Evaluating the Cultural Fit of Hunting and Angling Among Minority Sportspersons in North Carolina

ABSTRACT

Culture defines leisure-specific behaviors, relationships, institutions, identities, and understandings of reality, but culture's role in U.S. hunting and fishing is poorly understood among diverse groups. We measure the cultural fit of hunting and angling and examine statistical differences among five culturally diverse groups of North Carolina hunters and anglers (n = 1,048). Cultural fit scores for hunters were highest among White and Native American respondents. These hunters had long family traditions and role models. Fishing was a better fit than hunting among Hispanics and African Americans. Asians’ scores were low for both activities. Our findings suggest a need to engage the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States (Asians and Hispanics) and to do so on their own terms, with forms of hunting and fishing tailored to unique subcultures. Specifically, sportsperson recruitment efforts with minority groups may benefit from less focus on heritage and more on building a community.

KEYWORDS:

• minority
• hunting
• culture
• fishing