Physical activity participation, use and cost of recreation facilities on life satisfaction: evidence from Engage Nova Scotia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between physical activity participation, use of recreation facilities, and perceived accessibility to recreation facilities and levels of life satisfaction. We use a unique provincial survey established in collaboration with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) to study the changes on levels of life satisfaction across Nova Scotians. The results from our empirical analysis show that individuals who engage in individual sports report higher levels of life satisfaction. In examining the effect of recreation and cultural facilities, we find levels of life satisfaction to increase with higher use of outdoor sports facilities. Additionally, our results demonstrate that the ease of accessing facilities and the convenience of having local parks are both positively significant factors affecting life satisfaction. Furthermore, if individuals view costs to be prohibitive in accessing facilities, we find that this negatively affects individuals’ life satisfaction levels.