The Signs of Belonging, a public art initiative in Ramsey County parks to increase welcome for underrepresented visitors, involved BIPOC artists reimagining signage based on the prompt, "What would make you feel welcome and a sense of belonging in the park?" The new signage was installed at park entrances. An analysis examining the impact of public art on visitor perceptions found that respondents reported an overall positive impact on sense of belonging from the public art. However, a MANOVA revealed significant differences between BIPOC and White respondents regarding the art's impact. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that racial identification is a significant predictor of the art's perceived positive impact when controlling for visit frequency and general sentiment. Findings suggest a "curb-cut effect": while the art enhanced the experience for all, it provided a statistically greater sense of welcome for historically underrepresented groups.
This study investigates how participants construct their identities in Napoleonic battle reenactments, applying the Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) as a theoretical lens. It draws on an eight-year multi-site ethnography (2016-2024) encompassing field observation and 23 semi-structured interviews with reenactors. An ethnographic, SLP-informed thematic analysis indicates that durable benefits-enhancement of self-image, regeneration or recreation, and social interaction or belongingness-lay the foundation to construct serious leisure identities. entry motives orient exploratory effort; social validation operates throughout to shape how effort yields durable benefits and consolidates identity construction; and consolidated identities mobilize further effort that first renews durable benefits, which then stabilizes identity. This finding specifies the sequencing and feedback dynamics through which durable benefits contribute to identity construction.
This study develops and validates a novel model for understanding group visitor experience (VX) through the lens of the Serious Leisure Perspective by addressing a gap in research settings at living museums. Building on Pekarik's individual-focused VX model, we employed a rigorous mixed-methods approach (voice recordings, photovoice, interviews) with four groups (n = 13). Five distinct VX dimensions emerged: object, learning, social, introspective experience, and engaging experiences. The findings emphasize social interaction as pivotal in group experiences. By providing a deeper understanding of group dynamics, this research offers insights into leisure, education, and tourism. Importantly, it enables the development of more enriching and satisfying group visits, aligning with the pursuit of deeply satisfying serious leisure experiences. This expanded VX model extends the scope of serious leisure research in museum contexts and offers practical insights to assist leisure institutions in formulating guidelines to enhance the VX during group visits to living museums.
This ethnographic study examines women's participation in South Australian wine tours, and the ways these experiences function as a form of respite, self-care, and identity work. Drawing on ten months' participant observation, I explore how wine tourism serves as a socially sanctioned space for women to temporarily suspend their everyday roles and responsibilities. I argue that women's engagement with wine tours represents more than recreational consumption; rather, it constitutes a meaningful practice of boundary-making between domestic obligations and personal autonomy. In this paper, I examine the complex negotiations of gender, leisure, and selfhood that unfold in these liminal spaces of tourism and sensory engagement. The findings demonstrate that wine tours provide women with important opportunities for what participants consistently termed "me-time"-a culturally specific form of temporal and spatial separation that enables identity maintenance, social connection, and emotional replenishment within the context of contemporary Australian motherhood.
Attention Restoration Theory (ART) proposes that leisure-based physical activities and nature exposure can improve positive, and mitigate negative, mental health conditions. However, personal preferences for activities and natural environments may influence individuals' participation. Thus, mental health outcomes may be limited. University students who participate in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) (cadets) can be subject to additional negative mental health conditions, which could be remediated through ART leisure interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine cadets' preferences for leisure-based physical activity, nature settings, and their perceived relationship to mental health conditions. Six focus groups (N = 54) were conducted to identify emergent themes. Cadets identified specific preferences for physical activity and nature settings. Additionally, they identified mental health benefits they associated with each. Implications for the development of customized interventions linking desired mental health outcomes to specific leisure-based physical activities conducted within specific natural settings are discussed.
While some literature exists in the role of gender in outdoor recreationists' participation and risk perception, the nature and influence of gender roles shaping the perceptions and attitudes held by the general population toward risk in outdoor recreation is less known. Drawing on a global, quantitative survey dataset (3241 men and 1906 women), this research aims to extend the existing literature, examining the potential mediatory effects of gender, parenthood, and age on perceptions and attitudes toward risk in outdoor recreation. The results demonstrate that such gender differences exist in our study cohort, correlating with females who had assumed the role of motherhood, but not for men who had assumed the role of fatherhood. In younger generational cohorts, gender differences appeared to decrease, but intergenerational differences were related to women. This research contributes to knowledge by presenting gendered risk perceptions as fluid, influenced by parental status and life course.
This study developed a scale to measure deviant leisure tendency among Chinese adolescents. In a Chinese context, deviant leisure refers to the failure of individuals to adhere to established societal values and behavioral norms when engaging in leisure activities. Though existing research has focused on the conceptualization and examination of specific types of deviant leisure, a multidimensional measurement tool that regards deviant leisure as a unified construct and investigates adolescents' general tendency toward it is lacking. Through literature review, expert group analysis, and a survey (N = 1,051), a 4-dimensional scale was constructed: (a) absence of normative obligations, (b) misconception of leisure, (c) deficiency of competence, and (d) lack of self-control. Psychometric analyses confirmed the scale's reliability and validity. The study provides the first validated instrument for quantitatively assessing factors associated with Chinese adolescents' tendency for deviant leisure. Practically, this scale enables evidence-based policymaking to address deviant leisure among youth.
