Leisure Despite Constraint: The Impact of Leisure Constraints on Leisure Participation

Abstract

High levels of constraint have been assumed to lead to restricted engagement in leisure activities. In this study, data from a questionnaire survey conducted in Stoke-on-Trent, England (n = 366) suggest that reported constraints do not always prevent particpation. Many people were participating in the activities which they described as constrained, and were conscious of experiencing constraints even when these could be partly overcome. In extreme cases, constraints were reported which were subsequently said to have no effect on the level of leisure participation. When individuals report constraints, they appear to be conscious of potential as well as actual constraints; they may therefore include factors which they experience but are able to overcome. As a result, constraints are likely to be reported not only by non-participants in an activity, but also by participants; constraints may even be reported more frequently by the latter than by the former. It is suggested that any act of participation potentially exposes individuals to constraints. It is therefore to be expected that high levels of constraint may be reported by those who participate.

KEYWORDS:

• reported leisure constraints
• leisure participation