Racial Distance Matters Too: Racial and Ethnic Reference Dependence in Recreation Decision Making
56 Pages Posted: 6 Apr 2021 Last revised: 30 Mar 2022
Date Written: April 2, 2021
Abstract
Using data on angler choices from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we demonstrate a level of racial aversion in which anglers are less likely to fish from a site with larger black and Hispanic population proportions than what exist in their home origin. We are unable to identify a convincing mechanism for this behavior, though there is slightly less aversion among more avid anglers. Our results provide a novel perspective on the role of race in society. We believe that recreation demand modeling should routinely consider racial distance as an explanatory variable.
Keywords: Recreation Demand, Site Choice Model, Travel Cost Model, Race and Ethnicity, Environmental Justice
JEL Classification: D63, Q26, Q51
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation