PRCV SS 110712 Part B

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Economic Value of Puerto Rico’s Coral Reef Ecosystems for Recreation/Tourism

OMB CONTROL NO. 0648-xxxx

B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

1. Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g. establishments, State and local governmental units, households, or persons) in the universe and the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form. The tabulation must also include expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection has been conducted before, provide the actual response rate achieved.

Four focus groups will be conducted, each focus groups consisting of eight people who has participated in recreational activities on coral reefs in Puerto Rico. Two focus groups will be residents of Puerto Rico and two groups will be visitors to Puerto Rico. The local marketing firm will choose people so that at least two persons in each focus group has done either snorkeling, SCUBA diving, or fishing. We don’t expect residents will do much glass-bottom boat riding. The visitor focus will include at least one glass-bottom boat rider.

The only screening criteria besides recreational use of Puerto Rico’s coral reefs is age. Focus group members will need to be at least 18 year old. Focus group members will be recruited to ensure a broad mix of sociodemographics (e.g., sex, age, education).

The University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez will work with the local marketing firm to recruit potential participants at each location and provide facilities for focus group discussions. Using convenience sampling, the local marketing firm will select people for the focus groups from locations where coral reef users live or where users who visit coral reefs are known to access the reefs.

2. Describe the procedures for the collection, including: the statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection; the estimation procedure; the degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification; any unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures; and any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.

For this information collection, no specific statistical sampling will be conducted. Informal data collection will be through focus group discussions. The focus group moderators will lead a discussion based on handouts, asking participants to describe their responses and providing additional clarification of key issues. Overall, the focus groups will help the research team determine the following:

• What attributes are important to recreational users of coral reefs in Puerto Rico.

• Are there differences in what attributes might be important to residents versus visitors to Puerto Rico?

• What levels of each attribute of importance might change recreational users values for the coral reefs.

• What kinds of materials (illustrations, photos, videos) might be needed for each attribute to communicate the different levels of attributes of the coral reefs).

3. Describe the methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with nonresponse. The accuracy and reliability of the information collected must be shown to be adequate for the intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided if they will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.

For the four focus groups, eight persons will be recruited for each group, for a total of 32 persons.

Based on past experience, incentives will be provided by the local marketing firm to focus group recruits to increase participation rates. The specific amounts ($50 to $75) will be determined by area and type of user (resident or visitor). The purpose of the incentive is to encourage attendance and to thank people for their time.

4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Tests are encouraged as effective means to refine collections, but if ten or more test respondents are involved OMB must give prior approval.

The research team has experience is conducting focus groups to design surveys. As explained in Part A, Question 2, they will use the broad questions (also see Introductory Questions for the Focus Groups) to help focus discussions on particular attributes of coral reefs that have been discovered in other studies around the world as a starting point of discussions. The discussions will be used to revise the list of attributes and refine the levels of attributes in further discussions with the focus groups.

5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on the statistical aspects of the design, and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.

For the focus groups, no statistical design is anticipated. The results of the focus groups will be reviewed and summarized by the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, the local marketing firm, and Dr. Vernon R. (Bob) Leeworthy the overall project leader.