TY - JOUR
T1 - The moderating effect of place attachment on visitors’ trust and support for recreational fees in national parks
AU - Zou, Suiwen (Sharon)
AU - Pitas, Nicholas Andrew
AU - Cho, Seung Jin
AU - Yoon, Hyunseo (Violet)
N1 - Trust is critical in cultivating public support for public agencies, including public land agencies such as the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service (Wynveen et al., 2010). Research on recreational fees in protected areas points to the importance of trust in environmental agencies, as reflected by visitors' responses to fees. For example, Winter et al. (1999) found that trust in the USDA Forest Service strongly influenced visitors\u2019 support for the Fee Demonstration Program. In a similar study context, Nypaupane et al. (2009) surveyed residents in Oregon and Washington, United States, and found that trust in the USDA Forest Service was a positive factor affecting fee acceptance, while Zou (2020) reported similar results in the context of NPS visitation. In line with previous research, we assume that trust in environmental agencies is positively associated with support for recreational fees. We extend the current literature on the role of trust in public support for fees by examining how the relationship is moderated by other psychological constructs, specifically place attachment.Designated as a national park in 2019, Indiana Dunes National Park (INDU) runs along almost 15 miles of the shore of Lake Michigan and received over 2 million recreational visitors in 2020 (Indiana Dunes National Park, 2021). Visitation typically peaks in the summer season, as 70% of the annual visitation happens between May and September. A new entrance fee was implemented in March 2022 (National Parks Service, 2022). INDU was selected as the study site for three reasons: (1) the park's proximity to major metropolitan areas, (2) the increase in visitation experienced by the park since its designation as a national park, and (3) the need expressed by park administrators for a fee study. INDU is more accessible than many national parks because visitors from both South Bend, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois can get to the park by public transportation, which allows visitors without cars to travel from the large population centers of Indianapolis and Chicago. Furthermore, the park's proximity to major metropolitan areas increases the diversity of possible visitors and increases the likelihood that recreation fees will act as a structural constraint on visitation. Park visitation has increased by 70% since it was designated as a national park in 2019. Due to the increase in visitation, INDU has also been experiencing an increase in maintenance and service needs that are significantly impacting the park's budget. Finally, the park administration expressed a need for a recreation fee study. During conversations with park managers at the early stage of the project, park administration was considering an entrance fee to the park, which was implemented later.Results indicate that place dependence was a significant moderator, but place identity was not. As shown in the upper panel of Table 4, the overall model with place identity as a moderator was significant (R2 = .369, F (6,893) = 87.186, p < .001). The interaction between place identity and trust for fee support was not significant (p > .05). Thus, H1 was not supported. Trust (b = .541, t = 4.435, p < .001, 95% CI [.301, .78]), place identity (b = .478, t = 3.588, p < .001, 95% CI [.217, .74]), and place dependence (b = .151, t = 4.369, p < .001, 95% CI [.083, .219]) were found to be significant and positive predictors of fee support, suggesting that increases in organizational trust, place identity or place dependence were associated with a higher level of support for fees.As shown in the lower panel of Table 4, the overall regression model with place dependence as a moderator was significant (R2 = .372, F (6,893) = 87.98, p < .001). Similarly, trust (b = .589, t = 5.837, p < .001, 95% CI [.391, .787]), place identity (b = .303, t = 6.84, p < .001, 95% CI [.216, .39]), and place dependence (b = .421, t = 3.262, p < .001, 95% CI [.168, .674]) were found to be significant and positive predictors of fee support, implying the robust positive effects of organizational trust, place identity and place dependence on visitors\u2019 support for fees. More importantly, the results demonstrated that the relationship between trust and fee support was significantly moderated by place dependence (b = \u2212.046, t = \u22122.198, p = .028, 95% CI [-.005, \u22122.198], effect size R2_change = .003).While trust has been conceptualized as a multidimensional construct (Stern & Coleman, 2015), in this study, we focused on trust in environmental agencies (Smith et al., 2013). This trust is crucial in cultivating public support for agencies responsible for managing natural resources and public lands, such as the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service (Wynveen et al., 2010). Our findings demonstrate a positive relationship between visitors' trust in environmental agencies and their support for recreational fees in the context of protected areas: visitors with