Latino Interest Focus Groups

OMB Control Number: 1024-0224 Current Expiration Date: 8-31-XXXX

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Programmatic Review and Clearance Process

for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys

The scope of the Programmatic Review and Clearance Process for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys is limited and will only include individual surveys of park visitors, potential park visitors, and residents of communities near parks. Use of the programmatic review will be limited to non-controversial surveys of park visitors, potential park visitors, and/or residents of communities near parks that are not likely to include topics of significant interest in the review process. Additionally, this process is limited to non-controversial information collections that do not attract attention to significant, sensitive, or political issues. Examples of significant, sensitive, or political issues include: seeking opinions regarding political figures; obtaining citizen feedback related to high-visibility or high-impact issues like the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park, the delisting of specific Endangered Species, or drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Submission Date:

May 21, 2015

Project Title: Using Focus Groups to Gauge Latino Interest in Hispanic Heritage Parks

Abstract (not to exceed 150 words)

We are interested in understanding the level of interest Latinos have in the cultural and historic resources at Hispanic Heritage sites managed by the National Park Service. A series of focus groups will be used explore how Latinos view the NPS, what cultural components and interpretive stories are of interest and what important stories about Latino heritage is missing in the current NPS narrative. Forty members of the Latino community in the greater Tucson, AZ area will participate in these focus groups.

Principal Investigator Contact Information

Name:

Stanley Bond

Title:

Chief Archeologist and Departmental Consulting Archeologist

Affiliation:

National Park Service

Address:

1201 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

Phone:

202-354-2123

Email:

[email protected]

Park or Program Liaison Contact Information

Name:

Naomi Torres

Title:

Superintendent

Park:

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Address:

333 Bush Street, Suite 500

San Francisco, CA 94104

Phone:

415-623-2340

Email:

[email protected]

Project Information

Where will the collection take place? (Name of NPS Site).

NPS Sites Hispanic Heritage sites in the greater Tucson, AZ area (Pima County), specifically, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

Sampling Period

Start Date: 6/1/2015

End Date: 8/30/2015

Type of Information Collection Instrument (Check ALL that Apply)

 Mail-Back Questionnaire

 Face-to-Face Interview

X Focus Groups

 On-Site Questionnaire

 Telephone Survey

 Other (list)

Will an electronic device be used to collect information? X No  Yes - type of device

Survey Justification:

Social science research in support of park planning and management is mandated in the NPS Management Policies 2006 (Section 8.11.1, “Social Science Studies”). The NPS pursues a policy that facilitates social science studies in support of the NPS mission to protect resources and enhance the enjoyment of present and future generations (National Park Service Act of 1916, 38 Stat 535, 16 USC 1, et seq.). NPS policy mandates that social science research will be used to provide an understanding of park visitors, the non-visiting public, gateway communities and regions, and human interactions with park resources. Such studies are needed to provide a scientific basis for park planning and development.

Managerial Justification.

In a national effort to make national parks more relevant to the general public, especially those of underrepresented minority communities, it is important to understand the elements of a park to which those underserved communities might relate. Heritage assets may be one area where the National Park Service (NPS) can link with minority groups through the interpretation of their community stories. There are very few studies linking underrepresented minority groups’ and their personal histories with national parks. Moreover, there are no studies that are specifically related to Hispanic visitation to Hispanic heritage sites from the communities in Tucson, AZ. In order to create effective outreach programs for the local communities a study is needed to understand their interest in heritage sites and the issues or barriers that prevent the Hispanic community at-large from visiting National Parks.

The greater Tucson area contains three NPS administered areas; Saguaro National Park (SAGU), Tumacacori Mission National Historic Park (TUMA), and the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (JUBA). Other Hispanic related sites in the area include San Javier del Bac Mission, the Tucson Presidio, and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. The NPS is interested in gathering information about the any issues or barriers preventing visitation at any of the sites listed above.

This project proposes to conduct 5 focus groups sessions with a sample of respondents from Hispanic/Latino communities in and around Tucson, AZ. Each focus group will have 8 participants.

