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The purpose of this paper is to identify tourist activity inhibitors (causes of non‐participation in tourism), assess their impact strength and analyze the social disproportion and exclusion in terms of tourism participation. The paper also presents the deficiencies in the research methods and proposes modifications that pertain to method and terms.

Empirical studies pertain to Polish residents' leisure trips in 2005. The sample (1,026 persons) fulfills the requirements for the general Polish population, aged 15 years and older. The statistical methods used were the χ² test, the tau B‐Kendall rank correlation coefficient, factor analysis, cluster analysis, and ANOVA. The analyses include the top ten reasons for non‐participation in leisure trips, and are divided on the basis of the length of such trips (longer than seven days and shorter than seven days).

The research reveals great social diversity in tourism, which results from numerous interdependent factors. However, both the standards and the attributes of tourist activity are a measure of social diversification and exclusion rather than their cause. The analyses that this research carries out indicate the existence of deficiencies in terms of methodology employed in the identification of causes of not participating in tourism. These deficiencies pertain mainly to the randomness of inhibitor selection by different authors and various institutions for this particular activity. Subsequently this situation creates an obstacle when comparing results of studies. Another issue deals with the quite vague distribution of causes in the surveys, which on the other hand prevent respondents from giving clear answers. The cluster analysis carried out for trips lasting a week or longer reveals that the first cluster (60 percent) is the most uniform, being made up of people who most often lack money, and seldom mention the other inhibitors. The second cluster (20 percent) is much more diverse, and consists of people who often indicate a few factors – lack of money, lack of time, household obligations, and spending vacations in their place of residence.

Empirical studies were carried out exclusively among Polish residents and included only leisure trips.

Research that diagnoses and partially forecasts the standards and attributes of tourist activity serves as a foundation to support the functioning of the entire tourist industry. The practical significance of this research is determined by the fact that people are constantly seeking to increase the demand for tourist products.

Knowledge about people not participating in tourism is insignificant. This article pertains to the above‐mentioned group of people, focusing especially on the causes of non‐participation. It presents a critical analysis of studies and points out the diversity and inconsistencies in methodology. Problems of the lack of participation in tourism and social exclusion apply to social sciences, especially sociology and economy.