The urban recreation experience: an examination of multicultural differences in park and forest visitation characteristics

Abstract

The ethnic minority population of the U.S. continues to increase due to rising minority birth rates coupled with the influx of ethnic immigrants to America's cities, suburbs and towns. Current demographic trends indicate population growth for racial and ethnic minority groups is increasing considerably faster than the rate for the U.S. population as a whole. As part of a long-term plan for meeting public needs and building healthy urban parks and recreation services, it is important to assess and address the perceptions, values and needs of our nation's growing multi-cultural, diverse ethnic minority populations with respect to urban parks and forests and their management. Existing research has been inadequate in explaining how the recreational users' ethnic and sociocultural background affects their recreational experiences. This knowledge gap hinders a manager's ability to provide a high quality recreation experience for his/her recreation resource users by meeting their needs while managing the natural resources for recreational purposes. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in outdoor recreation characteristics, relevant to urban parks and forests, both across and within selected population subgroups. Specifically, this study examined inter-ethnic variations in outdoor recreation characteristics across various population subgroups, the influence of acculturation on intra-ethnic variability in outdoor recreation characteristics within ethnic subgroups, and acculturation-related patterns of variations in outdoor recreation characteristics of ethnic subgroups in comparison with the Anglo or White population. Household members belonging to five ethnic population subgroups - Hispanic/Latino or Hispanic American, Chinese or Chinese American, Japanese or Japanese American, Korean or Korean American, African American, and members of Anglo or White households residing in and around two greater metropolitan centers, namely Philadelphia, PA and Atlanta, GA were surveyed using Dillman’s Tailored Design Approach. The survey instrument utilized by this study was a self- administered mail questionnaire in which subjects were asked about their park and forest-related outdoor recreation preferences, participation patterns, and activities. Results indicated that the Hispanic/Latino or Hispanic American, Chinese or Chinese American, Japanese or Japanese American, and Korean or Korean American groups were similar to Anglos or Whites and African Americans with respect to visiting parks and forests in small groups of one or two other persons, during weekends, and for more than one hour; frequent participation in social activities during their visits; and high importance ratings for park management (litter control, maintenance, proper signage, etc.). Several differences in outdoor recreation characteristics were also observed among the subgroups. Compared to Anglos or Whites, ethnic individuals mostly visited parks and forests in larger groups and for longer durations of time and participated more frequently in group activities during their visits. An examination of linguistic acculturation-based differences in outdoor recreation characteristics within the ethnic subgroups (not including African Americans) indicated both, similarities and dissimilarities between the high acculturated ethnic individuals and the Anglos or Whites, in regard to outdoor recreation characteristics. Compared to lower acculturated ethnic individuals, higher acculturated respondents were less likely to visit parks and forests in groups and less likely to spend longer hours during their visits, indicating similarity to the Anglos or Whites. Higher acculturated individuals were also less likely to visit with others from the same racial/ethnic group, indicating dissimilarity to the Anglos or Whites. Overall, acculturation level played an important role in influencing park and forest visitation patterns of the ethnic individual, whereas recreational activity participation and preferences for park and forest features (except ethnic interaction) were mostly unaffected by acculturation levels. The results of this study indicated that increasing or decreasing level of acculturation among the identified ethnic groups produced change in some outdoor recreation characteristics of these groups, in reference to Anglos or Whites. This finding suggests that although certain components of recreation resource management, such as site design, maintenance, and staffing, could be slightly impacted depending upon levels of acculturation of ethnic recreationists, overall, management guidelines, for an urban park or forest, are more likely to be determined by the ethnic makeup of its visitors, rather than the ethnic recreationists’ levels of acculturation. Owing to the existing inadequacy of explanations for ethnic differences in outdoor recreation patterns from broader sociopsychological perspectives, further theory-based research endeavors need to be undertaken to unravel reasons for such ethnic differences and/or similarities. Thus, the influence of cultural values and levels of acculturation on ethnic individuals’ outdoor recreation participation patterns and preferences warrants in-depth examination in future research.