Perceived Health Benefits and Willingness to Pay for Parks by Park Users: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Claire Henderson-Wilson, Kah-Ling Sia, Jenny Veitch, Petra K Staiger, Penny Davidson and Peter Nicholls
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Claire Henderson-Wilson: Deakin University, Geelong Australia, Health Nature and Sustainability Research Group, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Jenny Veitch: Deakin University, Geelong Australia, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Petra K Staiger: Deakin University, Geelong Australia, School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Penny Davidson: Parks and Leisure Australia, PLA National Office, 207 The Parade, Norwood, SA 5067, Australia
Peter Nicholls: Parks and Leisure Australia, P.O. Box 536, Walkerville, SA 5081, Australia

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: Whilst a growing body of evidence demonstrates people derive a range of health and wellbeing benefits from visiting parks, only a limited number of attempts have been made to provide a complementary economic assessment of parks. The aim of this exploratory study was to directly estimate the perceived health and wellbeing benefits attained from parks and the economic value assigned to parks by park users in Victoria, Australia. The research employed a mixed methods approach (survey and interviews) to collect primary data from a selection of 140 park users: 100 from two metropolitan parks in Melbourne and 40 from a park on the urban fringe of Melbourne, Victoria. Our findings suggest that park users derive a range of perceived physical, mental/spiritual, and social health benefits, but park use was predominantly associated with physical health benefits. Overall, our exploratory study findings suggest that park users are willing to pay for parks, as they highly value them as places for exercising, socialising, and relaxing. Importantly, most people would miss parks if they did not exist. The findings aim to provide park managers, public health advocates, and urban policy makers with evidence about the perceived health and wellbeing benefits of park usage and the economic value park visitors place on parks.

Keywords: parks; health; wellbeing; economic value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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