Title: Place visitation, place avoidance, and attitudinal ambivalence: new concepts for place research in urban recreation settings

Author: Klenosky, David B.; Vogt, Christine A.; Schroeder, Herbert W.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc

Year: 2010

Publication: In: Watts, Clifton E., Jr.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc, eds. Proceedings of the 2009 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-66. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 57-64.

Abstract: This paper draws on recent developments in research on consumer behavior and attitudes to better understand the range of behaviors and attitudes inherent in a diverse urban area. Using a mail survey of Chicago-area residents, we collected data (1) to examine residents' past visitation behavior and recommendations of places to visit and to avoid for a range of Chicago-area sites; and (2) to explore residents' attitudes (and distinguish between indifference and potential attitudinal ambivalence) toward the study sites using a bivariate model of attitudes. The study findings yielded insight into the mix of behaviors and attitudes that underlie urban recreation patterns and suggested several promising issues for future investigation.