Politics, Parks, and Pandemic: A Research Note

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of parks as critical infrastructure for societal well-being; however, for much of the pandemic, the risk for disease exposure and transmission in these spaces was unclear. Public health messaging by parks continues to attempt to influence health-promoting behaviors, but the impact of advisories may vary due to the message source. In fall 2020, we surveyed park visitors in Virginia, U.S. across political affiliations to understand decision-making factors influencing visitation. Results indicate many similarities in decision-making factors across political affiliations, such as the perceived importance of health benefits derived from outdoor recreation. Significant differences in the perceived importance between message sources (i.e., Trump Administration) (ηp 2 = .104) and risk perceptions related to COVID-19 (ηp 2 = .228) across political affiliations were evident. These findings demonstrate the importance of attending to political affiliations when crafting messaging strategies, not limited to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Risk perceptions and behaviors concerning rural tourism and economic-political drivers of COVID-19 policy in 2020

“…The results of this manuscript display similar themes found within previous research focused on political affiliation and the pandemic, especially regarding the variation in how each political affiliation acquired and used information or messaging surrounding COVID-19, except for destination selection attributes [ 31 – 33 ]. Considering the heterogeneity in perceptions and behaviors, these differences reflect the pervasive manner intrinsic influences can pose within viewpoints regarding COVID-19 and tourism processes which are followed [ 24 , 25 , 29 – 31 , 39 ].…”

“…The viewpoint a tourist maintains when contemplating a travel-based decision is essential in transferring intangible elements into a tangible tourism experience [ 22 , 29 ]. During the pandemic, the importance of the socioenvironmental factors influencing travel decisions increased due to the changing nature and timing of planning and actual travel processes [ 26 , 28 , 30 , 31 ]. The changing dynamics of when, where, who, and why tourists engaged in travel, along with the fluctuating travel risk perceptions, not only influenced visitation quotas, but also the revenue and vitality of rural tourism destinations [ 29 , 31 ].…”

“…During the pandemic, the importance of the socioenvironmental factors influencing travel decisions increased due to the changing nature and timing of planning and actual travel processes [ 26 , 28 , 30 , 31 ]. The changing dynamics of when, where, who, and why tourists engaged in travel, along with the fluctuating travel risk perceptions, not only influenced visitation quotas, but also the revenue and vitality of rural tourism destinations [ 29 , 31 ]. Correspondingly, amid expanding concerns and ambiguity about 1) the probability of traveling, 2) how to complete involved efforts if plausible, and 3) ramifications of such actions (e.g., economic impact, future viability, etc.…”

“…Correspondingly, amid expanding concerns and ambiguity about 1) the probability of traveling, 2) how to complete involved efforts if plausible, and 3) ramifications of such actions (e.g., economic impact, future viability, etc. ), understanding the significant, multidimensional role of COVID-19 in the perceptions and behaviors of potential tourists became ever-important, especially for the success of rural tourism destinations [ 24 – 26 , 31 ].…”

“…For example, political affiliation has played a role in climate change risk perceptions through influencing people’s beliefs and behaviors [ 33 ]. Further, in a health context, political affiliation has impacted the way that individuals receive, synthesize, and interpret messaging surrounding public health and safety protocols [ 31 ].…”