The Relative Importance of Education and Income as Predictors in Outdoor Recreation Participation

The relationship between work and leisure patterns is examined utilizing data on the occupational prestige and outdoor recreation participation levels for a national sample of Canadian households. Occupation is found to be a relatively weak predictor of outdoor recreation activity. In view of this finding, it is suggested that in testing the work-leisure relationship detailed assessments of the nature of a person's work should be employed rather than the more general occupational rankings. It is further suggested that a thorough classification of leisure behaviours should be employed as the dependent variable. This would ensure a more precise delimitation of the effects of multiple conditions of work on the various forms of leisure.