Resident survey version 3

OMB Approval #: 0648-xxxx
Expiration Date:
Version 3

Monroe County Resident Survey

Your answers are voluntary and confidential.
Your name will never be released to anyone unless otherwise required by law. After the completion
of the project all materials identifying you as an individual will be destroyed.

This is a cooperative research project of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour
including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data
need, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or
any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to U.S. Department
of Commerce, Clearance Officer, Office of Chief Information Officer, Rm. 6625, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20230. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall
any person be subject to penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

Resident Survey
1.

Overall, how would you rate Monroe County as a place to live?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Please circle letter corresponding to your answer

2.

There are many reasons that people choose to live where they do in Florida. What are the two
most important reasons you chose to live in Monroe County?

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.

No special reason
Born here
Job or business
Climate
Environment
Access to natural resources, such as natural settings and wildlife
Opportunities for water activities, such as fishing or diving
Low crime rate
Cultural activities
Retirement
Some other reason (specify)

Please circle letters corresponding to the two most important reasons
3.

In the past 12 months, have you done any outdoor recreation activities in the Florida Keys?

a.
b.

Yes
No

(Go to Part A)
(Go to Part G)

Please use the enclosed White Card-Activities List to see what we mean by outdoor recreation

Page 

Part A: Outdoor recreation activities during the past 12 months in the Florida Keys
Please use the enclosed Activities List and map to help you answer the questions in this section
A1.

Which of the activities on the enclosed Activities List did you or someone in your household do
in the Florida Keys during the last 12 months?

A2.

Pleas fill in the circle for each activity you, yourself did during the past 12 months in the Upper
Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West?

A3.

On how many different days did you, yourself participate in each activity in the Upper Keys,
Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West?
Only answer for those activities you listed with an A on the end of the activity number

A4.

How many others (excluding yourself) in your household did each activity in the Upper Keys,
Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West?

A1

Activity

Page 

Upper Keys
A2

Islamorada

Marathon

Lower Keys

Key West

A3
A4
A2
A3
A4
A2
A3
A4
A2
A3
A4
A2
A3
A4
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Resp. days others Resp. days others Resp. days others Resp. days others Resp. days others

A5.

What would you say is the most important activity you did in the Florida Keys?

Most Important Activity

No Activity Most Important (fill in box)

A6.

Page 

(Activity List Number)

On how many different days did you participate in outdoor recreation activities outside the
Florida Keys during the past 12 months?
(# of days)

Part B: Reef use in the Florida Keys during the past 12 months. Both artificial and

natural reefs.
Please use Blue Card with Activities List for reef use and map of the Florida Keys in answering Part B
B1.

Which activities did you or someone in your household do on either artificial or natural reefs
during the past 12 months in the Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West?
If you did not do anything in a region, check the box indicating no reef use in the region

B2.

Please fill in the circle for each activity you, yourself, did during the past 12 months in the Upper
Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West.

B3.

How many others in your household did each activity on the reefs in the Upper Keys, Islamorada,
Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the past 12 months?

B4.

On how many different days did you, yourself, participate in each activity on the reefs in the
Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the past 12 months?

B5.

On how many different days did you, yourself, participate in each activity on the artificial reefs in
the Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the past 12 months?

B6.

On how many different days did you, yourself, participate in each activity on the natural reefs in
the Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the past 12 months?
Note: If you did part of a day on an artificial reef and part of a day
on a natural reef, count one whole day on each type of reef

B7.

How many different dives did you, yourself, make for each type of diving activity you did on the
reefs in the Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the past 12
months?
Diving activities include all snorkeling and scuba diving activities on the Blue Card-Activities List (Reef)
A dive is defined as an entry and exit from the water to snorkel or scuba dive

B8.

How many different dives did you, yourself, make for each type of diving activity you did on the
artificial reefs in the Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the
past 12 months?

B9.

How many different dives did you, yourself, make for each type of diving activity you did on the
natural reefs in the Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West during the past
12 months?
Please refer to Questions B1 - B9 when filling in the tables on the following two pages
There is one table for each of the five regions of the Florida Keys
(Upper Keys, Islamorada, Marathon, Lower Keys and Key West)

Page 

No Reef Use
B1

Activity

B2

Resp.

