Empirical Evidence of the Contributions of Leisure Services to Alleviating Social Problems: A Key to Repositioning the Leisure Services Field

In an earlier edition of this journal (Vol 50, 3), the author suggested that in order to enhance their funding and support from taxpayers and elected officials, parks needed to be repositioned from being perceived as discretionary services to being perceived as alleviating problems which are of central concern to society. That paper argued that parks were central to environmental sustainability which is emerging as a prominent concern on the political agendas of many societies. This paper examines another emerging political issue, that of alleviating social problems, and suggests how leisure services can be repositioned to align with this issue and, thus, enhance their funding status. In the past decade, there has been a quantum increase in the scientific evidence that has emerged supporting the role of leisure services in alleviating social problems. The evidence suggests leisure services can make positive contributions to reducing environmental stress, cultural and historical preservation, facilitating healthy lifestyles, alleviating deviant behavior among youth, raising levels of educational attainment, and alleviating unemployment distress. The intent of this paper is to provide the field’s advocates with a synthesis of these empirical findings which they can use to effectively make their case with legislative bodies. Relatively concise executive summaries are provided of the scientific evidence supporting the leisure services field’s contributions to seven elements of alleviating social problems: reducing environmental stress, community regeneration, cultural and historical preservation, facilitating healthy lifestyles, alleviating deviant behavior among youth, raising levels of educational attainment, and alleviating unemployment distress. By aligning with these seven issues which are increasingly prominent on political agendas, it is suggested that leisure services can be repositioned from being relatively discretionary services to being a central element in the strategies used by government entities to address these issues of concern.