Perceived Crowding among Hunters and Anglers: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This article examines perceived crowding using 95 hunter and 30 angler evaluation contexts obtained from 28 hunter and 12 angler studies. Each study used the 9-point scale developed by Heberlein and Vaske (1977) ∗Heberlein, T. A. and Vaske, J.J. Crowding and visitor conflict on the Bois Brule River. Report WISC WRC 77-04. 1977. Madison: University of Wisconsin Water Resources Center. [Google Scholar]. Data were obtained from journal articles, dissertations, theses, government reports, and proceedings published from 1975 to 2005. A snowball approach was used to obtain unpublished datasets. Comparative analysis arrays and traditional meta-analysis were used to describe the findings. The comparative analysis provided a tool for contrasting the consequences of changing use conditions or managerial actions, and allowed for comparisons between similar areas. Across all evaluation contexts, crowding scores ranged from 0% to 100% with meta-analytic means of 51% for hunters and 57% for anglers. These meta-analyses encourage practical approaches to exploring and understanding hunter and angler perceptions of crowding.