The influence of experience expectations on crowding perceptions and social‐psychological carrying capacities

TLDR

Carrying capacities for recreation are hard to determine because crowding perception is often treated as a general human value, yet it actually depends on differing expectations people hold for specific recreational experiences, with implications for resource management. The study used a wilderness attitude scale to assess participants' attitudes. In Whitewater river recreationists at Dinosaur National Monument, higher scores on certain experience expectations correlated with greater crowding sensitivity, varied sensitivities across expectations, and differing user group importance ratings, while differences in wilderness scores also linked to importance ratings of expectations and crowding sensitivity.

Abstract

Carrying capacities for recreation have been difficult to determine because of the tendency to consider perception of crowding as a generalized human value. Rather, such perceptions are a function of the differing expectations people may have for given recreational experiences. A study of Whitewater river recreationists in Dinosaur National Monument showed that persons who score more highly in certain experience expectations are more sensitive to crowding, that different expectations show varying sensitivities to crowding and that various user groups differ significantly in the rated importance of these expectations. A wilderness attitude scale was also employed. Persons differing in their wilderness scores also differed significantly in the rated importance of the various experience expectations, as well as in their sensitivity to crowding. Implications for the management of recreational resources are discussed.