Testing the Involvement Profile (IP) Scale in the Context of Selected Recreational and Touristic Activities

Involvement has become one of the most researched constructs in consumer behavior. It is now receiving considerable coverage in the leisure literature. Recent breakthroughs have provided researchers with methodologically sound instruments to measure involvement. This study introduces one of these instruments (which was developed in France) to the North American literature, and provides several tests related to its reliability and validity in recreational and touristic contexts. The participants consisted of 144 middle-aged athletes from an international track and field competition. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 0.96 on the various subscales. Factor analyses showed that, as measured by this scale, involvement is composed of four dimensions in leisure contexts: sign; importance-pleasure; risk probability; and risk consequence. These dimensions are similar, though not identical to the dimensions found using the instrument in the context of consumer goods. The importance-pleasure combination appears to be unique to leisure settings.