Leisure Preferences Research Articles

Do discriminatory attitudes to older workers at work affect their retirement intentions?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether employers’ attitudes towards older workers, especially regarding promotions, really affect their retirement intentions, distinguishing between men and women.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the author uses the 1992 wave of the Health and Retirement Study to estimate, through a Fields decomposition, the relative contribution of the feeling of an older worker to be discriminated against regarding promotions; and to explain the self‐reported probability to work full time after 62, decomposing by gender. Second, using the two first waves of HRS, the author removes any bias due to time‐constant unobserved heterogeneity, to test whether the individual feeling of being passed over for promotion may be misreported, owing to a strong preference for leisure. Finally, the author examines the effect of a change in this variable over time on the intentions to exit early.FindingsThe Fields decomposition shows that feeling passed over for promotion plays a non‐negligible role to predict retirement plans but only for women. In addition, using panel data allows a misreporting bias to be exhibited that may lead to underestimating of the negative effect of discriminatory practices towards older workers on their retirement plans. Lastly, an increase between 1992 and 1994 in the age‐discrimination towards older workers encouraged women to leave their job early, while it had no effect on retirement plans of men.Practical implicationsEmpirical results put forward the idea that retirement intentions may differ across gender, owing to the different nature of the employer‐employee relation. While for men, this relation is characterized by delayed‐payment arrangements signed ex ante with the employer, as already shown by Adams, it is not true for women. Consequently, the age‐based preference of employers for promotion, leading to a lower probability of promotion for older workers, is treated by men as a consequence of ex ante arrangements and does not affect their retirement plans. However, women can attribute such attitudes of their employer to a kind of blatant discrimination, reducing therefore their attachment to their job.Originality/valueThe paper presents a longitudinal approach towards the determinants of retirement intentions that allows the unobserved heterogeneity constant over time to be removed and to estimate to what extent the feeling of being passed over for promotion may be attributed, for each gender, to some arrangements signed ex ante with the employer.

Exploring the leisure experiences of young people with spinal cord injury or disease

Purpose: To explore the perceptions of young people with a spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) about their leisure participation at school, home and in the community.Methods: The study used narrative enquiry to elicit the unique leisure stories of three participants aged 8–11 years with a SCI/D during two face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Pictorial data about participants’ interpersonal relationships were also gathered using a ‘social atom’ tool.Results: Thematic analysis of participants’ narratives produced three themes. ‘Inside school leisure’ and ‘outside school leisure’ detailed participants’ lived experiences of leisure. ‘A can-do approach to leisure’ drew attention to the optimistic attitudes held by the participants and their active engagement in leisure despite their SCI/D.Conclusions: Clinicians, families and educators should explore the leisure preferences of young people with a SCI/D and support their participation in activities, which offer enjoyment, friendship and a sense of achievement.

Marketing implications of traditional and ICT-mediated leisure activities

This study investigates the role of traditional and information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated leisure activities in consumer behaviour. An online survey of 558 members and 1319 ex-members of an Australian DVD rental company gathered preferences for nine traditional leisure activities and seven ICT-mediated leisure activities. The results of a cluster analysis showed four clusters with significant cluster differences across leisure activities and across demographics and consumer behaviours. For practitioners, the study illustrates how profiling customers on their leisure preferences can increase advertising effectiveness, reflect loyalty and help predict customer lifetime value. For academia, the results reveal how another consumer dimension, leisure activities, relates to demographic and behavioural characteristics.

