The National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) has released the results of the 2024 NASP Student Survey, the world’s second largest youth archery organization, which reports that “23.5 million students were introduced to archery.”

The 2024 survey aimed to “assess the perceptions of active archery participants in grades 4–12.” The data collection “confirmed that NASP continues to focus on its mission of promoting internationally modeled archery instruction within the school curriculum to improve achievement and participation in the shooting sport among students in grades 4-12.”

In developing the study, NASP sought input from and collaborated with leadership from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Office of Operations, and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Development Council.

The 16-question survey was conducted from March 1 to June 1, 2024, and collected 7,572 responses. The margin of error of +/-1 percent for this sample and the 95 percent confidence interval “show that the opinions collected from this year’s respondents accurately reflect the opinions of NASP’s current 1.3 million active students,” the organization said. in a press release.

Focus areas for the 2024 Student Survey included:

  • NASP Members’ Perceptions of Current R3 Efforts Nationwide (R3 – State Fish and Wildlife Agency Recruitment, Retention, and Renewal Planning),
  • NASP Member Opinions Impacting the Archery Industry
  • NASP Members’ Perceptions of NASP as a Potential Influence and Motivational Factor towards Academic Success and
  • NASP General Concepts of Affective Domains and Interpersonal Perceptions of the Archer Student.

Key responses to the 2024 NASP Student Survey include:

  • 50% This was their first time shooting with a bow.
  • 91% had a positive experience with archery.
  • 51% are now more likely to encourage others to try archery.
  • 34% more confident in other areas of their life.
  • 25% can better cope with their emotions or things that bother them.
  • 49% proudly represent their school and spending time with teammates.
  • 40% I want to continue filming after high school.
  • 34% more likely to try to learn other new skills.
  • 32% cope better with successes and failures after archery.
  • 33% can focus better on a task through the discipline of archery.
  • 39% have purchased a personal bow, and another 26 percent want to have their own.
  • 14% have participated in bowhunting, and another 25 percent want to participate.
  • 22% encouraged someone in their family to start archery.
  • 68% feel more connected to your school.
  • 34% noted that NASP makes them work harder in class.

Methodology: NASP uses Survey Monkey software to create, collect and analyze survey results. Access to the survey and instructions, model school, and parent messages was provided to active NASP instructors through hyperlinks and QR codes. Intended recipients were identified as active NASP participants in grades 4–12. The full 2024 Online Student Survey report can be viewed here.

Image courtesy of NASP