Alterations of recreational preferences depending on ethnicity and gender: An example of Middle East Technical University

As in many places of the world many ethnic groups that have various cultural characteristics live together in our country too. While planning recreational areas, by considering that different people with different demands, needs, and traditional habbits will use the area, target group should be analysed in all ways. Thus both the demand to recreational area and the quality of user?s experiences in the area can be raised.In this study, a questionaire was applied to totally 200 Turkish and foreigner students of Middle East Technical University which placed in Ankara, intending to determine the diffrences of recreational preferences based on their ethnicity and gender. In the light of the gathered data it was explored how participants? recreational activity preferences and their expectations of recreational areas were effected by their ethnicity and gender together and desperately and also by their other socio-economic characteristics. Consequently; it was determined that the recreational activity preferences and the expectations of recreational area of participants varied according to their both genders and ethnicity. Compared to each other, ethnicity was found to be more effective on the recreational activity and area preferences than gender.Key Words: Recreation, Ethnicity, Gender, Recreational Preferences