Basic psychological need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation during leisure: A cross-cultural comparison

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between satisfaction of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and/or relatedness and intrinsic motivation during leisure, and how this process was similar and/or different for British/Canadians (N = 259) and Hong Kong Chinese (N = 583) employees. Self-reported, cross-sectional data were collected in English and/or Cantonese and/or Pŭtōnghuà (Mandarin). A hierarchical regression analysis with British/Canadians found, in Step 1, age group negatively, and intrinsic motivation during paid work positively, correlated with intrinsic motivation during leisure. In Step 2, autonomy and competence satisfaction also positively correlated with intrinsic motivation during leisure. A hierarchical regression analysis with Hong Kong Chinese discovered, in Step 1, age group negatively, and intrinsic motivation during paid work positively, correlated with intrinsic motivation during leisure. In Step 2, autonomy and relatedness satisfaction also positively correlated with intrinsic motivation during leisure. These findings are discussed in regard to psychological and leisure theory and organizational and recreation practice.

Keywords:

• China
• culture
• leisure
• motivations
• psychological needs

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank those who participated in our studies as well as those at the University of Alberta Population Research Lab and the University of Hong Kong Social Sciences Research Center who collected participants’ responses. This article is based on an abstract presented at the 2017 Canadian Congress on Leisure Research and the 2017 Australia and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies Conference.

Notes

1 Goodenough (1996) differentiated between culture as a phenomenal order (i.e., group characteristics that allow distinct cultures to be distinguished from one another) and culture in its ideational sense (i.e., what members of a group have to know in order to be accepted). The phenomenal approach, with its emphasis on claimed cultural identity, was employed in our study.

Additional information

Funding

Preparation of this article was supported by a grant to the lead author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.