NPS Programmatic Approval Form

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Social Science Program

Expedited Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys

1.

Project Title

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Science Festival Evaluation

Submission Date:

3/8/2011

2.

Abstract:

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO), along with several partner agencies, hosts an annual science festival for families in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The Science Festival is a two-day event giving the public an opportunity to learn about the natural and cultural resources within the Santa Monica Mountains. The proposed survey intends to evaluate current marketing strategies, assess the attendee’s demographics and solicit opportunities to improve the festival. Respondents will be drawn from adults attending the event.

(not to exceed 150 words)

3.

Principal Investigator Contact Information

First Name:

Lena

Last Name:

Lee

Title:

Data Manager

Affiliation:

Mediterranean Coast Network

Street Address:

401 W. Hillcrest Drive

City:

Thousand Oaks

State:

CA

Zip code:

91360

Phone:

805-370-2338

Fax:

805-370-1850

Email:

[email protected]

4.

Park or Program Liaison Contact Information

First Name:

Julie

Last Name:

Fonseca de Borges

Title:

Outreach Coordinator

Park:

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Park Office/Division:

Interpretation/Education

Street Address:

401 W. Hillcrest Drive

City:

Thousand Oaks,

State:

CA

Zip code:

91360

Phone:

805-370-2301

Fax:

805-370-1850

Email:

[email protected]

Project Information

5.

Park(s) For Which Research is to be Conducted:

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

6.

Survey Dates:

4/15/2011

to

4/16/2011

7.

Type of Information Collection Instrument (Check ALL that Apply)

Mail-Back Questionnaire

X On-Site Questionnaire

Face-to-Face Interview

Telephone Survey

Focus Groups

Other (explain)

8. Survey Justification: (Use as much space as needed; if necessary include additional explanation on a separate page.)

Program managers for the Science Festival are in the second year of hosting the event. Each year park staff spends a significant amount of time and resources to promote and solicit participation from groups in both Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The park would like to reach out to new audiences within these counties; this collection will help manager determine where existing audiences are coming from and which marketing approach will be most effective in reaching them. With this data, program managers will be able to make more informed decisions about resource allocation and outreach efforts needed to plan future events. In addition, the park would like to determine which or if the existing audience for this event would appreciate services presented in languages other than English.

9. Survey Methodology: (Use as much space as needed; if necessary include additional explanation on a separate page.)

Respondent universe: All adult visitors over 18 years of age participating in the park’s Science Festival. Sampling plan/procedures: The event will span a total of eight hours, 3 hours on Friday night and 5 hours on Saturday.  We are expecting a total targeted attendance of 3000 people, 1000 for Friday night and 2000 for Saturday.   We will collect 225 surveys on Friday night; and 375 surveys on Saturday for a total of 600 surveys.  Teams of two survey members will be stationed at five locations on both days throughout the event.  At the top of every hour during the event, each survey team member will attempt to collect a maximum of 15 surveys within the hour.  To do this, each survey team will randomly ask every tenth visitor to participate in the survey.  The survey team will solicit for respondents until a total of 15 surveys are completed within the hour for each station, for a total of 75 surveys for all five stations.  Each survey team will wait until the top of the following hour to solicit for another 15 surveys. All surveyors will wear identifiable uniforms and volunteer t-shirts to create a positive image for potential respondents. Instrument administration: The survey team will be comprised of 10 park staff and volunteers. We will survey visitor on site. We will collect the information by using SurveyMonkey. A laptop computer will be connected to the internet at each of the five survey stations located throughout the event. The visitor will be invited to take the survey, given the instructions, and provided a Expected response rate/confidence levels: A total of 800 visitors will be intercepted to ask for participation in the onsite survey, of which 600 are expected to complete the on-site survey. The number of refusals will be recorded and reported in the survey log, and will be used in calculating the response rate. With this sample size, there will be 95% confidence that the survey findings will be accurate to within 2.5 percentage points. Thus, the proposed sample size will be adequate for simple comparisons concerning visitor expectation during the festival. For dichotomous response variables, estimates will be accurate within the margins of error and confidence intervals will be somewhat larger for the question with more than two response categories. Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias: During the initial contact, the interview will use the survey log to record information for every survey contact (both respondents and non-respondents). This information will later be used to in the assessment of non-response bias. Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or instrument (recommended): Informal pre-testing was completed by six random park visitors to help determine completion time, and ensure questions and answer choices were clear and concise.