Quality of life and leisure participation in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities: a thematic analysis of the literature

The aim of this systematic review was to document evidence of the association between leisure participation and quality of life (QoL) in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, and to identify the main factors that further clarify this relationship. An electronic search of the literature was conducted using Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, ERIC, OT Seeker, and the Cochrane library using relevant MESH heading and key words. An inductive thematic analysis was used to synthesize main findings from the studies. The mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT) was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Nineteen studies were included in this systematic review. All 19 studies fulfilled most of the criteria outlined by the MMAT for each study design (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods). Mixed methods studies had the lowest MMAT scores. Seven themes were identified that further elucidate the important relationships between leisure participation and QoL: active physical leisure participation and physical well-being; leisure participation and self; leisure participation and emotional well-being; leisure participation and social well-being; leisure participation and cognition; leisure preferences and well-being; and negative aspects of leisure participation. The use of thematic analysis enabled the synthesis of findings from quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods study designs. Participating in both naturally occurring, spontaneous forms of leisure activities and participating in more structured types of leisure and therapeutic programs that focus on leisure contribute to improving the QoL of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. A key aspect to consider is the child's ability to participate in his/her preferred leisure activities. Environmental adaptations may be required to ensure that the leisure opportunities meet the children's capabilities and contribute positively to their QoL.

Participation in sport: international policy perspectives

Nicholson, M., Hoye, R. & Houlihan B. (Eds.). (2011). Participation in Sport. International Policy Perspectives. London: Routledge.Sport participation has become one of the key determinants in describing, explaining and understanding the characteristics of contemporary leisure - and sometimes even more broadly, postmodern global societies in general. The benefits of sport participation are widely recognised in most parts of the world. Involvement in physical activity is believed to function as one of the major preventers of global health problems. Sport participation is also seen as a valuable source of social capital that contributes to the community spirit and equality among members of contemporary societies. Moreover, sport participation is interconnected with recreational physical culture and the leisure industry by creating various forms of business activities and hence promoting economic growth and wellbeing.Participation in Sport. International policy Perspectives addresses these issues by providing an overview of sport participation from as many as sixteen countries around the world. The featured countries consist of seven European nations (England, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Hungary, Bulgaria and Finland) together with South Africa, four Asian countries (India, China, Singapore and Japan); Australia and New Zealand, and finally the North American perspectives from the United States and Canada. The ambitious aim of the book is that through observations of national structures of sport, national sporting cultures, participation levels in organised sport, the nature and extent of government interventions and implementation and the impact of government policies to describe and understand international differences in sport participation.It is not surprising that with so many countries in focus, one of the main conclusions is that there is great diversity in national sport structures around the world. What seems to be common to all countries, however is that sports delivery systems involve a trinity of public, private and volunteer sector arrangements. Depending on the political, economic and social systems, government involvement is either centralised (with the state more strictly in control of the sport participation agenda) or decentralised (as it is the case for example in the US where sport participation is largely built upon school sport). Diversity in sport structures also results from the varying role of National Olympic Committees' involvement in aligning sport policies, or as it is the case with company sport in Japan, of other models and national sport delivery arrangements.What seems to be evident, however is, that in most countries sport participation is delivered and consumed through a federalist community club system. With the influence of national subsidy and funding programmes volunteer-run sport clubs provide preconditions and activities for participation. In many featured countries this model has its roots in the historically strong amateur based sporting culture and a tradition of community based civic activities. However, the idea of sport participation being merely a third sector activity started to change, and more especially during the 1980 's and 1990's when a substantial growth in the number of commercial providers (such as gyms and fitness centres) occurred. In fact, in many of the developed countries, the number of participants in sport participation in private facilities has been equal or exceeded the number of participants in non-profit providers. What is a striking finding in the book, however, is that the type of sport structure does not seem to correlate with the frequency nor intensity of sport participation within each distinctive nations.As it is the case with the sport structures also national sporting cultures vary in the featured countries. In some parts of the world (for instance in North- Western Europe) sport participation and physical activity seem to have become normative forms of action and behaviour that self-regulate people's leisure orientations. …

Do French low‐income GPs choose to work less?

In France, a significant number of General Practitioners (GPs) earn less than 1.5 times the French minimum salary. Using a representative panel of self-employed GPs over the years 1993-2004, this paper tests whether these low-income GPs choose to work less than all other GPs or whether they are constrained to do so. The test is based on measuring reactions to positive and negative demand shocks. As low-income GPs do not increase activity in response to a positive demand shock but decrease activity in response to a negative demand shock, it appears that their low-income status is attributable to a strong preference for leisure.

