A Comparison of Attitudes Toward Appropriate Use of National Parks Between Chinese in Canada and Anglo-Canadians

Abstract

Understanding people's attitudes towards appropriate use within national parks is essential if the ecological integrity of these areas is to be ensured. However, appropriate use of national parks has rarely been examined cross-culturally. This paper examines the similarities and differences in attitudes toward appropriate use between Anglo-Canadians (N = 160) and Chinese in Canada (N = 178). Results suggest that: (a) the two groups share similar attitudes toward sport/recreation facilities and visitor facilities while differing in four other aspects of appropriate use (accommodation and service facilities, non-consumptive activities, consumptive activities, motorised activities), with Anglo-Canadians being more supportive of the first two and less supportive of the latter two; (b) both groups consider non-consumptive activities to be the most appropriate of all uses, while hunting and gambling are considered to be the least appropriate uses; and (c) acculturation does not affect attitudes toward all six aspects of appropriate use consistently, suggesting that Chinese have adopted a selective acculturation approach in terms of appropriate use.