greater trust in the ability and integrity of Indiana Dunes National Park to manage the park are more supportive of recreation fees implemented by the park. These results align well with previous research on the impact of trust on visitors\u2019 support for recreational fees on public lands (e.g., Winter et al., 1999; Nypaupane et al., 2009; Zou, 2020). This relationship also holds true in contexts related to funding strategies for public parks and recreation, such as general tax (Mowen et al., 2006) and privatization (Pitas & Mowen, 2023).While the relationship between agency trust and fee support is robust, Stern and Coleman's (2015) framework of trust theory suggests that intervening variables could alter the nature of this relationship. According to their framework, visitors' psychological state of trust can lead to specific responses, such as support for recreation fees, and the strength of this relationship can be contingent upon an intervening variable like place attachment. Our results reinforce Stern and Coleman's framework, pinpointing place attachment, and more specifically, place dependence as a significant moderator that influences the trust-fee support relationship. Our study broadens the application of Stern and Coleman's trust framework by demonstrating its relevance beyond its original context of collaborative natural resource management. This implies that their trust theory framework has the potential to be applied in a variety of contexts to understand visitor management in protected areas.The research was funded by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Campus Research Board and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Applied Health Sciences' Center on Health, Aging, and Disability's Pilot Grant. The authors would like to thank the managers and staff of Indiana Dunes National Park for supporting this research project and providing valuable feedback and comments.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - The success of fee programs on public lands hinges on visitors' perceptions and reactions towards recreational fees, emphasizing the importance of understanding visitor dynamics in park management decisions. Using Indiana Dunes National Park in the U.S. as the study context, this study investigates the role of trust and place attachment in shaping visitors' support for national park entrance fees. Informed by social judgment theory, we hypothesize that place identity (socio-emotional attachment) will strengthen the relationship between trust and fee support, while place dependence (functional attachment) will weaken it. Our sample included 900 park visitors. The findings showed that as visitors’ place dependence increased, trust in the park agency became less critical in fee support. However, place identity did not significantly impact the trust-fee support relationship. These results underscore the importance of building trust and fostering place dependence among visitors to increase support for fee-related decisions by park managers. This study extends the environmental psychology literature and the recreation fee literature by furthering our understanding of the interplay among trust, place attachment, and fee support in the context of protected area management, providing insights for policymakers and park managers grappling with the contentious discourse surrounding park fees.
AB - The success of fee programs on public lands hinges on visitors' perceptions and reactions towards recreational fees, emphasizing the importance of understanding visitor dynamics in park management decisions. Using Indiana Dunes National Park in the U.S. as the study context, this study investigates the role of trust and place attachment in shaping visitors' support for national park entrance fees. Informed by social judgment theory, we hypothesize that place identity (socio-emotional attachment) will strengthen the relationship between trust and fee support, while place dependence (functional attachment) will weaken it. Our sample included 900 park visitors. The findings showed that as visitors’ place dependence increased, trust in the park agency became less critical in fee support. However, place identity did not significantly impact the trust-fee support relationship. These results underscore the importance of building trust and fostering place dependence among visitors to increase support for fee-related decisions by park managers. This study extends the environmental psychology literature and the recreation fee literature by furthering our understanding of the interplay among trust, place attachment, and fee support in the context of protected area management, providing insights for policymakers and park managers grappling with the contentious discourse surrounding park fees.
KW - Attachment
KW - Conservation finance
KW - Organizational trust
KW - Protected area
KW - User fee
KW - Visitor use
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102412
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102412
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85201768122
SN - 0272-4944
VL - 98
JO - Journal of Environmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Environmental Psychology
M1 - 102412
ER -