B3
#
Others

Upper Keys
B4

B5

B6

Respondent
# of days

# days
artificial

# days
natural

No Reef Use
B1

Activity

B2

Resp.

B3
#
Others

Activity

Page 

B2

Resp.

B3
#
Others

Respondent
# dives

B8
# dives
artificial

B9
# dives
natural

Islamorada
B4

B5

B6

Respondent
# of days

# days
artificial

# days
natural

No Reef Use
B1

B7

B7
Respondent
# dives

B8
# dives
artificial

B9
# dives
natural

Marathon
B4

B5

B6

Respondent
# of days

# days
artificial

# days
natural

B7
Respondent
# dives

B8
# dives
artificial

B9
# dives
natural

No Reef Use
B1

Activity

B2

Resp.

B3
#
Others

Lower Keys
B4

B5

B6

Respondent
# of days

# days
artificial

# days
natural

No Reef Use
B1

Activity

Page 

B2

Resp.

B3
#
Others

B7
Respondent
# dives

B8
# dives
artificial

B9
# dives
natural

Key West
B4

B5

B6

Respondent
# of days

# days
artificial

# days
natural

B7
Respondent
# dives

B8
# dives
artificial

B9
# dives
natural

Part C: Specialization
In this section, we are interested in learning more about your primary activity. Please answer
the following questions based on the response you gave to QUESTION A5.
For the four questions below, please read the four choices and circle the one answer that best
fits you for that question.

C1. When I participate in my primary activity, I feel like:
1
2

3
4

a beginner. I don’t really feel like I am part of the activity scene.
an occasional or irregular participant. Sometimes it is fun, entertaining or rewarding
to do my activity.
a habitual and regular participant in the activity.
an insider to the sport. The activity is an important part of who I am.

C2. During my activity, I can best be described as:
1

2

3

4

having very little understanding of the activity. I am often unsure about how to do certain
things when I go.
having some understanding of the activity, but still in the process of learning
more about the sport. I am becoming more familiar and comfortable with the activity.
being comfortable with the sport. I have a good understanding of what I can do,
and how to do it.
a knowledgeable expert in the sport. I encourage, teach and enhance opportunities for others
who are interested in the activity.

C3. My relationships with others who do the activity are:
1
2

3
4

not established. I really don’t know any other people who do the activity.
very limited. I know some others in the activity by sight and sometimes talk with them, but I
don’t know their names.
one of familiarity. I know the names of others who do the activity, and often speak with them.
close. I have personal and close relationships with others in the activity. These friendships
often revolve around the activity.

C4. My commitment to the activity is:
1

2
3

4

very slight. I have very little connection to the activity. I may or may not continue to participate
in the sport in the future.
moderate. I will continue to do it as it is entertaining and provides the benefits I want.
fairly strong. I have a sense of being a member of the activity, and it is likely that I will continue
to do it for a long time.
very strong. I am totally committed to the activity. I encourage others to participate in the sport
and seek to ensure the activity continues into the future.

C5. If you had to replace all of the equipment that you currently own for your primary activity
with similar equipment, how much would it cost to replace?

Page 

$______________AMOUNT TO REPLACE PRIMARY ACTIVITY EQUIPMENT

Part D: Knowledge, Attitudes & Perceptions of Sanctuary Management Strategies and

Regulations
In 1990, Congress and the President established the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). The
FKNMS is just one of 13 National Marine Sanctuaries in the U.S, which are managed by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). After a long public process and approval by the Governor and Cabinet
of Florida, regulations were established and implemented in July 1997. The FKNMS is cooperatively managed
with the State of Florida. This survey asks about your knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of FKNMS management strategies and regulations and conditions of the resources in the FKNMS. There are no right or wrong
answers; we simply want your honest opinions. Again, your privacy will be protected. No one will be given
information that will allow them to identify you from survey data.

