Conduct the Visitor Services Program and Visitor Survey Card project in units of the National Park System
Project ID: J8W07060002
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: University of Idaho
Fiscal Year: 2006
Initial Funding: $342,400
Total Funding: $1,291,292
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Social
National Park: National Projects
Principal Investigator: Hollenhorst, Steve
Agreement Technical Representative: Littlejohn, Margaret
Abstract: The National Park Service (NPS) Visitor Service Project (VSP), part of the University of Idaho Park Studies Unit will conduct two types of visitor studies: in-depth and the Visitor Survey Card through this task agreement. Over 150 in-depth VSP visitor studies have been conducted in over 130 units of the National Park System since 1988. The VSP anticipates conducting at least 11 in-depth visitor studies per year. Park superintendents request and fund these studies to provide important information for park planning and management. Each study uses a customized mail-back questionnaire, follows established VSP methodology (based on Don Dillman’s Tailored Design Method, and takes approximately one year to complete.
The Visitor Survey Card (VSC) project conducts annual surveys at all units of the National Park System to measure performance related to goals for the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. The standardized survey card, which started in 1998, is used at all parks that receive enough visitation to obtain valid results.
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