Knowledge mapping of relative deprivation theory and its applicability in tourism research

Abstract Tourism research urgently requires the introduction of new theories to address current issues and challenges. Relative deprivation theory may be the key to effectively explaining the attitudes and behaviours of tourism multistakeholders and resolving tourism conflicts. This study uses CiteSpace to conduct a citation space analysis of relative deprivation theory and draws knowledge mappings to reveal its research foundation, research hotspots, and frontiers to discuss the practical possibility of its application to tourism research. The results show that the research content of relative deprivation theory involves 12 knowledge clusters, including subjective well-being, collective action, socioeconomic inequality, in-group attitudes, and relative deprivation theory, and that its theoretical framework is well suited to the context of tourism research. Tourism-related relative deprivation faces practical challenges and has the potential for theoretical innovation. This study focuses on the perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours of stakeholders and anticipates future research on tourism relative deprivation from the three aspects of multi-interest research subjects, multidimensional research contents, and multiperspective theoretical expansion, which indicate future research directions while revealing the possible innovation of relative deprivation theory.