In this study, Drs. Gill Valentine and John McKendrick surveyed 400 socio-economically diverse parents in Northwest England who had 8 to 11 year old children. They conducted an in-depth interview with 70 of these parents to investigate their opinions about public facilities and play spaces, as well as specific concerns (e.g., safety) that might be influencing children's access to these spaces. In analyzing their data, the authors found that most parents were dissatisfied with public play facilities in their neighborhoods and that there were differences in parents' opinions about these facilities based on social class, family status (e.g., single or two parent household), and geographic area (urban vs. rural). Despite this overall perceived lack of opportunity, however, Drs. Valentine and McKendrick found that parental restrictions play the largest role in determining children's play opportunities and that even if there were enough adequate play facilities, many parents would not allow their children to use them based on their concerns about safety related to traffic and strangers. Additionally, they found that family status (e.g., single or two parent household) impacts children's play experience and that social interaction among mothers plays an important role in determining what is acceptable regarding children's outdoor play.
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