Effects of acculturation and structural assimilation in resource-based recreation: the case of Mexican Americans
Floyd, M.F.; Gramann, J.H.
Journal of Leisure Research 25(1): 6-21
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-2216 DOI: 10.1080/00222216.1993.11969906Document Number: 359126
Variation in outdoor recreation behaviour between racial and ethnic groups has been the subject of empirical research for nearly 30 years. This article attempts to move beyond black-white comparisons to look in greater detail at Mexican American recreation behaviour. It examines cultural effects on leisure behaviour directly, rather than inferring cultural influences from the unexplained variance remaining after group differences in socioeconomic status are controlled. Cultural heterogeneity within the Mexican American population and its effect on recreation patterns is investigated. Finally, an attempt is made to provide a more theoretically informed description of the effects of culture on leisure, basing this specification on ethnic assimilation theory. Based on ethnic assimilation theory, it is hypothesized that the greater the level of acculturation or primary structural assimilation, the more similar Mexican Americans would be to Anglo-Americans in their outdoor recreation behaviour. Data to test these hypotheses came from a telephone survey of 1057 households in Maricopa and Gila counties, Arizona. Analysis of covariance indicated that acculturation and primary structural assimilation each had impacts upon Mexican American recreation. In general, primary structural assimilation had its most apparent effects on site visitation, while acculturation was reflected most clearly in activity participation patterns.