4.1. Descriptive Statistics
fits
RECRUITMENT
An initial group of 269 participants filled in the recruitment form and intake questionnaire. Random assignment led to a relatively even division across the four experimental groups (popularity-driven passive n = 71; policy-driven passive n = 65; popularity-driven conversational n = 61; policy-driven conversational n = 72). Of these, 268 filled in at least one daily questionnaire and 132 filled in a daily questionnaire on the last day of their vacation. The responses between the different questionnaires presented to each participant do not overlap fully. The sample as measured by the intake questionnaire was over three-quarters female (76%) with a mean age of 44 years (sd = 11 years). About two-thirds (65%) of participants possessed bachelor or higher degrees of education, while the remaining 35% had vocational degrees. A large majority went on vacation with either their partner (14%) or family (79%). The average age fits almost exactly with previous national research on visitors to Overijssel (M. Kompanje, personal communication, date). Participants had booked their stay for an average of 9.33 days (sd = 5.54).Participants generally enjoyed their vacations, the destination, and the destination information source to which they were assigned. On average participants graded their vacation with a 7.77 (sd = 1.25) and were quite likely to recommend their accommodation (mean = 8.10, sd = 1.67) and Overijssel (mean = 8.38, sd = 1.15). They were also mildly positive about the information source to which they were assigned (mean = 6.08, sd = 2.71). Average daily positive emotions were approximately normally distributed, with a mean of 3.19 on a 5-point scale (sd = 0.58). Negative emotions were extremely positively skewed, as usual for tourism datasets, with very few participants reporting much of any negative emotion at all (mean = 1.31, sd = 0.28).