News Press Releases

MERRELL CELEBRATES NATIONAL TAKE A HIKE DAY WITH RELEASE OF INDUSTRY FIRST GLOBAL DIVERSITY IN THE OUTDOORS STUDY

WWW | November 17, 2022

Report on perceptions and experiences in the outdoors reveals tale of two outdoors

ROCKFORD, Mich., Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Take a Hike Day (November 17), Merrell®, the world's leading outdoor lifestyle and footwear brand and a part of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE:WWW), published a first-of-its-kind "Inclusivity in the Outdoors" report, an examination of perceived inclusivity and experiences in outdoor spaces around the globe with a focus on Canada, the US, and the UK. To view the full report, please visit: www.merrell.com/us/en/inclusivity-in-the-outdoors.

While existing outdoor research traditionally analyzes race, gender, and income regionally, Merrell's study takes this a step further by considering participants' emotive experiences, perceptions and resulting behaviors with a call to action to drive change. In doing so, Merrell was able to highlight diverse communities' experiences in the outdoors and at retailers in a more meaningful way.

"When we initially conducted this study in 2020, we realized that there were deep, eye-opening emotions and perspectives, which compelled us to re-field the same study in 2022 to ensure all communities across the globe are represented," said Regina Hill, Marketing Manager at Merrell. "We are proud to share this report in honor of National Take a Hike Day. We believe this celebration allows us to share the simple power of being outdoors, while also presenting the opportunity for us to further drive conversations for creating a more inclusive space for all."

As issues of social injustice and racial inequality continue and communities have sought a form of escape in the outdoors, all participating subgroups in the study noted significant barriers to participation in the outdoors ranging from disappointing retail experiences to lack of access to outdoor spaces. The most notable findings from the study across various subgroups includes:

Conflicting emotions exist when outside across the globe: While many people find the outdoors to be a place they associate with positive sentiment, nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of global respondents indicated that they have experienced discrimination when outdoors. In addition, 53% of survey respondents noted they have felt afraid when outdoors, and 15% noted feeling alert, representing a 4% increase since 2020.
Indigenous Peoples face barriers to being in their natural homes: Despite spending more time outdoors (36%) than the global average (28%), 21% of Indigenous respondents noted a main barrier to feeling accepted in outdoors spaces is discrimination (vs. 15% of White respondents) – 48% believe this was due to their ethnicity.
Communities of color still feel cautious about the safety of outdoor spaces: Black respondents in the US indicated being 11% less likely to feel comfortable outside than non-Black respondents, and 13% of Hispanic/Latin American people noted feeling cautious, the highest of all cohorts.
Women have growing concerns regarding safety and continue to be underrepresented: While Women's feeling of fear (56%) and alertness (16%) are higher than Men's, at 47% and 13% respectively, the underlying factors that result in their fear changed in 2022 versus 2020 – the data revealed that Women are less afraid of animals (down 9% from 2020) and instead, are more afraid of Men in the outdoors (41% – a 16% global rise from 2020).
Income level impacts outdoor participants: Individuals who grew up with below-average household income are less likely to have experiences with outdoor activities like camping, rock climbing, and hiking. Additionally, Black, White, and Hispanic respondents with a current household income at the poverty level are less likely to live within 10 miles of a park than their respective low-income and middle-class cohorts.
LGBTQ+ people are left out despite a desire to participate outdoors: Although those apart of the LGBTQ+ community aspire to spend time in nature at almost the same rate as the global total (25% vs. 27%), due to the barriers they experience (i.e., access, culture, fear (50% expressed fear of Men when outdoors), discrimination, discomfort, etc.) they spend less time outdoors compared to others surveyed (71% vs. 80%).

"This study led us to double down on our mission of sharing the simple power of being outside with everyone while reinforcing a welcome and equitable outdoor environment for all," said Chris Hufnagel, Global Brand President at Merrell. "At Merrell, we're striving to make the trail ahead more inclusive and accepting of all communities and will continue to address and work to break down some of the barriers identified in this report."

To immediately address these inequities in the outdoors, Merrell is encouraging those throughout the outdoor industry to take immediate action, such as expanding representation in employee resource groups, marketing, funding, improving green spaces, and addressing access issues to underserved communities to name a few.

Merrell is committed to making justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) a key strategic pillar within its business with the creation of a JEDI Advisory Council in 2021 to guide efforts and help authentically drive inclusivity efforts in the outdoors. In 2022, Merrell launched the Merrell Hiking Club (US and Canada) with the goal of ensuring women can safely and confidently experience the power of being outdoors. Through an existing partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the groups work to bring more awareness and increase equity for youth who may not have adequate access to outdoor spaces. Finally, Merrell will debut an Unlikely Hikers boot collaboration in early 2023, designed in an ungendered colorway and available in more inclusive sizing.

To view Merrell's full report, please visit: www.merrell.com/us/en/inclusivity-in-the-outdoors.

ABOUT MERRELL:
Merrell® exists to share the simple power of being outside and is committed to building an inclusive and sustainable environment for future generations to enjoy. As the global leader in outdoor active footwear with the Moab hiking boot and Jungle Moc, Merrell is focused on merging performance, styling, and comfort to empower all people to confidently explore the outdoors. The brand was recently named Footwear News' 2022 Brand of the Year for promoting a more diverse vision of the outdoors. Visit Merrell.com or follow us on social @Merrell. Merrell® is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE: WWW), one of the world's leading marketers and licensors of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's and uniform footwear and apparel.