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Effects of Information on Perceived Crowding and Encounter Norms

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Abstract

People receive information about visiting places from a variety of sources, and it is important to understand how information affects recreation experiences. This study examines how different information treatments describing a recreation place influence perceived crowding and encounter norms. The study location was the Jungmoeri area of Mudeungsan Provincial Park (MPP) in Korea. Data were collected from 50 college students utilizing a series of simulated moving pictures in a laboratory setting. Respondents were given information describing three different types of conditions and experiences (nature preserve, transition/buffer, and developed area), plus a no information control. Results showed that information influenced perceived crowding and encounter norms. For the range of encounter numbers depicted in the photos, the nature preserve treatment produced higher crowding ratings and lower tolerances for encounters, the developed area treatment produced lower crowding ratings and higher tolerances, and the transition/buffer and the control were in between. Information treatments also influence the perceived importance of encounter numbers, and importance was highest for the nature preserve. Management implications are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD) (KRF-2006-551-F00005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwang-ju, Seoul, 500-757, Korea

    Sang-Oh Kim

  2. Department of Forest Ecosystems & Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Bo Shelby

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  1. Sang-Oh Kim
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  2. Bo Shelby
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Correspondence to Bo Shelby.

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Kim, SO., Shelby, B. Effects of Information on Perceived Crowding and Encounter Norms. Environmental Management 47, 876–884 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9654-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9654-z

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