‘Managing’ Reductions in Working Hours: A Study of Work-time and Leisure Preferences in UK Industry

This paper, which is predicated on the view that reductions in work-time are generally desirable, explores the working hours of managers and professionals in UK industry. Managers and professionals are often grouped together in empirical and theoretical work, e.g. in the literature on the professional-managerial class, and Goldthorpe's ‘Service Class’. Nevertheless, there are differences: professionals, historically, are autonomous workers; the role of managers, in contrast, is to extract work from others on behalf of the organisation. Using data collected from the 2005 Labour Force Survey we establish there are statistically significant empirical differences between managers and professionals; one of these differences is in attitudes to work-time. We theorise that this is because managers' roles align their attitudes with those desired by the firm or organisation, and we conclude that, as a consequence, the ‘voluntary’ nature of work-time regulation should be revisited.

Examining the child’s impacts on single mothers’ leisure

With the majority of research on the experiences of single mothers focusing on motherhood as an inhibiting constraint to leisure, it is important to examine the ways in which motherhood might also enable the obtainment of a satisfactory leisure lifestyle. Our study employed a Foucauldian approach to understand constraints to leisure, in that we view constraints as always both inhibiting and enabling action. The purpose of this study was to explore three single mothers’ leisure experiences prior to and since becoming single mothers to identify the ways in which their child(ren) enables leisure practices as opposed to merely constraining them. The participants presented evidence of how their child(ren) altered both their priorities and their leisure preferences by providing them with opportunities to broaden their leisure experiences. Our research findings challenge dominant discourses that suggest that children can act only to inhibit leisure.

대학생의 생활양식과 친환경주거 중요도에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to learn the lifestyles of college students based on the green building certification system. The importance for environmentally friendly housing patterns will be changed and predicted to provide the basis for future residential development. The subjects of this research were 706 college students living in Jeonbuk province. The results of this research were as follows. College students' lifestyles were measured by self-confidence, family orientation, leisure orientation, economic orientation, and a digital directivity by factor analysis. In eco-friendly residential ratings, as the results of analysis according to the land use, the transportation, the energy resources, the environment load, the ecosystems, the interior environment, and the soundproofing of the interior environment came out to be higher than other factors. While coming out to be higher in the lower group in a digital directivity, the life style of the college students mostly came to be higher in the average of importance for environment-friendly housing. This result means that the college students want environment-friendly housing while attaching importance to the convenience of daily life, especially a digital directivity of housing. Thus, when we plan residences in the future, we will have to reflect the environment-friendly housing on the basis of the results of this research, and improve the environment which is contributing to help form college students' characters well.

A Taxonomy for Resorts

Resort classification methods have so far struggled in creating mutually exclusive categories that are based on a solid definition of resort. This article proposes a resort classification system that allows industry comparisons across typologies and geographic limitations. Through multiple interviews with more than sixty resort professionals, this study develops a definition stating minimum qualifications for a resort and proposes a classification system based on range and scope of amenities. Emphasizing resorts’ leisure orientation, while taking into consideration the growth of conventions and business meetings, the definition sets minimum qualifications that include size, variety of amenities, food and beverage outlets, and specific lodging qualifications. The definition and classification differentiates resorts from resort-like properties. The taxonomy of four categories includes rules that address specific issues surrounding resort classification.

The End of Leisure: Are Preferred Leisure Activities Contraindicated for Education-Related Stress/Anxiety Reduction?

