The facts about recreation . . .

• An estimated $262 billion, up 7.4 percent from 1981, was spent on leisure, sports, recreation and entertainment in 1982, more than the U.S. government spent on national defense or housing construction. Leisure expenditures will continue to increase, as in the past, as discretionary income increases.

• Leisure expenditures account for about $1 in every $8 spent by the American consumer. An estimated 5,000,000 jobs (1 out of every 7 in the United States) in manufacturing, retailing and service industries are dependent upon recreation.

• In 1981 alone, $12 billion was spent in this country by 23 million foreign visitors in pursuit of recreation and leisure. On the average, foreign tourists spend four times per capita than domestic travelers. Tourists pay taxes which supplement and reduce the taxes that residents would ordinarily pay.

• Time invested in recreation also produces physical benefits. Evidence clearly points to the fact that the human body requires movement and expression of physical energy to stay healthy. Life expectancy has increased 2.7 years since 1970, and the growth of the fitness movement is one of the reasons for it.

• Recreation represents substantial investment, as represented by the $3.5 billion spent for employee recreation alone by private industry. The evidence suggests that recreation benefits the productivity of businesses and other employers by providing a training ground for the development and sharpening of physical and mental skills.

• Recreation-related consumer expenditures stimulate local businesses, which in turn generate soles tax revenues, employment opportunities, and additional production of goods and services.

Governor Thompson is a frequent user of our parks.

• Personal-consumption expenditures may reach $1.325 trillion by 1989, up from an estimated $921 billion in 1979. By 1990, leisure spending may be over $400 billion.

• The adage that more business is transacted on the nation's golf courses than in its boardrooms appears to be well-founded, observes the president of Dunlop Sports Company. According to one survey of Fortune 500 chief executive officers conducted by Dunlop, 81 percent said they are golfers and 71 percent of those said they use the game as a means of conducting business.

• Parks enhance the overall "quality of people's lives," and contribute to greater civic pride. Parks can be the distinguishing factor that builds community and regional identity. By making cities a welcome place to work and live, parks invite all types of investment. As the urban master planner, James Rouse, known for such innovative ventures as Baltimore's Harborplace, simply states, "The amenities are the economics of the city."

• Dollars spent on providing more recreation are often offset by decreased absences from work, increased job performance, and lower medical costs. Unlike some "welfare" services, recreation can foster independence, helping people make the transition from nonwork to work responsibilities.

• Quality recreational opportunities are a major drawing card for the location of new industry and large businesses which, in turn, bring investments and enhance the local tax base.

• In a recent national survey, 59 percent of those Americans polled regarded outdoor recreation as "very important" compared to other activities. Most people enjoy more than 120 nonworking days a year.

• In any given day in 1981, a record 70 million Americans —almost half of the adult population — practiced some form of physical exercise. In comparison, only 24 percent of adults worked out in 1960.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 6 March/April 1986