Exploring outdoor recreation conflict's role in evolving constraints models

Following recommendations to cross-fertilize leisure constraints and recreation conflict research, this project proposes contributions to the leisure literature in two areas: (1) it advances the study of outdoor recreation conflict by empirically testing the role of motivations in coping with outdoor recreation conflict and (2) it further develops the discussion of the relationships among motivations, constraints, coping, and participation. Analysis of data from hiker surveys in Minnesota, USA, revealed that: (1) constraints, coping, and motivations directly impacted outdoor recreation participation, and (2) coping did not mediate the relationship between constraints and participation. Whereas data do not elucidate the roles among these variables, they do empirically support the relationship between constraints and conflict. Hence, findings suggest the need for future constraint investigation to include motivation and coping indicators.