A structural analysis of recreation activity substitution

Abstract

A topic of considerable recent interest in the recreation literature is recreation activity substitutability. Substitutability is defined as the potential of a recreation activity to replace another in the participation pattern of an individual with similar satisfaction. Because the actual process of replacing a recreation activity has been rarely studied, the goal of this research was to describe the phenomenon in terms of (1) the activities discontinued, (2) the replacement activities, (3) the reasons for discontinuing activity, and (4) the changes in attitudes toward recreation resulting from the replacement. Second, the appropriateness of structural types of statistical analysis methods used in previous research on the problem was studied. The basis of this second type of analysis was a list of twenty common recreational activities that were selected because they occur in other previous studies of structure and substitution. Variables used in the structural analysis were (1) conditions thought to influence activity participation, (2) characteristic modes of requirements of activity participation, (3) predicted participation and preference levels, and (4) the perceived potential for replacement among the activities. One of the major premises of the research was that recreation participation is primarily social group behavior. Therefore, respondents used an unusual technique to evaluate each of twenty activities. All responses were based, not only on the individual responding, but on the respondent's perception of how his general social group would respond if given the opportunity. The specific relationship, i.e., family, friend, acquaintance and other, the respondent enjoyed with the members of the defined group as well as the respondent's experience in recreation with the specified group were circumscribed prior to the recreation activity evaluation. Another major premise of the research was that recreation activity substitution was often due to major life cycle occurrences. A sample of graduate students at the University of Utah was chosen as a group that was likely to be experiencing major life cycle changes and therefore was most likely to have had recent experience with substitution. A total of fifty-four interviews were used to obtain data for analysis...