Teacher stress is an increasing problem not only for practicing teachers but for student teachers as well. It leads to professional teachers leaving the profession, and future teachers enduring much stress and anxiety throughout teacher education programs. To further explore effects of stress, teacher candidates were surveyed with respect to (1) the role of their leisure preferences and (2) their stress levels related to Pedagogy, Evaluation, Class Management, and Interpersonal Relations. In Study One (n=216), a profile of leisure preferences was comprised, and findings from the relationship between leisure preferences and teaching anxieties contributed to a profile to explore reduced anxiety over time. A follow-up investigation (Study Two,n=136) tested the discriminatory potential of these leisure profile variables to separate those who showed less anxiety over time from those who regressed. Surprisingly, increased anxiety was associated with higher leisure in Sports, Adventure, Travel, and Exotica and with non-Science majors, Human Kinesiology majors, and Males. Some leisure preferences appear to be counterintuitive, given commonsense notions of the value of leisure. A Leisure Preferences Profile serves to facilitate discrimination between groups (improvement in anxiety levels versus no improvement) with respect to Pedagogical and Evaluation anxiety. A Composite Profile suggests that Leisure preferences related to Sports, Adventure, and Exotica are counterproductive in reducing stress related to Pedagogy. Implications are discussed.

Study of Leisure Orientation of the PE Teaching Contents in Colleges

Study of Leisure Orientation of the PE Teaching Contents in Colleges

Reducing survey respondent burden in social–ecological studies of sport and physical activity

Introduction: In multi-facetted social–ecological studies of physical activity, survey respondent burden can be high. We investigated an approach to reducing this. Methodology: Adolescent girls in 31 schools (Year 7, n=489; Year 11, n=243; metropolitan, n=521; rural and regional, n=211) were surveyed with regard to levels of participation in sport and physical activity (SPA). Also included were questions regarding: demographic characteristics of respondents and parents/caregivers; access to facilities; SPA settings; five multiple-item 5-point Likert scale questions regarding perceived competency (13 items), behavioural regulation (21 items), leisure preferences (15 items), barriers to participation in SPA (20 items) and life priorities (8 items); and two multiple-item dichotomous response questions regarding influence of boys (9 items) and other girls (9 items).

Propinquity, sociability and excitement: exploring the normalisation of sensible drug use among 15–16-year-olds in north-west England and north-east Wales

This paper explores normalised drug use as an aspect of young people's leisure careers. Qualitative data generated by 24 single-sex focus groups with 153 (85 males; 68 females) 15–16-year-olds attending seven schools in north-west England and north-east Wales revealed that young people's drug use tended to be both heterogeneous and situation specific. Indeed, rather than being actively sought out, 15–16-year-olds’ drug use was often characterised by propinquity – either in terms of place (e.g. parties), relationships (in particular, friends and peers), similarities of outlook and style (e.g. engagement in drug-oriented leisure) and time (in the sense of age cohorts) – and by sociability – especially as a means of enhancing friendships – as well as a search for pleasurable excitement in the company of others. Thus, the paper concludes that the illicit use of drugs by 15–16-year-olds can only be meaningfully understood when viewed in light of these leisure preferences that are among the social processes through which drug use can become normalised in some young people's leisure.

Park Physical Activity Motivations, Constraints and Negotiation: Generational Differences

Public parks are increasingly recognized as important places to facilitate leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and improve public health (e.g., Bedimo-Rung et al., 2005). Although physical activity is a common benefit sought when people use trails and parks, it is rarely the sole motivation (Bichis-Lupas & Moisey, 2001). Coupled with other motivations such as enjoying nature or for social gatherings, LTPA in parks can be intrinsically enjoyable, satisfying, and help achieve recommended physical activity levels (Payne et al., 1999). Despite the presence of parks, constraints to recreation and physical activity in parks exist. Constraints are factors that limit the formation of leisure preferences or participation and enjoyment in a leisure activity (Jackson, 2000). Crawford and Godbey (1987) identified three types of constraints: intrapersonal constraints (e.g., perceived lack of skill), interpersonal constraints (e.g., no one to go with), and structural constraints (e.g., lack of time/money). Studies indicate that people find ways to participate in and enjoy leisure despite constraints (e.g., Kay & Jackson, 1991). Subsequently, researchers proposed the concept of constraint negotiation to capture the ways in which people try to ameliorate or alleviate the effects of constraints (Jackson et al., 1993). Research suggests that age can influence factors related to physical activity, such as perceived barriers or constraints (e.g., Johnson et al., 2001; Shores et al. 2007). However, to date, no studies have examined generational differences in factors influencing park based LTPA. Therefore, this study examined differences in reported motivations, constraints and negotiation strategies regarding park based LTPA among Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Generation-X (GenX; born 1965-1978) and Generation-Y (GenY; born 1979-1989) adult visitors.

