Displacement and Product Shift: Empirical Evidence From Oregon Rivers

Satisfaction has frequently been suggested as a goal for recreation management, but empirical research has not supported the simple bivariate density-satisfaction model. Explanations for these findings have included displacement (those dissatisfied with crowding or resource impacts move to more remote sites) and product shift (users respond to increasing densities by changing their definitions of recreation experiences). This paper explores these hypotheses using data gathered on the Rogue River in 1977 and 1984 and the Illinois River in 1979. In a situation where use levels are increasing, it is predicted that 1) users are more likely to be displaced or change experience definitions than to become dissatisfied, 2) reasons for displacement will include social and environmental factors, 3) experience definitions will change toward higher density experiences, 4) encounter norms will change to higher levels, 5) perceived crowding will not change, and 6) satisfaction will remain high. These predictions were generally supported by the data, providing empirical evidence for both displacement and product shift. Implications for management are discussed.