INFORMATION AND PERCEPTIONS
In this section of the survey, we want to know about how you get information about the FKNMS, which covers
all the waters surrounding the Florida Keys/Key West. A map is included with this booklet showing the boundaries of the FKNMS. We also ask questions about the public process in creating the management strategies and
regulations and ask about your opinions about the existence of the FKNMS and an appraisal of how well the
area is being managed.
D1.

Please list the sources of information that you have received in the past on the FKNMS and rank
the sources in terms of their usefulness. Place an “x” for each source used. Please rank each
source 1=highest (most important) to 9=lowest (least important).

SOURCE

a.
FKNMS website

b.
FKNMS Staff

c.
Sanctuary Advisory Council

d.
FKNMS brochures/literature

e.
FKNMS signage

D2.

f.
g.
h.
i.

Information in newspapers
Radio
TV
Word of mouth

Sources
Used
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____

RANK
Sources
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______

Was signage easy to see?
__ Yes __ No __ N/A

Did you do any activities through a Dive Shop in the Florida Keys/Key West?

___ YES (Go to Question 3) ___ NO (Go to Question 6)

D3.
Did the Dive Shop staff, either in the Dive Shop or onboard the boat, give you a briefing

and/or education materials on how you should behave on the reefs to avoid damaging the

reefs?

___ YES (Go to Question 4) ___ NO (Go to Question 6)
D4.

Did you find the information useful? __ YES (Go to Question 6) __ NO (Go to Question 5)

D5.

Please tell us why you didn’t find the information useful and what kinds of information you
would have liked to receive.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Page 

D6.

Have you ever rented a boat or personal watercraft (Jet Ski, wave runner, etc.) in the Florida
Keys/Key West?

D7.

___ YES (Go to Question 7) ___ NO (Go to Question 10)

Did the boat rental operation provide you with a briefing and/or education materials on how
to navigate or how to behave while on the reefs or information on special zones where you
are not allowed to motor the boat?

D8.

___ YES (Go to Question 8) ___ NO (Go to Question 10)

Did you find the information useful?

D9.

__ YES (Go to Question 10) __ NO (Go to Question 9)

Please tell us why you didn’t find the information useful and what kinds of information you
would have liked to receive.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

For the next set of questions, please provide an answer on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 means Strongly Agree, 2
means Moderately Agree, 3 means Neutral or Neither Agree or Disagree, 4 means Moderately Disagree, and 5
means Strongly Disagree. Please circle the appropriate number or I don’t know, if you simply have no knowledge on the issue.
D10.

The process that NOAA has used to develop rules and regulations for the FKNMS was open and
fair to all groups.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D11. The process used by NOAA to develop boundaries and regulations for the FKNMS zones was

open and fair to all groups.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D12. It has not mattered whether the average person participated in the workshops and meetings

on the FKNMS because the average person could not influence the final decisions.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D13. NOAA has not addressed the concerns of local and state governments in developing rules

and regulations for the FKNMS.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D14. NOAA has not addressed the concerns of individual citizens in developing rules and

regulations for the FKNMS.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D15. Once that the regulations have been in effect, there has been no way that the average person

could voice his/her opinion on the usefulness of the regulations.

Page 

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D16. The procedures that NOAA has established to deal with violations of FKNMS regulations

have been fair and just.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D17. NOAA has made a positive contribution to the marine environment via the National Marine

Sanctuary Program.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D18. The Florida Keys have benefited environmentally from the FKNMS.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D19. There has been a net economic benefit to the Florida Keys from the establishment of the

FKNMS.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

D20. I generally support the establishment of the FKNMS.

1

2

3

4

5

I don’t know

For the next set of questions, we want to find out how important you think the FKNMS is in affecting the Florida
Keys/Key West as your place of residence and/or as a place to undertake your outdoor recreation activities.
D21. Did you know before this survey that all the waters surrounding the Florida Keys/Key West

are in a National Marine Sanctuary?

___ YES ___ NO

D22. Do you think having all the waters surrounding the Florida Keys/Key West in a National

Marine Sanctuary makes the area a more attractive place to live and/or undertake your

outdoor recreation activities?