Development of consumer techno segmentation and its application to international markets

AbstractThis study aimed to develop consumer techno segments based on technology‐related psychographic variables in four different countries including the US, Canada, Spain and Italy. The respondents' technology innovativeness, technology opinion leadership, network externality risk and technology anxiety were used as metrics to identify consumer techno segments. Cluster analysis identified three to four distinct techno segments in each country. Multivariate analysis of variance and univariate analyses were used to validate the differences among techno segments in need for change, leisure orientation and e‐shopping preference in each local market. The similarities and differences of each techno segment were examined across different international markets. A discussion and implications were drawn to help marketers develop penetration and market strategies for different international markets by understanding an expected diffusion rate of a new product and of product life cycles for each local market.

Extending Life Cycle Models of Optimal Portfolio Choice: Integrating Flexible Work, Endogenous Retirement, and Investment Decisions with Lifetime Payouts

This paper derives optimal life cycle portfolio asset allocations as well as annuity purchases trajectories for a consumer who can select her hours of work and also her retirement age. Using a realistically-calibrated model with stochastic mortality and uncertain labor income, we extend the investment universe to include not only stocks and bonds, but also survival-contingent payout annuities. We show that making labor supply endogenous raises older peoples' equity share; substantially increases work effort by the young; and markedly enhances lifetime welfare. Also, introducing annuities leads to earlier retirement and higher participation by the elderly in financial markets. Finally, if we allow for an age-dependent leisure preference parameter, this fits well with observed evidence in that it generates lower work hours and smaller equity holdings at older ages as well as sensible retirement age patterns.

Consumer Lifestyles and Adoption of High-Technology Products: A Case of South Korea

ABSTRACT This study aims to identify relevant lifestyle factors that affect consumer adoption of technology products. Furthermore, this study attempts to examine the impact of lifestyle factors on perception and adoption of consumer technology products. Using the technology acceptance model as a theoretical framework, the conceptual model depicts the relationships among lifestyles, perceptions, and intention. Two-step structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Results of this study show that consumer lifestyle factors (fashion consciousness, leisure orientation, Internet involvement, and e-shopping preference) are direct and indirect antecedents of consumers’ intention to adopt high-tech products. Findings of this study provide marketers with insights into how knowledge about lifestyle factors can be integrated into marketing and advertising strategies.

Regional modelling for optimal allocation of agricultural crops considering environmental impacts, housing value and leisure preferences

Regional planning should consider the impact of agricultural crops on housing value and leisure, as well as on the local environment. We designed an optimisation model for allocating agricultural crops based on farmers' profits as well as the impact on these three factors. Each crop creates a different landscape, as well as a different effect on shading and noise reduction. This in turn influences the value of nearby housing and the regional leisure opportunities. Each crop also has positive and negative environmental impacts, such as the impact of the potential use of treated wastewater and of pesticides and fertilisers. All these factors were combined with economic considerations to suggest the optimal regional allocation of agricultural crops.

Extending Life Cycle Models of Optimal Portfolio Choice: Integrating Flexible Work, Endogenous Retirement, and Investment Decisions with Lifetime Payouts

This paper derives optimal life cycle portfolio asset allocations as well as annuity purchases trajectories for a consumer who can select her hours of work and also her retirement age. Using a realistically-calibrated model with stochastic mortality and uncertain labor income, we extend the investment universe to include not only stocks and bonds, but also survival-contingent payout annuities. We show that making labor supply endogenous raises older peoples' equity share; substantially increases work effort by the young; and markedly enhances lifetime welfare. Also, introducing annuities leads to earlier retirement and higher participation by the elderly in financial markets. Finally, if we allow for an age-dependent leisure preference parameter, this fits well with observed evidence in that it generates lower work hours and smaller equity holdings at older ages as well as sensible retirement age patterns.