Ask someone from another state what the typical Denverite likes, and you might get any number of answers. Skiing. Craft beer. Hiking. Cannabis. Goldendoodles.
But do those stereotypes bear out? Does everyone in the Mile High City jam out at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, hit up the local brewery with their dog, and smoke the reefer?
In June, a nonpartisan polling agency decided to find out. The nonprofit Colorado Polling Institute surveyed 409 registered voters in the city by phone or online and asked whether they had enjoyed beer or cannabis in the past year, whether they’d been to Red Rocks, ridden a bike, recreated in the great outdoors or owned a dog.
So, how did we do?
Well, it turns out that a whopping 72% of the respondents had hiked, biked, skied or otherwise recreated outdoors, according to CPI. So that depiction of Denver certainly lived up to its billing.
The craft beer industry seems to be hanging in there, too. More than half, 54%, of the surveyed individuals had indeed put one back in the previous 12 months, although it was the under-35 crowd who did the heavy lifting: 71% had a craft beer as opposed to 37% of those 55 and older.
On the other hand, only about one-third of the respondents had purchased marijuana, but it was once again people under 35 who led the pack as just 16% of 55-and-overs had done so, CPI said.
Unsurprisingly, “50% of Denverites said they had a dog in their household, 27% said they had a cat, while only 32% said they had a pet-free abode,” according to the polling group.
As for Red Rocks, 40% had gone to a concert or other event there, which is pretty good considering the time and expense of attending a show.
And finally, 30% had biked to work or school or for errands around town.
Okay, next up: Subaru drivers.
Originally Published: July 16, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.
