Determinants of social attitudes towards fees and restrictions on the use of the Wielkopolska National Park

The purpose of this paper was to present the results of research on the willingness of visitors to Wielkopolska National Park (WNP) to pay fees for using its resources and to assess their attitudes towards hypothetical restrictions on access to the park. The analysis was based on survey data from 2012 and 2025, obtained using the following techniques: Paper and Pencil Interviewing (PAPI) and online surveys based on the Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) technique, administered via Internet platforms. A total of 860 valid questionnaires were examined, and a logit model and correspondence analysis were used for the investigation. The findings suggest that the propensity to pay fees is mostly contingent upon the extent of awareness of natural values, the inclination to engage in park maintenance, perspectives on environmental financing mechanisms, and affiliation with environmental organisations. In turn, demographic factors proved to be insignificant. The analysis of the expected compensation for access restrictions demonstrated the influence of age, gender, environmental views, and distance from the WNP. The research findings corroborate that respondents’ attitudes towards environmental financing are predominantly influenced by their environmental awareness and beliefs.