing each year. In sampling the several thousand listed in the Chicago area, at least two-fifths (16,676) include the functions of recreation, play, camping, sports and ameliorative services to people. Similarly there are 7,825 Registered Trusts in Illinois and many of them also provide grants of funds to these agencies for leisure facilities and services. No complete data have been generated about the leisure services these agencies provide, but their contribution in Illinois is enormous and reflects the efforts of people to form different organized citizen groups for informal education and social interaction.

Illustration 3, top columns, depicts a sample list of some Illinois voluntary agencies. The eight agencies listed involve 20,443 different clubs or groups with 1,467,632 members, which are financed by membership fees, gifts, donations and various sources such as United Way. There has been no detailed comprehensive study that has analyzed the total financial impact of the voluntary agencies in Illinois. The amount allotted annually for operating costs are very extensive. The following are five examples of annual expenditures of these Illinois agencies:

Girl Scouts of America

$4,945,555
4-H Clubs (Agriculture) 3,000,000
Girls Clubs of America 318,000
Youth for Christ Clubs 963,406
Boys' Clubs of America 3,557,997
$13,784,958
The extensive expenditures of groups and individuals in these large organized as well as by small informal clubs and groups are very extensive. The major cultural institutions of Chicago in 1976-77 received 5.3 million gift dollars for program operations. The Illinois Arts Council and other groups receive federal and state funds to assist voluntary cultural agenices. The expenditures of operating costs and participant expenditures in the thousands of organizations such as the garden clubs, sports clubs, art and theatre groups, outdoor recreation clubs and the like undoubtedly have a significant but as yet undetermined impact upon the economy of Illinois.

PRIVATE LEISURE ORGANIZATION EXPENDITURES

The operating costs and personal expenditures of private recreation groups (see Illustration 3, column 1) such as Illinois' 124 registered country clubs, its over 500 private golf courses, its 54 known extensive industrial recreation operations, various private clubs, 294 private museums, and a variety of private swim, athletic and cultural groups involve extensive outlay by consumers. No specific data have been developed

Illinois Parks and Recreation    14     September/October 1983


ILLUSTRATION 3
PROGRAMS OF THE VOLUNTARY, PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL
CULTURAL SERVICES SYSTEM IN THE
STATE OF ILLINOIS, U.S.A.

Not-For-Profit Voluntary Agencies & Informal Education Neighborhood Non-Building Centered
—Boy Scouts
—Girl Scouts
—Camp Fire Girls
—Youth for Christ
—Clubs

Neighborhood Building Centered Agencies
— Community Centers
— Nature Centers
— After-school Programs

City-wide Building Centered Programs
—YMCA-YWCA
—Young Men's
—Hebrew Association
—Boy's Club of America

Patriotic Organizations
—American Legion
—Veterans of Foreign Affairs
—Museums and Libraries

Private Organizations
—Golf & Country Clubs
—Athletic Clubs
—Industrial Recreation
—Museums
—Libraries
—State and Local Fairs
—Arboreta
—Aquariums
—Hospitals
—County Fairs
—Camps
—Trailer Parks
—Private Clubs
—Labor Unions
—Political Clubs
—Poetry Associates
—Civic Organizations

A Sample Number List of Private Organizations
Camp Grounds 245
Country Clubs 135
Industrial Recreation 54
Theatre Groups 105
County Fairs 102
Camps (private) 265
Museums (private) 294
Libraries (private) 41
Clubs for Older Adults 660
Garden Clubs 283
TOTAL 2,184

A Sample List of Voluntary Agencies
Girl Scouts 9,700 troops 165,000 members
YMCA 102 clubs 837,390 members
Church Programs 4,132 several thousand members
4-H Clubs 5,000 clubs 125,000 members
Youth for Christ 109 clubs 110,547 participants
Boys' Clubs 45 clubs 29,495 members
American Legion 700 clubs 170,000 members
Lions Clubs 655 clubs 30,200 members
TOTAL 20,443 1,467,632

Informal Social Leisure Activities
Parties
Family Recreation
Visiting
Gambling
Clubs
Bars
Taverns
Hobbies
Amusement Centers
Festivals
Reading
TV, Radio
Volunteering

Commercial Recreation and Amusements
Mass Media
TV, Radio, Cinema
Camps
Night Clubs, Disco Clubs, Bars
Trailer Parks
Art Galleries, Museums
Theatres
Schools (dance, drama, music)
Amusement Parks
Gambling establishments
Race Tracks
Circus, Carnivals
Health Clubs, Spas
Massage Parlors
Tourist Programs
Escort Services
Car Rentals
Amusement Parks
Theme Parks
Professional Sports

Commercial Recreation and Amusements
There are 28,303 units of these agencies (1976-77)

regarding the total amount of dollars involved. Nor has there been an attempt to estimate the personal expenditures of individuals as they engage in informal leisure time activities such as hobbies, parties, family recreation, reading, listening to records, watching TV, purchase of video cassettes and electronic games, or volunteering and similar personal activities.

