The attitude of public agencies toward public participation as perceived by their senior administrators

Abstract

The literature suggests that a primary factor contributing to the limited effectiveness of public participation efforts is a negative agency attitude toward such input. A sample of 160 senior administrators in public recreation and park agencies in Texas identified their agencies’ attitudes toward public participation. Their responses indicated that their agencies were favorably disposed toward public participation. Perception of agency support for public participation did not vary significantly with the age, sex or educational level of senior administrators, but it was found that agencies employing a larger number of full‐time personnel were significantly more supportive of public participation.