Golden Gate NRA socioeconomic monitoring pilot implementation: Summer 2016

Resource Systems Group, Incorporated (RSG)

This report describes the results of a visitor study at Golden Gate National Recreation Area (NRA) conducted from June 17 through June 26, 2016. During the sampling period, 2,946 visitor groups were contacted to participate in the survey. Of those groups, 1,717 agreed to participate in the study by accepting a mail-back survey packet. Questionnaires were completed and returned by 736 visitor groups, resulting in a completion rate of 43% among those visitor groups that agreed to participate in the study and an overall response rate of 25% for the study. A non-response bias check used five, pre-selected non-response bias questions and one observable characteristic of the contacted visitor to compare respondents with non-respondents. The results of the analysis suggest respondents and non-respondents differed significantly with respect to visitor group type. Specifically, respondents were more likely than non-respondents to have visited with family, while non-respondents were more likely than respondents to have visited with friends. Statistical tests of group type effects on key questions in the SEM survey instrument were performed, with differences found for just one of 68 questions. This report profiles a systematic sample of Golden Gate NRA visitors. Most of the results are presented in graphs and frequency tables. Summaries of visitor comments are included in the body of the report. Verbatim comments are included in the Visitor Comment Appendix (bound separately). Forty percent (40%) of visitor groups were groups of two, and 37% of visitor groups were groups of three or more members. Forty-six percent (46%) of visitor groups identified as families. Fourteen percent (14%) of visitors were 65 years old or older, 19% of visitors were 55 to 64 years old, 32% of visitors were 35 to 54 years old, 21% of visitors were 18 to 34 years old, and 15% of visitors were under 18 years old. Hispanic or Latino visitors comprised 10% of visitation during the survey period. Most visitors (86%) were White. Fewer visitors were Asian (10%), Black or African American (2%), Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (1%), or American Indian or Alaska Native (1%). Nearly all visitor groups preferred to speak (95%) and read (96%) English when visiting an area such as Golden Gate NRA. Individuals from the United States comprised 87% of total visitation during the survey period. At the state level, 70% of visitors were from California, and smaller proportions of visitors were from 42 other states. International visitors comprised 13% of total visitation with 18% of international visitors from Australia, 16% from the United Kingdom, and smaller proportions of visitors from 23 other countries. Forty-seven percent (47%) of visitors indicated having visited the park only once during the last 12 months, while 34% had visited five or more times during the past year. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of visitors indicated that they had not visited another National Park Service (NPS) site within the past 12 months and 24% of visitors indicated that they visited five or more NPS sites during the past year. Seventy-six percent (76%) of visitor groups obtained information about Golden Gate NRA prior to this trip. The most commonly reported information sources used were previous visits (51%), and friends/relatives/word of mouth (34%). The vast majority (94%) of visitor groups had the information they needed about Golden Gate NRA for their trip. Eighty-one percent (81%) of visitor groups used a car, truck, or SUV to get from their home to the park. Sixty-five percent (65%) of visitor groups spent up to one hour traveling from their home to the park. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of visitor groups traveled up to 25 miles from their home to get to the park.

Golden Gate NRA socioeconomic monitoring pilot implementation: Summer 2016

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