National Park Service comprehensive survey of the American public: 2018 – broad comparisons to the 2000 and 2008–2009 surveys

Resource Systems Group (RSG); Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center (WYSAC)

In 2018, the National Park Service (NPS) conducted its third Comprehensive Survey of the American Public (CSAP3), a nationwide telephone survey consisting of 25-minute interviews with more than 2,700 adult respondents across the United States. The survey obtained information on public attitudes and behaviors related to programs and services provided by the NPS, demographic characteristics, and recent visitation behavior. This third iteration of the survey also incorporated new modules focused on program awareness and youth engagement with the National Park System. The present report compares CSAP3 results to results obtained in 2000 (CSAP1) and 2008-2009 (CSAP2) for the subset of questions that were repeated across all three survey efforts. It also discusses methodological differences across the three surveys that are essential to interpreting the findings. Comparisons across the three surveys indicate that the percentage of recent (i.e., within the last two years) and lifetime visitors to NPS units has increased; over 90% of respondents indicated in 2018 that they have visited an NPS unit at some point in their lives and half named a valid NPS unit that they had visited within the past two years. Similarly, the percentage of respondents planning a visit within the next 12 months has steadily increased, nearly reaching half of all respondents in 2018. With respect to perceived barriers to visitation among non-visitors, the most notable trends across the three surveys include a decline in the percentage of respondents indicating that NPS units are too crowded, an increase in the percentage indicating that they lack information about what to do at NPS units, and an increase in the percentage indicating that NPS units are not accessible to the physically disabled. Finally, overall satisfaction with the NPS among recent visitors has increased across the three surveys, with over 90% indicating that they were satisfied with the NPS in 2018. The comparisons presented here are suggestive but not definitive regarding trends over time. Any apparent change (or stability) could result from methodological differences in the three surveys and/or non-response bias due to declining response rates.

National Park Service comprehensive survey of the American public: 2018 – broad comparisons to the 2000 and 2008–2009 surveys

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