Welcome to Reflections on Water

Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. This survey is designed to help us understand how people have engaged with boating and water-based activities over the past year and the impact this has had on their lives.

The Reflections on Water Survey is our largest open study to date — designed to capture the most complete picture yet of life on the water in the UK. From grassroots participation to professional pathways, the survey aims to understand what’s working, what isn’t and where change is most needed.

The survey has been developed by the RYA in partnership with research specialists at the Sport and Recreation Alliance.

How the survey works:
The survey is split into two parts: a core section and a set of optional supplementary sections.

Core survey (completed by everyone)
This section covers key topics including:
  • The activities you take part in and the roles you have (participant, volunteer, paid role)
  • Your motivations, barriers and experiences on the water
  • Wellbeing, personal development and social connections
Supplementary sections (optional but encouraged)
You can then choose to answer additional sections that are relevant to your experience or interests. These cover:
  • Routes into your activity
  • Volunteering
  • Paid roles
  • Your experiences with the RYA
  • Communication preferences
  • Safety and safeguarding
  • Environmental / sustainability practices
  • Racing and competitions
  • Cruising
You are welcome to answer as many or as few supplementary sections as you wish but we would encourage you to share your thoughts on as many as possible.

A few things to know before you begin:
  • The survey will close on Monday 1st December.
  • The core survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
  • All responses are anonymous and confidential. Data will only be reported in aggregate - individual answers will never be shared in a way in which the respondent can be identified. We may take quotes from the text boxes to give a flavour of common responses but these will not be attributable to any individual.
  • Even if you haven’t taken part in certain activities, your perspective is still valuable - it helps us understand the full range of experiences across the community.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact insights@rya.org.uk

For more information about how we handle your data and protect your privacy, please see our privacy and data protection policies here

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