Family-related and nature-related recreation benefits among Anglo Americans and Hispanic Americans: a study of acculturation and primary structural assimilation

Abstract

This thesis examines the influence of Hispanic ethnicity on perceived family-related and nature- related benefits of recreation. As the theoretical framework for this study, Milton Gordon's ethnic assimilation theory was used to test the hypotheses for patterns indicative of Anglo-conformity in perceived recreation benefits and for deviations suggestive of selective acculturation. Based upon evidence of the core cultural value of familism among Hispanics, it was hypothesized that family-related recreation benefits would resist assimilation and display patterns of selective acculturation. Due to the absence of similar evidence pertaining to environmental dispositions, the study hypothesized that nature-related benefits would be influenced by the assimilation process and display a pattern of Anglo-conformity. The survey was designed to be a replication of Gramann and Floyd's study of the Phoenix metropolitan area. A telephone survey conducted in central and southern California produced a final sample of 995 cases. Although the sample achieved representativeness for the Hispanic sub- population in both gender and low income categories, Hispanics in the sample reported more years of education than those in the California study area. Assimilation was operationalized by measures of primary structural assimilation and language acculturation. Results of factor analysis were used to create the benefits and acculturation scales. Analysis of covariance was used to test the hypotheses because it controls the covariates while allowing the levels of the main effect to be contrasted. The dependent variables, family-related and nature-related recreation benefits, were tested to determine if there were significant differences between Anglos and Hispanic respondents with different levels of primary structural assimilation and language acculturation. Statistical analysis of the hypotheses pertaining to nature-related recreation benefits produced patterns of Anglo- conformity for both language acculturation and primary structural assimilation. The statistical results were less clear for family-related recreation benefits, but no patterns of selective acculturation were found. For the hypothesis in which language acculturation was a significant main effect, it is possible that a pattern of Anglo-conformity was influenced by an immigration effect.