COMMERCIAL RECREATION AND AMUSEMENT ENTERPRISES

Commercial enterprise in Illinois is a major provider of leisure services. This is also true of the entire United States in which, as earlier pointed out, leisure services today are a 244 billion dollar business. This is an incredible amount but indicates the extent to which recreation and leisure activities have grown and now are a substantial part of the national as well as the State of Illinois economy. Illustration 3, column 2, shows that in Illinois (1977) there were 28,303 separate commercial establishments that were directly involved in leisure time services to individuals or groups. The total number of leisure related commercial recreation businesses, involving an enormous variety of enterprises, includes 68.221 establishments with 743,722 full-time employees and an annual payroll of over $3.5 billion. It is estimated that they include 60 percent of the total leisure services in Illinois; they far exceed the funds spent for public recreation. It should be noted that these data include only operating costs and expenditures involved, and do not include the unknown billions of dollars spent by participants who take part in commercial recreation activities. A specific sample list of some of these agencies includes the following operations in Illinois:
Private and commercial theatres 319
Cinemas (movies) 532
Sporting Goods and Bicycle Shops 605
Church Recreation Halls (estimated) 4,132
Cafes, Bars, Taverns, Eating and Drinking Places 14,590
Amusement Parks and Miscellaneous Recreation Services 3,865

Illinois Parks and Recreation    15   September/October 1983


Radio, TV Stores

667
Hobby, Toy and Game Shops 213
Dance Halls, Studios, Schools 103
Bowling Establishments 614
TV Stations (many with cable services) 30
Radio Stations 257

The commercial leisure enterprise programs in the entire State of Illinois have never been thoroughly examined. Illustration 4 indicates a sample of the amounts of money spent by a few of these enterprises. Commercial camps, night clubs and dance halls, theatres, cinemas, festivals, fairs, travel and tourism, TV, radio, horse and auto racing, drinking and eating places and a myriad of leisure enterprises should be studied. Special taxes on the sale of liquor, horse race betting and other recreation and commercial amusements are a significant source of State income. The following are examples of some of the major tax revenues received by the State from six of these enterprises in 1977.

Tobacco products

$179,543,000
Alcoholic beverages 79,115,000
Horse Racing (Parimutuels) 77,300,000
Illinois State Lottery 125,000,000
Amusements 9,527,000
Hunting and Fishing Licenses 5,846,000

TOTAL

$476,331,000
There is no accurate estimate of the billions spent in Illinois on sports and numbers gambling, drug use, prostitution and other illegal forms of commercial amusement enterprises.

Finally, tourism is a very significant commercial industry. In 1982, 19.9 million tourist visitors spent $6.2 billion in Illinois, which ranks sixth among all states in the U.S. in domestic spending by tourists. Tourism generates 127,000 jobs in Illinois, and is one of its leading industries. Tourism adds dramatically to the economic impact of recreation and amusement throughout Illinois.

Illustration 5 lists the major national and local park and forest areas available to the public for recreational and sight-seeing purposes.

ILLUSTRATION 4
EXAMPLES OF EXPENDITURE FOR SOME COMMERCIAL LEISURE SERVICES IN ILLINOIS
1975

Sport Activity or Business

Number of Establishments

Number of Employees

Annual Payroll(Dollars)

Activity

Racing All Types

97

1,276

$11,203,000

Horse, Auto, Motorcycle racing

Bowling*

614 (10,063 lanes)

7,500

$44,774,230 (participant expenditures)

Bowling alleys (league competitions only)

Sporting Goods Shops

605

2,664

$19,073,000

Sale of sporting goods

Sports Promoters

19

515

$14,963,000

Promote boxing & other sports contests

Recreation Sports Clubs

417

6,803

$53,302,000

Sports activity clubs

Hobby and Game Shops

213

1,707

$ 7,256,000

Sale of hobby material

Commercial Sports

116

1,791

$26,166,000

Baseball, basketball, hockey, etc.

Amusement Parks

18

NO DATA

NO DATA

Parks with amusements

Health and Racquet Clubs (Chicago only)

19

NO DATA

NO DATA

Racquetball, tennis court clubs

TOTAL

2,118

22,256

$131,963,000

SOURCE: County Business Patterns-Illinois. 1975; * Illinois Bowling Proprietor's Association. 1978


ILLUSTRATION 5
MAJOR NATIONAL AND LOCAL PARK AND FOREST AREAS IN ILLINOIS
ILLINOIS, 1977

Agency Acres

National Parks

12,28
National Forest 255,320
Corps of Engineers 107,273
State Dept. of Conservation 243,230
Conservation Districts and Forest Preserves 133,844
Local Park Districts 61,236
Chicago Park District 7,262

TOTAL

808,177,28

All Illinois Forests
(6.7 publicly owned)

3,800,000

(Above data does not include all local park areas in Illinois, only some of the park districts and none of the park areas operated by City and Town Councils outside Chicago: data are not available for areas of these city parks in Illinois.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Allen V. Sapora, Champaign, was Acting Dean of the College of Applied Life Studies, University of Illinois, from 1981 to January, 1983. A graduate of the University of Illinois (B.S. and M.S. in Physical Education. 1938 and 1940) and the University of Michigan (Ph.D., Physical Education, with public recreation emphasis, 1952), he was Assistant Professor of Recreation at the U. of I. from 1946 to 1952, Director of Graduate studies at the U. of 1. from 1952 to 1966, head of the Department of Recreation and Park Administration there from 1966-1973, and Professor, Department of Leisure Studies, U. of I., 1974-1977. He is author of numerous publications and a contributing author to numerous other publications. He has received many honors and is a member of several professional organizations.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 16 September/October 1983


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