Are they hiking the mountains with their dog? Wearing a flannel while heading to Red Rocks for a concert, and pre-gaming with some craft beer or a joint?
Sounds about right, according to the latest poll from the Colorado Polling Institute, which shows that several of Colorado's biggest stereotypes hold true for Denver residents.
Bipartisan researchers from New Bridge Strategy and Aspect Research conducted the poll for the CPI from June 13 to 18, reaching 409 Denver voters — many of whom reported strong associations with outdoor recreation, drinking craft beer and heading to Red Rocks.
Pollsters found that 72 percent of people in Denver had hiked, biked, skied or recreated in the mountains in the last twelve months. According to dating experts in Denver, the prevalence of skiing culture is one reason people can't find lasting relationships in the city.
But even if Denver singles are able to dodge an outdoorsy first date, there's a good chance it involves craft beer.
The poll found that 54 percent of people have indulged in a craft beer in the last twelve months. Colorado took home nine gold medals at the U.S. Open Beer Championship this week, and with local spots like River North Brewery and Denver Beer Company, people have plenty of excellent brews to enjoy.
Craft beer still ranks ahead of cannabis for Denver consumers, with 33 percent of poll respondents saying they had purchased marijuana in the last twelve months. That's still almost double the rate of Americans who said they smoked marijuana in 2023, however.
When asked if they had ridden a bike to school, work or on errands, only 30 percent of Denver dwellers reported that they had. It seems like Bike to Work Day, which was June 26 this year, still has some work to do.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre was the subject of its own poll question, with 40 percent of people reporting they had gone to a concert or event there in the last year. (Along with human visitors, some employees at the famous venue have reported UFO sightings at Red Rocks, too.)
In addition to the classic "outdoorsy" stereotype, the results of the poll seem to affirm the idea that Denver is a dog-crazy city. In the CPI poll, 50 percent of people reported they own a dog, and just 20 percent reported that they have a child under eighteen.
In total, 68 percent of Denver residents own pets, with 32 percent of people reporting they have cats in their households.
Questions for Next Time
Despite the comprehensive survey, there are some "Denver" things the CPI sadly didn't ask about.For example, the poll didn't ask respondents whether Patagonia or the North Face is a better clothing brand. It didn't consider who has worn jeans or a baseball cap to work or a fancy restaurant — or who went out to eat still in their hiking or rock climbing gear.
The poll also didn't ask how many people had parked their Subaru next to five other Subarus, who had been on a brewery patio with more babies and dogs than beers, or who had recently argued with someone about where to find the best green chile in town.
