The study analyzes consumers’ perceptions of unruly behavior, examining how frequently they witness it, fall victim to such conduct and engage in such actions. The analysis across tourism, hospitality and related industries offers insights into unruly behavior across different settings.
The study used an online survey administered by Prolific to US travelers (aged 18+) to investigate perceived unruly guest behavior among fellow consumers.
While findings indicate that certain unruly behaviors are common across sectors, others may vary due to customers’ demographics, crowd density and physical layout. The most disruptive behaviors, both self- and other-induced, were recorded by airline passengers and by theme park visitors. Factor analysis identified three dimensions of unruly behavior: irritating deviance, harmful deviance and disturbing deviance. One-way ANOVA results showed that theme park visitors scored significantly higher on disturbing deviance than airline passengers and restaurant patrons.
The study employed an online data collection technique, relying solely on self-reported incidents, which might not fully capture real-life reactions to unruly behavior in the various sectors studied.
Understanding the specific types of unruly behaviors that are common in each sector can guide the development of targeted interventions and policies to improve the overall guest and employee experience.
Existing research explores problematic guest behavior in public spaces but lacks a cross-sector comparison. This study analyzes its occurrence across eight sectors, as each faces unique challenges due to specific environments and stakeholder interactions. The findings contribute new knowledge and provide theoretical and practical recommendations.
