Who Makes the Decision: the Parent or the Child? The Perceived Influence of Parents and Children On the Purchase of Recreation Services

The role of children in the purchase of public recreation services has been ignored in previous research. Using family decision research as a context, this study examines the relative influence of mothers, fathers and children on the decision to enroll a child in a public agency sponsored recreation service. Mothers were found to play a dominant role in shaping the participation decisions of their children. It appears that mothers actively screen or qualify the program opportunity before allowing the child to become involved in the final stage of the purchase decision. The implications of these findings for the shaping of children's future recreation behaviors are discussed.