Who Belongs in The Outdoors? : A qualitative study on how perceptions of (in)justice influence Swedish immigrants’ motivation to recreate in the outdoors

Sammanfattning: Outdoor recreation was established in Sweden about 100-150 years ago and its practices and organization were at that time dominated by a white male upper class. Today, Swedish outdoor recreation is guided by public policy, imploring for everyone’s equal value, and right to experience and be outdoors, regardless of age, color, or gender. Data from Statistics Sweden however show that persons born in Sweden are active in outdoor recreational activities to a higher degree than persons born outside Sweden. The data, undeniably, confirm that Swedish immigrants are taking part at a lower rate in outdoor recreation than those who are born in Sweden. Although the topic is relevant, there is still limited data about Swedish immigrants’ outdoor recreational patterns. This study thus aims to fill this research gap by exploring how perceptions of (in)justice emerge in Swedish immigrants’ outdoor recreational patterns and how it may influence their motivation to participate in outdoor recreation. The study employs the theoretical lens of Environmental Justice (EJ). Few studies have used EJ to analyze access to outdoor recreation. This approach, therefore, offers a unique way of analyzing (in)justice issues in the Swedish outdoor context. This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews which were conducted with eighteen Swedish immigrants. A narrative analysis was employed as it allowed the researcher to explore perceived (in)justices experienced by Swedish immigrants and offers a way of investigating the lived experiences of individuals. The results of the study show that the outdoors is less accessible to immigrants due to a distributive injustice of benefits, lack of representation and recognition, and lack of just participation in decision-making processes These perceived injustices prevent Swedish immigrants from participating equally and fairly in the outdoors and influences their motivations to recreate.