Factors Influencing Willingness To Pay For Use Of Marine Recreational Facilities: Sand Beach

Willingness to pay for the use of a beach and its facilities is seen as related to people's life situations and their psycho-social characteristics. Paramount among them are expectations of getting something for one's money and inclinations to pay for what one likes; both of these are influenced by rights to beach use held by taxpayers and residents in the municipality operating the beach. Most frequently, however, people were willing to pay for beach maintenance and improvement and for services; they liked the natural setting of the beach, its lack of commercialization, and the spaciousness of the location. Also seen as having bearing on people's willingness to pay is the type of household of which they are a member—families are most willing to pay, but people living alone are most willing to pay highest amounts—and their feelings while at the beach—people who relax are willing to pay highest amounts. Both the act of paying and the amount people are willing to pay are seen as socially oriented. Data for the study were collected in the summers of 1972 and 1974 at a southern Rhode Island beach which provides a natural non-commercialized environmental atmosphere and is, characteristically, not crowded. On-site interviews were conducted by the principal investigator and a paid interviewer.