10.

Total Number of Initial Contacts:

800

11.

Estimated Time to Complete Initial Contact (mins):

2

12.

Burden to Complete Initial Contact (hours)

27

Expected Respondents:

600

Estimated Time to Complete Instrument (mins.):

4

Burden to Complete Instrument (hours.):

40

TOTAL BURDEN HOURS: 67

13.Reporting Plan:

A summary of the findings will be submitted as an internal agency report for SAMO park managers and planners. Response frequencies will be tabulated and measures of central tendency computed (e.g., mean, median, mode, as appropriate).The summary will include all documentation pertaining to the overall planning and execution of the Science Festival as well as an outline of the instrument and methods used to collect the information for the survey.

Script – Introduction

Hello! We are conducting a survey to find out how we are doing getting the word out about the program. We are also looking for opportunities to expand or improve the Science Festival. The survey only takes a couple of minutes to complete on line. Would you be interested in sharing your thoughts with us?

Great! OR Okay, thank you.

Survey Instrument

Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics

1. Where are you visiting us from?

City _____________________________ State_____ ZIP ______

Topic Area 2 – Trip/Visit Characteristics

2. How did you hear about the Science Festival? Please mark (•) all that apply.

O Newspaper

Please Specify _____________

O On-line calendar listing

Please Specify _____________

O OUTDOORS magazine

O Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

Member’s Calendar

O Radio

O TV

O Community flyer

O School website

O Received email notice of event

O Flyer from area museum or nature center

Please Specify _____________

Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics

3. Have you visited Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO) before today?

O Yes O No

If YES, approximately how many times have you visited within the past year? Number of prior visits: __________

Topic Area 2 – Trip/Visit Characteristics

4. What made you decide to attend SAMO’s Science Festival event? Please mark (•) all that apply.

O To experience nature

O To learn about science

O To have fun with family/friends

O Other:_____________________

Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics

5. How many people were in your group, including yourself?

____ Number of people

Topic Area 1 – Individual Characteristics

6. When visiting an area such as SAMO, what one language do you and most members of your group prefer to use for the following?

Speaking: O English O Other Please Specify _____________

Reading: O English O Other Please Specify _____________

Topic Area 7 – Individual Opinions on Park Management

7. In your opinion, what services in the park need to be provided in languages other than English? Please specify or mark (•) none.

O None

O Other (Specify) ______________________

Topic Area 2 – Trip/Visit Characteristics

8. Would you and your group attend SAMO’s Science Festival again?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

Why or why not? ____________________________________________

Topic Area 7 – Individual Opinions on Park Management

9. Is there anything else you and your group would like to tell us about your participation in SAMO’s Science Festival?

PRIVACY ACT and PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement: This information will be used by park managers to better serve the public. Response to this request is voluntary. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply the information requested. Permanent data will be anonymous. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Burden estimate statement: Public reporting for this form is estimated to average 3 minutes per response. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, WASO Administrative Program Center, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, Washington, D.C. 20240.

OMB Control Number: 1024-0224

Current Expiration Date: 6/31/2011

Survey Log

Date: _______________________________________

Time: _______________________________________

Tally the number of individuals approached to complete the survey in the appropriate box below. Note individual reasons for declining participation in the last box.

Participated
Began Survey, but did not complete
Declined Participation
Reasons for declined participation

OMB Control Number: 1024-0224

Current Expiration Date: 6/31/2011