This article is a sample of the report. The entire report is available for purchase
FORWARD
I am proud to introduce this report to you, the information contained is from a sample of real women who actually participate in shooting sports. The data reveals changes to the traditional trends about women’s participation in the shooting sports, specifically they are mostly target shooting for FUN. They are hunting, but not the animal species you would expect.
This survey has amazing results with data compiled from more than 2,600 women in a three-day period from a population of 76,890. The total number of women who completed this survey enable us to generalize these results to the entire population of women shooters, with a 99% confidence level and a 2.6% margin of error.
I have always leaned on data to make decisions. During a 22-year career as an Army Civilian, I practiced evaluating one course of action over another by using the Military Decision Making Process. One of this process’ first steps is to understand the operating environment so we can develop detailed plans to solve problems. This report describes the operating environment as it pertains to women in shooting sports.
Significant growth opportunities for the industry exist in the women’s market. By targeting current and potential female participants through programs, such as Shoot Like A Girl, manufacturers and businesses can continue to increase female participation in the shooting sports. Focused marketing and education will empower women and increase their confidence, skills and abilities, and provide information on product selections which best suit their interests and ensures their long term involvement.
I encourage manufacturers and businesses to use this report to understand their operating environment to maximize profits, and continue to improve products and services for women.
Sincerely,
Karen Butler
President, SLG2, Inc
DBA: Shoot Like A Girl
Executive Summary
Shoot Like A Girl conducted research on Women in Shooting Sports. Women were asked to participate in a survey to gather information on trends and product preferences. The survey included questions about their participation in shooting bows, pistols, rifles and shotguns; hunting; and product preferences (product results are redacted). It asked questions about their memberships with clubs and organizations. The survey also asked respondents to give an explanation if they did not participate in a certain discipline, but wanted to. A total of 2,643 responses from women were received, giving the data a 99% confidence level, with a 2.6% margin of error. The large sample size allows us to generalize the results to the total number of women who participate in shooting sports of 8,430,000[1], as reported by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Based on these numbers, the current growth in participation since 2015 is:
- Archery participation by women up 58%, from 2,884,000 to 4,566,531
- Pistol participation by women up 89%, from 3,884,000 to 7,345,059
- Rifle participation by women up 171%, from 2,433,000to 6,613,335
- Shotgun participation by women up 189%, from 1,996,000 to 5,771,178
- Hunting participation by women up 57% from 3,445,000 to 5,425,548
Notably, this survey focused on participation rather than the motivation for purchasing products (SLG2, Inc. has separate survey analysis on motivation to purchase). The report will influence product development and marketing for shooting sports manufacturers and businesses to best meet the needs of the fastest growing demographic in shooting sports.
Note: The complete survey questionnaire is included in the appendix for reference.
[1]NSSF Report 2016-2017 Industry Reference Guide, www.nssf.org
Methodology
The survey was developed in Survey Monkey to determine what activities women who participate in shooting sports are partaking in and what products they use. A draft of the survey was sent to select shooting sports manufacturers and their input was included. The final survey was distributed via web link on Shoot Like A Girl’s social media platforms and to their email lists of clients. Data analysis was completed using Survey Monkey and Excel.
Demographics
Survey responses are broken out by gender (7 men or 0.26% of the 2,650 completed the survey and were excluded from the results). The majority of responses are women 45-54 years of age.