The purpose of this study was to explore the interconnections of trauma, healing, leisure, and health within an international women-centered retreat, Align. Grounded in feminist theory and using a case study design, data were collected through participant observation during the week-long retreat and eight in-depth interviews. The retreat aimed to create a space for participants to engage in diverse healing modalities to process trauma and support well-being. Findings reveal that healing is a relational, embodied, and ongoing process, facilitated through women-centered environments that enable shared storytelling, collective care, and the normalization of trauma. Participants described healing as sustained through leisure-based and embodied practices, the reclamation of intuitive and feminine ways of knowing, and the development of personalized "toolboxes" of care. Healing was reframed as an empowering, lifelong practice grounded in agency, connection, and growth. This research highlights the critical role of leisure in supporting trauma recovery and advancing pathways to health for women.
Interest in sport has been increasing among older adults, but sport participation among older women remains low due to diverse factors shaped throughout their lives. To encourage greater engagement, it is necessary to understand women's sport experiences and factors that influence their engagement. This study aims to explore tennis experiences among women in mid and later life through the lens of life course theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty female tennis players aged 41 to 78 years, which were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Findings suggested women's tennis experiences were shaped by historical time and place. Also, time constraints and aging-related changes, and life transitions influenced women's tennis engagement, but many tried to maintain their involvement in tennis. Lastly, family members and friends encouraged and discouraged tennis participation. This study expands literature on women's sport participation and contributes to life course theory by providing insights in a sport context.
This study investigates the nonlinear relationship between education and leisure participation, challenging the widespread assumption that higher levels of education always lead to greater leisure participation. By integrating Household Economic Theory and the too-much-of-a-good-thing (TMGT) effect, the study hypothesizes an inverted U-shaped relationship between education and leisure participation. These hypotheses were tested using cross-regional survey data from China (CGSS 2018, N = 12,583), Europe (ESS 2014, N = 38,886), and the United States (ATUS 2019, N = 9,431). The findings reveal that, initially, higher levels of education promote leisure participation due to increased income. However, as education levels rise further, the substitution effect (driven by the attractiveness of higher wages) reduces leisure participation. By introducing the TMGT effect, this study extends Becker's Household Economic Theory, offering new insights into the role of education in leisure participation.
The main goal of the study is to demonstrate the effects of school support and parent-child leisure on bicultural acceptance and national identity formation among immigrant adolescents in South Korea. Using data from the second cohort of the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS) conducted between 2019 and 2023, the study examined the effects of parent-child leisure, teacher support, and friend support on bicultural acceptance and national identity. The results demonstrated that family leisure activities had positive effects on both bicultural acceptance and national identity, while teacher and friend support also played crucial roles. This study provides valuable insights for enhancing the identity formation and social integration of immigrant adolescents, emphasizing the importance of developing family-centered leisure programs and establishing systematic governance.
This study explored how campers' social comparison orientation influences their conspicuous leisure behavior and, subsequently, their subjective well-being. It also examined the moderating effects of self-concept clarity and leisure involvement. We randomly sampled users of expensive camping gear to obtain 426 valid responses, which were adopted in the analysis using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. The findings showed that campers' social comparison orientation positively affected their conspicuous leisure behavior. Self-concept clarity moderated the relationship between social comparison orientation and conspicuous leisure behavior. Moreover, campers' conspicuous leisure behavior positively affected their subjective well-being, and leisure involvement moderated the relationship between conspicuous leisure behavior and subjective well-being. These results indicated the importance of conspicuous leisure behavior and its positive impact on subjective well-being. These findings can provide businesses with precise directions for their marketing strategies.
This mixed-methods study uses the Multi-Level Leisure Mechanisms (MLLM) framework to explore how parks and recreation professionals (PRPs) understand and communicate their contributions to health. A survey of 76 PRPs revealed that over 75% see their work as contributing to health outcomes, such as physical activity and mental health. Qualitative interviews with 24 PRPs revealed that while they recognize the health impacts of their work, they often describe these contributions in terms rooted in lived experience or professional practice, rather than using language typically associated with public health or clinical outcomes. The study identified eight key mechanisms within the MLLM, demonstrating alignment of PRP language with could focus on to improve communication by aligning practitioner language with health outcomes. This alignment could increase recognition of parks and recreation as a valuable contributor to public health, increasing visibility and support for health within parks and recreation.
