The role of values, ideologies, and attitudes in shaping public support for privatization in local park and recreation services

Abstract

As tax-based funding for local public park and recreation services becomes increasingly scarce, alternative funding strategies such as privatization have become progressively more relevant. Although a promising alternative funding mechanism, privatization is simultaneously a potentially contentious issue. As such, understanding the factors that drive acceptance of or opposition to such practices is of interest to practitioners and researchers. This study utilizes the theory of basic human values and the cognitive hierarchy of human behavior to examine support for private delivery of local park and recreation services. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, results indicated that attitudes toward privatization were the single strongest predictor of support for private delivery. A conservative social ideology and a self-enhancement value orientation were positively related to attitudes, while social ideology mediated the negative relationship between the self-transcendent orientation and privatization attitudes. Implications for practitioners and potential directions for future research are discussed.