Shooting Participants Report Less Loneliness and Higher Wellbeing Than the National Average
Quick summary
Of 2,424 shooting participants surveyed, 1.2% often felt lonely, against 5.9% nationally.
Wellbeing scores beat the national average in every age group, with the widest gap among over-75s.
Syndicate members reported the strongest social ties; 81.5% said everyone ate and socialised together.
Nearly four in five said shooting got them outdoors more; nine in ten cited a connection to the countryside.
Guns, beaters and pickers-up report clearly better mental wellbeing and far less loneliness than the population as a whole, according to a University of Northampton study first published in Ageing & Society in 2021.
Of 2,424 people who completed the survey, 1.2% said they often or always felt lonely. The national figure, from the government's Community Life Survey, was 5.9%. Wellbeing scores beat the national average in every age group, and the gap was largest among participants aged 75 and over.
How the study worked
The research ran through the 2018/19 season. Lead researcher Tracey Latham-Green spent a full day at each of seven shoots in England, from large commercial days in the south west to syndicates (groups who share the costs, and often the work, of running a shoot) in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the East Midlands.
She then interviewed 45 participants by phone and used their answers to design an online questionnaire, open from May to July 2019.
The median respondent was 57 and 87% were men. A third were retired or semi-retired, rising to 57% among those aged 55 and over.
Wellbeing was measured on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, seven questions scored out of 35, which the Office for National Statistics uses to track the nation's mental wellbeing. That allowed a direct comparison with Understanding Society, a large, long-running survey of UK households.
The main findings
Across the whole sample, the wellbeing difference from the national average was moderate to large by standard statistical measures. It did not simply grow with age.
Nationally, scores fall between the 65 to 74 and over-75 age groups, while among shooting participants they rose. The gap was widest for the over-75s and narrowest for those aged 65 to 74.
Among syndicate members, 0.9% reported frequent loneliness, falling to 0.5% for syndicate members over 65. Both figures are set against the all-age national rate of 5.9%.
Physical activity was built into the day:
The typical participant walked 8km on a shoot day, rising to 9km for beaters and pickers-up.
Nearly four in five said shooting got them outdoors more than they would otherwise be.
A similar share said it took them away from the stresses of the working week.
Nine in ten said a connection to the countryside was a reason they took part. People living in towns gave this answer about as often as those living in the country.
What participants said
Interviewees talked about friendships built over many seasons, a way of life handed down in families, and the satisfaction of doing their part on the day. A 72-year-old picker-up warned that living alone in older age, with too little to do, can leave people turned in on themselves.
Syndicate members reported somewhat stronger friendship networks than other participants, though the statistical differences were small to moderate. Of the 1,265 syndicate members who answered, 81.5% said everyone on the day, Guns included, took breaks and lunch together and socialised afterwards. At commercial shoots, beaters and pickers-up were close to one another but mixed little with paying Guns.
Syndicate members' wellbeing was only fractionally higher than non-members': 28.4 against 28.0 out of 35.
What it means for shoots and rural policy
The Office for National Statistics projects that 26% of the UK population will be 65 or over by 2041, with the largest numbers in rural and coastal areas. The authors argue that activities offering regular company, exercise and a defined role could help counter isolation there, particularly after retirement removes the daily contact of working life.
For shoot managers, the study offers observations rather than a blueprint. The authors suggest that keeping the same beating and picking-up teams season after season builds trust and friendship. Syndicates, where most shoot days include a shared lunch for everyone, recorded the strongest social ties.
The authors also argue that policymakers should weigh these social benefits when considering changes to shooting rules, citing published estimates of what loneliness and poor mental health cost the public purse.
Key Takeaway
Driven shooting participants reported far less loneliness and higher wellbeing than national averages, especially the over-75s, though the study cannot show that shooting caused the difference.