This scoping review explores what is known about the role of leisure provision by not-for-profit (NFP) organizations in supporting refugee settlement, with a focus on the Australian context. As the global refugee population grows, individuals face complex settlement challenges, including social isolation. While government programs deliver structured support, the integration of leisure into settlement services remains underexplored. Guided by the Co-Creation Scoping Review Framework, we synthesized academic and nonacademic literature, finding that leisure can enhance refugees' wellbeing, social capital, and community cohesion, but participant-related and organizational barriers often limit its impact. Building on these insights, interviews with Australian NFP service providers and a multi-stakeholder roundtable identified key knowledge-practice gaps and co-developed practical strategies for leisure program design, evaluation, and sustainability. Implementing these strategies could strengthen leisure provision and better support refugee settlement outcomes.
Participation in mountain biking has grown dramatically since the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to an increase in ridership, bike sales, and the creation of new trail networks and trail infrastructure. Many rural communities across the United States and Canada have embraced this growth in mountain biking as an opportunity for rural economic development and have strategically invested in building and maintaining trails specifically for mountain biking. Although outdoor recreation, such as mountain biking, may be a strategy to help rural communities diversify their economies under climate change, the social impacts of those decisions are underexplored. In particular, more work is needed to examine environmental justice implications of the growth of mountain biking. This paper sought to address that need by qualitatively analyzing interview transcripts from 12 rural communities across the United States and Canada, using an environmental justice framework. Our results show evidence of both environmental justice and environmental injustice. We conclude with recommendations for scholars and planners.
Social interactions within serious leisure communities remain an understudied driver of deep involvement. Utilizing the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, this study models how informational and interpersonal interactions influence serious leisure involvement (SLI) through perceived benefits. Analysis of data from 705 running group members in China reveals distinct pathways. Informational interaction links to SLI both directly and indirectly via learning, personal integrative, and hedonic benefits. Conversely, interpersonal interaction influences SLI solely through full mediation by these benefits. This distinction highlights that while information drives involvement directly, interpersonal bonds require the realization of intrinsic rewards to sustain engagement. The findings offer a theoretical basis for community management, emphasizing that specific interaction strategies-rather than generic socialization-are necessary to foster sustained participation.
The experience of retirement has evolved significantly over the past several decades. Baby boomers are expecting to live a long, fulfilling, and happy retirement. However, many retirees struggle with anxiety, depression, and a sense of loss or non-fulfillment during the transition. Several authors have shown that leisure activities are beneficial to retirement adaptation and well-being in later life. A leisure education program was designed to meet the needs of this population. Two groups of retirees were recruited (n = 3 and n = 4) among local associations in Quebec, Canada. Qualitative data were collected from two focus groups, participants' appreciation sheets and the facilitator's logbook. Results showed how the pilot process contributed to the program evolution and allowed researchers to adapt and refine the program.
This systematic literature review aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the structure and dimensions of leisure experiences by synthesizing research across multiple disciplines. Applying the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework, the authors screened and evaluated literature published between 2000 and 2022, including 98 peer-reviewed articles from 53 academic journals. Through thematic analysis, eight core dimensions of leisure experiences were identified: Escapism and flow, social interaction, hedonism, education, esthetics, spatial elements, entertainment, and sensory perceptions, listed in order of prominence. The findings highlight the conceptual fragmentation within leisure experience research and underscore the need for greater interdisciplinary integration. This review advances leisure studies by clarifying experience dimensions, integrating diverse frameworks, and fostering a unified understanding across leisure, sport, and tourism contexts. It also proposes future research directions, including the need for stronger theoretical grounding, more diverse methodological approaches, and enhanced practical applications.
Recently, the growing popularity of esport has sparked ongoing debates among practitioners and scholars about whether and how esport should be conceptualized and developed alongside traditional sports and leisure. However, much of this discourse has overlooked esport consumers, whose experiences are critical to shaping the development of esport. This study aimed to explore how esport consumers conceptualized esport in comparison to sports and leisure through 14 in-depth interviews with U.S.-based esport consumers. The findings highlight that the competitiveness and spectatorship aspects of esport position it as both a sport and a leisure activity. Other characteristics, such as the physical skills required, the impacts of physical actions on competition outcomes, differences among esport titles, and the ongoing progress in institutionalization indicate that esport is situated at the nexus of sport and leisure. The findings call for an interdisciplinary approach to conceptualizing esport and new perspectives for policymaking and leisure programming.
This study examined the momentary buffering effects of leisure activities on the relationship between perceived stress and positive affect (PA) valence in daily life. Using ecological momentary assessment, 132 Taiwanese adults completed smartphone surveys three times daily for seven days. Multilevel modeling revealed that momentary perceived stress was negatively associated with PA valence, while momentary leisure participation was positively associated with it. Crucially, engaging in leisure activities significantly buffered the negative stress-PA valence association. Furthermore, leisure-generated social support moderated this link; the adverse effect of stress on PA valence diminished significantly during leisure episodes providing high social support. Leisure-generated self-determination did not show a significant moderating effect. These findings provide nuanced evidence demonstrating that momentary leisure participation, particularly when socially supportive, protects PA valence from the immediate negative impacts of stress in everyday life.
