Examination of the relationship between service quality and user loyalty.

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of using the 25-item REQUAL scale in the context of a small southern YMCA, and to begin to examine the relationship between service quality and activity loyalty. One hundred adult participants in two aquatic programs at a small YMCA were selected for this exploratory study. Participants' loyalty was conceptualized as a two-dimensional construct, comprised of attitudinal and behavioral components. No significant differences were found between loyalty type and importance of the five dimensions of service quality. Similarly, no significant differences were found between the most important dimension (reliability) and the least important dimension (assurance) and type of user loyalty. Results of the analyses of variance showed that there were significant differences between participant loyalty and gaps in three service quality dimensions (reliability, assurance and responsiveness). Implications for service quality marketing are discussed.