___ YES ___ NO

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1=Not Important, 2=Somewhat Important, 3=Important, 4=Very Important and 5=Extremely Important.
D23. Again, regarding the Florida Keys/Key West as a place to live and/or undertake outdoor

recreation activities, how important was the fact that all the waters surrounding the Florida

Keys/Key West was in a National Marine Sanctuary?

Please circle the appropriate number or “dk” for don’t know.

1

2

3

4

5

dk

D24. When planning your outdoor recreation activities in the Florida Keys/Key West, did you

know that there were special zones where certain activities are restricted or not allowed?

Page 10

___ YES ___ NO

There are five kinds of zones established within the FKNMS, and three of these zone types analyzed for this
study are collectively referred to as ‘FKNMS zones’ in the survey. Zones allow different uses and are generally established for different purposes. Below, a short, general description for each of the three zone types is
provided.
Sanctuary Preservation Areas, or SPAs, encompass discrete, biologically important areas and are designed to
reduce user conflicts and sustain critical marine species and habitats. Regulations for SPAs are designed to limit
consumptive activities while continuing to allow activities that do not threaten resource protection. There are 18
SPAs in the FKNMS, which limit consumptive activities (activities where you take something) and 4 that are set
aside for research only.
Ecological Reserves, or ERs, encompass large, contiguous, diverse habitats, in order to protect and enhance
natural spawning, nursery, and permanent-residence areas for the replenishment and genetic protection of fish
and other marine life. Regulations for Ecological Reserves are designed to meet the objectives of these zones
by limiting consumptive activities while continuing to allow activities that do not threaten resource protection.
Ecological Reserves therefore restrict all consumptive activities and allow non-consumptive activities only where
such activities are compatible with resource protection. There are currently two Ecological Reserves in the Sanctuary, the Western Sambos Ecological Reserve and the Tortugas Ecological Reserve.
Wildlife Management Areas, or WMAs, include bird nesting, resting, or feeding areas, turtle-nesting beaches,
and other sensitive habitats. Regulations are designed to protect these species or the habitat while providing for
public use. Access restrictions will include no-access buffers, no-motor zones, idle-speed only/no-wake zones,
and closed zones. Some restrictions will apply to time periods, others to areas. There are currently 27 WMAs,
of which 7 are managed exclusively by the FKNMS (the FKNMS co-manages the others with the US Fish and
Wildlife Service).

Page 11

The next set of questions asks about your opinions on the three types of zones. Please answer each question for each type of zone. Answer by placing an “x” in the space for each type of zone. Leaving a space blank
means you don’t think the statement applies to that type of zone.

ER

SPA

WMA

___
___

___
___

___
___

___
___
___

___
___
___

___
___
___

___
___
___
___

___
___
___
___

___
___
___
___

___

___

___

D28. FKNMS zones have been effective in restoring coral reefs in the Florida Keys
to what they used to be.
___

___

___

D29. I support the establishment of FKNMS zones as they are currently
established.

___

___

___

D30. I support the establishment of FKNMS zones in the Upper Keys.

___

___

___

D31. I support the establishment of FKNMS zones in the Middle Keys.

___

___

___

D32. I support the establishment of FKNMS zones in the Lower Keys.

___

___

___

D33. I support the establishment of FKNMS zones in the Dry Tortugas.

___

___

___

D34. There should be more FKNMS zones in the Florida Keys.

___

___

___

D25. Which of the following represents the main purpose of the FKNMS zones?

a. Increasing overall fish stocks and biomass within the zones

b. Increasing overall fish stocks and biomass outside the zones

c. Conserving and protecting corals, fish, and other marine life inside the

zones

d. Resolving user conflicts

e. Supporting scientific research

D26. Which groups have most benefited from FKNMS zones?

a. Commercial fishers

b. Recreational/sport fishers

c. Commercial dive operators

d. Recreational (local and tourist) divers
D27. FKNMS zones have reduced conflicts between different user groups

For questions 30 through 33, please refer to the map of the FKNMS.

