Understanding the Role of Ethnicity in Outdoor Recreation Experiences

Outdoor recreation on national forests near large urban centers is changing and diversifying as users of many ethnic and racial backgrounds increasingly choose urban-proximate forests as recreation sites. These changes are particularly evident on the national forests of Southern California where relatively undeveloped riparian sites are popular among individuals of Hispanic descent for picnicking, barbecuing, and wading/swimming in small streams. Previous studies of outdoor recreation participation have mostly treated ethnic group membership as a unidimensional, categorical variable. This study examines the influences of ancestral, generational, and acculturational differences on meanings and preferences related to outdoor recreation experiences and forest use. Data come from an on-site survey of visitors to four recreation sites of varying ethnic composition. Results suggest that two of the study sites are used primarily by less acculturated Hispanic immigrants. The other two sites are used by larger numbers of Anglos and Hispanics with longer generational tenure and higher acculturation scores. Both Anglos and Hispanics with longer generational tenure and higher levels of acculturation are more likely to visit with friends and less with extended family, to indicate escaping the city as the primary reason for their visit, and to define "respecting the forest" in terms of specific behavioral norms compared to Hispanics of Central American ancestry and less acculturated Hispanics of Mexican ancestry. The importance of understanding the structural context within which individuals exist is discussed.