Consensus in factors affecting landscape preference: A case study based on a cross-cultural comparison

Abstract

Consensus in preference is a central issue in landscape perception research. Several studies have highlighted the relationships between landscape preference and demographic variables; however, consensus among different countries' observers remains poorly understood. This study was primarily conducted to examine the consensus in factors affecting landscape preferences between potential Chinese and English rural tourists. A questionnaire survey and experimental eye-tracking methods were used. The results showed that, regarding preference for their home countries' rural landscapes, the importance of vegetation is significantly greater for Chinese than for English tourists. Generally, the dominant factors affecting Chinese landscape preference involved progressive enhancement with tranquillity, diversity, traditional characteristics, and maintenance of buildings and human constructions, while English preferences focused on multifaceted maintenance and avoiding the intrusion of building and human constructions. Regarding preferences in favour of Chinese rural landscapes, higher consensus was likely to occur for the most and least preferred landscapes when landscape types were combined, which was even more obvious for the Chinese than the English individuals. When landscape types were separated, there were significant correlations between Chinese and English preferences for natural landscape types, while the considerable difference regarding manmade landscape types could be greater depending on the effects of different factors affecting the preferences for their home countries' landscapes. In addition, a significant effect of observers’ attention pattern was presented, suggesting that landscapes providing an easy way to concentrate on smaller interest areas could significantly increase tranquillity and thus increase landscape preference. The present study provides evidence for previous judgement consensus studies and reference for the management or design of countryside landscapes with perceived restorative and visiting potential.