D35. Do you use any of the FKNMS zones? __ YES (Go to Question 36) __ NO (Go Question 39)
D36. Which ones do you use? ______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
D37. Since the FKNMS zones were established, has your use:
INCREASED ___%

SAME DECREASED ___%

Please circle answer and fill in estimate of percentage of how your use increased or decreased.

Page 12

D38.

For the each of the different types of FKNMS zones that you use, could you rate how the
zones have changed for each of the following items: Please rate them on a scale of 1 to 5
with 1 being Better to 5 being Worse. Leaving a space blank means you didn’t use that type
of zone.

Better--------------Worse
1 2
3
4
5

a. Water quality
b. Number of fish
c. Types of fish
d. Amount of living coral
e. Other marine life
f. Crowding

ER
___
___
___
___
___
___

SPA
___
___
___
___
___
___

WMA
___
___
___
___
___
___

The final set of questions ask about how effective you think the FKNMS has been in managing the natural resources in the surrounding waters of the Florida Keys/Key West.
D39. Please rate the status/condition of the following resources by their status/condition since

implementation of the FKNMS, where 1 equals Much Better and 5 is Much Worse and “dk” is

don’t know.

Please circle your answer.

a. Water quality
b. Land-based pollution/sewage
c. Sea-based pollution/marine debris
d. Coral reefs
e. Sea grasses
f. Fisheries
g. Mooring buoys

1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Better-------------Worse
2
2
2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4
4
4

5
5
5
5
5
5
5

dk
dk
dk
dk
dk
dk
dk

For the following statement (Question 40), please circle your answer according to the following scale:
1=Strongly Agree, 2=Moderately Agree, 3=Neutral (neither agree or disagree), 4=Moderately Disagree,
5=Strongly Disagree
D40. The FKNMS is mostly responsible for the status/condition of the resources that you rated in

the previous question.

1

Page 13

2

3

4

5

dk

D41. In which area(s) has the FKNMS been a success?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
D42. In which area(s) has the FKNMS been least successful?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
D43. Are there any management strategies or regulations which you would like to see changed in

the FKNMS?

Please briefly describe the top three management strategies or regulations you would like to
see changed and how you would like to see them changed.

Management Strategy or Regulation

How I would like to see it changed.

a. _______________________________________
_______________________________________

________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

b. _______________________________________
_______________________________________

________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

c. _______________________________________
_______________________________________

________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

Page 14

Part E: Demographic Profile
In this final section, we need to know information about you and your household to make sure we have a
representative sample of Monroe County residents.
Again, your privacy will be protected and any information identifying you or your household will not be revealed
to anyone.
E1.

How many people in your household are permanent residents of Monroe County, Florida?

number of people

E2.

How many of these people are at least 16 years of age?

E3.

What is the closest mile marker to your residence?

E4.

Do you have access to the water from your residence?

E5.

Do you own a boat?

E6.

How many years have you lived in Monroe County?

E7.

In what year were you born?

E8.

Are you Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin?

E9.

What race do you consider yourself?

Yes

number of people
mile marker number
Yes

No

No
number of years

year
Yes

No

Please circle one or more of the letter(s) that best describes you

E10.

A
B
C
D
E

White
Black or African American
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?
Please circle the letter of the category that best describes you

Page 15

A
B
C
D
E
F

8th Grade or Less
9th to 11th Grade
12th Grade, High School Grad, GED
13 to 15 Years (some college or vocational training)
College Graduate
Graduate School, Law School, Medical School

E11.

What is your employment status?
Please circle the letter or letters of all those that apply

A
B
C
D

Unemployed
E
Employed full-time
F
Employed part-time
G
Retired

E12.

Do you work outside Monroe County?

E13.

What is your zip code?

E14.

What is your total household income, before taxes.

Yes

Student
Homemaker
None of the above
(specify)
No

Please circle the letter corresponding to the category that best describes your household

Page 16

A
B
B
D
E
F
G
H

Under $5,000
$5,000 to $9,999
$10,000 to $14,999
$15,000 to $19,999
$20,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $29,999
$30,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $39,999

I
J
K
L
M
N
O

$40,000 to $44,999
$45,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $59,999
$60,000 to $74,999
$75,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $149,999
$150,000 or More