Measurement and Meaning of Recreation Satisfaction

The purpose of this research was to empirically verify the assumption that psychological processes related to recreation satisfaction include these individual difference variables. The relationship between alternative conceptualizations and measurement of user satisfaction were also objects of study. Three independent samples of campers indicated their perceptions, preferences, expectations, importance, and satisfaction levels on a number of factors related to camping satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Alternative conceptualizations of user satisfaction employing individual difference variables were operationally defined and compared to each other. Results indicated that satisfaction measures obtained by using individual difference measures are only moderately related to each other. There may be no single best way to measure recreational satisfaction, as each measure incorporates different psychological processes. Although the research population in the present study consisted of campers, the various conceptualizations and operational definitions of satisfaction will generalize to all types of recreation and should prove useful to both recreation managers and researchers.