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CHAPTER 9 SOCIOECONOMIC INFLUENCES ON RESOURCE USE
9.1 Introduction
This chapter will examine whether significant relationships exist between the types of resource uses that people engage in and their socioeconomic characteristics.
Mean values of respondent’s socioeconomic variables including EDUCATION
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, AGE, WEALTH, time as a resident in Mahahual [MIGRATION], and days per
months that the respondent lives in Mahahual [RESIDENCY] were examined for each resource use category. Descriptions of socioeconomic variables may be found in
chapter six. The t-test was used to test statistical significance of observed differences between mean values of the socioeconomic characteristics and groupings formed by
resource use categories. For example, the mean age of respondents that engage in spear fishing is compared with the mean age of respondents that do not spear fish.
Table 9.1 presents probabilities associated with these tests for all of the variables.
Table 9.1 Socioeconomic characteristics of resource users Resource Use EDUCATION
AGE WEALTH Factor 1
WEALTH Factor 2
MIGRATION RESIDENCY
Tourism 0.579
0.83 0.673
0.793 0.469
0.480 Agriculture
0.553 0.332
0.789 0.448
0.905 0.273
Fishing 0.579
0.83 0.673
0.793 0.469
0.480 Spear
0.174 0.023
0.720 0.439
0.965 0.284
Hook 0.164
0.527 0.093
0.190 0.422
- Palangre
0.775 0.780
0.720
0.022
0.998 0.273
Net 0.673
0.200 0.882
0.680 0.319
0.028
T-Test used to determine probability Probabilities in bold denote a statistically significant relationship
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Throughout this thesis, when age, education, wealth, migration, and residency appear in all capitals EDUCATION, AGE, WEALTH, MIGRATION, and RESIDENCY this will refer to their respective
measured variables. For example, EDUCATION will refer to the variable measuring respondents’ years of formal educational attainment. Likewise, WEALTH will refer to scores on the material style
of life scale constructed in chapter 6. All socioeconomic variables are described in chapter 6
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9.2 Analysis of Socioeconomic Influences on Coastal Resource Use
As indicated by table 9.1, there were no significant relationships between general categories of resource use farming, tourism, and fishing and the
socioeconomic characteristics of respondents. However, when frequent fishing practices were broken down into the main gear types spear, hook and line, palangre,
and nets, two significant relationships became apparent. Respondents were considered frequent users of a specific gear type if they ranked it as the primary or
secondary gear type.
Table 9.1 indicates that AGE was significantly related to respondents’ engagement in spear fishing. Spear fishermen were an average of 11 years younger
than other respondents. WEALTH factor 2 was significantly related to engagement in using palangre. Respondents that utilize palangre have a mean WEALTH score
WEALTH factor 2 of .909 more than respondents that do not
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. The amount of time that respondents reside in Mahahual was significantly related to the use of nets.
Respondents that utilize nets live in Mahahual an average of 4 days per month more than respondents that do not.
9.3 Discussion of Socioeconomic Influences on Coastal Resource Use
Kategori