Examining the Effects of Perceptions of Community and Recreation Participation on Quality of Life

Abstract

leisure studies, quality of life, recreation participation, United States,

Is Urban Space Able to Affect Community Participation? a Research Proposal between Urban Sociology and Environmental Psychology

“…We can find some of our research interests in the quality of life's studies. In this area of interest, sociology shows a long tradition, for instance on the topic of quality of life in neighborhood (Russ-Eft, 1979) or about the civic engagement as indicator of quality of life (Baker-Palmer, 2006;Grillo-Teixeira-Wilson, 2009). These works are a good starting point, but we stress the role of environmental psychology as an alternative source of knowledge, because the key concepts as space, place, and the operationalization of the relation within people and places has been very meaningfully studied and codified.…”

The Effects of Community Quality of Life on Local Policy Decisions

“…Much research has been done to find the relevance of QoL to a particular activity or area, such as economic conditions (Baldassare & Wilson, 1995;Diener & Diener, 1995;Diener et al, 1993), recreation (Baker & Palmer, 2006;Lloyd & Auld, 2002), neighborhood (Parkes, Kearns, & Atkinson, 2002), work (Andrews & Withey, 1976), community (Grzeskowiak et al, 2003;Sirgy et al, 2000), and crime rates and security (Michalos & Zumbo, 2000;Türksever & Atalik, 2001). These findings account for virtually limitless types of citizen needs and desires.…”

“…A lot of research finds that individual's QoL is closely associated with allocational functions of the community, such as public safety (Michalos & Zumbo, 2000;Sirgy et al, 2008), parks and recreation services (Baker & Palmer, 2006), and natural environments (Türksever & Atalik, 2001). When people are satisfied with education, neighborhood, public service and local facilities, and social relations in a community, the overall QoL in the community is also increased (Cummins, 1996).…”

Giving Voice to Wildlands Visitors: Selecting Indicators to Protect and Sustain Experiences in the Eastern Arctic of Nunavut

“…Social scientists are working to monitor influences on such complex concepts as quality of life (e.g., Baker andPalmer 2006, Iwasaki 2007), reconciliation and truth (e.g., Gibson 2007), health services (e.g., Dolan and White 2006, Marks and others 2007, Ramirez and others 2006, sustainable development (e.g., Rosenström and Kyllönen 2007), and happiness (e.g., Zidanšek 2007). Frønes (2007) describes social indicators as at the center of our modern vocabulary, in fact, a key concept in modern models of climate change, understanding our ability to meet demands for health services, provide educational systems to meet growing needs, and meet expectations for social justice.…”