Exploring differences in mountain landscape preferences and perceptions between Austrian and United States protected area visitors

Based on the assumption that history and cultural backgrounds form human perception, this study compared mountain landscape preferences and landscape perceptions between protected area visitors in Austria and in eastern Oregon, United States. On-site visitors to the Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area in eastern Oregon (n = 100) and the Gesäuse National Park in Austria (n = 100) were queried about their landscape preferences and perceptions. Perceptions were assessed through use of the information-processing theory (Kaplan and Kaplan 1989). The respondents rated the same set of eight images depicting mountain landscapes with various intensities of human impact. Differences in landscape preferences were found, with higher preferences of the eastern Oregon sample for more intensively used landscapes. The results demonstrated a strong explanatory power of the informational predictor variables, in particular for the Austrian sample. Mystery was a consistent predictor for preferences, while legibility was not. Landscape preferences and perceptions are not homogenous between the samples, despite their similar cultural background. Management implications are included.