Perceptions of Leisure Opportunities and the Quality of Life in a Metropolitan Area

Leisure activities have been linked to people's identity and personal satisfaction, making opportunities for leisure important determinants of people's perceptions of the quality of life (QOL). A person's assessment of the quality of life and leisure opportunities both depend on the individual's immediate environment and awareness of the opportunities which exist. People learn about those opportunities and develop perceptions from personal observation and experience as well as the mass media and interpersonal communication. Since people differ in their communication patterns and interactions with the environment, we would expect differences in perceptions of leisure opportunities and QOL assessments. This study focuses on public perceptions of leisure opportunities and assessments of the QOL in a metropolitan area in the U.S. Midwest, using three surveys conducted in 1982, 1986 and 1988 designed to assess relationships between sets of demographic variables, leisure values, leisure perceptions of the environment, communication patterns and assessments of the area's QOL. LISREL results show that leisure values are significant and positively related to perceptions of the QOL in the area.