The research objectives are to determine:

• the Hispanic community’s interest in the local area Hispanic heritage sites

• if there are any issues or barriers facing local Hispanic communities that keep them from visiting NPS heritage sites

• any changes that may be needed in facilities and staff that would meet specific needs of local communities

• the types of interpretive programs and the topics that the NPS could use to attract the local Hispanic community to visit NPS heritage sites

Survey Methodology

2. Respondent Universe:

The respondent universe for this collection will be all Hispanic/Latino adults (18 years old and older) who are year-round residents of Tucson, or Pima County, AZ.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 265,000 individuals living in Pima County self-identified themselves and family members (living in the household) as Hispanic or Latino. Allowing for those younger than 18 years old, the target population for this study is estimated to be 120,000 individuals.

3. Sampling Plan/Procedures:

The study will be introduced by a series of meetings with key leaders of the Hispanic community in Pima county, AZ. These key leaders will be church leaders, community organizers, youth group leaders, and other influential individuals in the community. Contact information for these individuals will be obtained through the outreach programs at the Environmental Education Exchange, the University of Arizona, and the Juan Bautista de Anza NHT. The purpose of these contacts is to gain community support for this study. It is likely that individuals contacted to participate will ask their community leaders if they know about this project. An affirmative response and support from community leaders will lead to fuller participation.

Focus group participants will be recruited by telephone using a list of 1,260 names obtained from Survey Sampling International (SSI). To increase our chances of success, we will use a Random Digit Dial Sample (RDD) frame that will provide landline and wireless telephone numbers. This will be used to create one of the most projectable and methodologically sound sampling frames possible. We will also request a target sample to be based on census data sample that includes all residents in the county who self-described themselves as Hispanic or Latino.

From the list names and phone numbers a bilingual interviewer will start at the 1^st number and then call every 4^th number on the list. If there is no answer, the number will be called twice at different times within the next two days. Upon contact, the interviewer will ask to speak to an adult in the household (at least 18 years old) with the nearest birthday. If that person is not Hispanic/Latino it will be noted on the call data sheet and the next number will be selected.

The goal is to recruit 40 people to participate in 5 focus groups of 8 persons per group. If a target of 40 participants is not met, the interviewer return to the beginning of the list and start with the 2^nd name and phone number and call every 4^th number that follows. This process will continue until a target of 40 eligible individuals who agree to participate in a focus group can be reached.

To encourage participation, we will offer $20 incentive to serve as reimbursement for traveling expenses to attend the focus group session. A small gift from the Juan Bautista de Anza NHT will also be presented to all participants as an expression of appreciation. The Environmental Education Exchange will provide refreshments. The travel reimbursement and gift will be specified in the recruitment materials. To be eligible to receive the reimbursement and gift, each participant will have to fully complete a focus group session.

4. Instrument Administration:

Initial contacts will consist of a 5 minute telephone call to invite individuals to participate in the focus group study. A call data sheet for each contact will be maintained and each person contacted will be asked to provide their age, gender, and zip code. We will also ask each person called (whether they agree or decline to participate) to answer the following questions similar to those used in the focus group sessions.

1. Name at least two National Parks sites you’ve ever visited.

   1. If you have never visited, please tell me at least two that you’ve heard of.

2. Do you ever use the word “Hispanic” to describe yourself?

3. Have you ever heard of the Juan Bautista Anza National Historic Trail?

The individuals accepting the invitation to participate in the focus groups will be asked to come to one of 5 meetings in the Tucson area. The meeting will be limited to 8 participants. There will be 5 focus groups consisting of 8 participants per group with a total of 40 individuals for the program.

A set of questions will be used to guide the focus group discussions. Each session will take approximately 90 minutes to complete. Focus groups will be held at either the Environmental Education Exchange, local libraries, or local community centers. The sessions will be voice-recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The responses will be coded in such a way to protect participants’ privacy.

5. Expected Response Rate:

It is expected that each focus group will include approximately 8 participants. It is estimated that 268 individuals will be contacted to recruit 40 focus group participants. There will be no attempt to generalize the findings to all Hispanic/Latino visitors to any of the parks mentioned in this collection. The findings will be used to provide NPS staff with information that can be used to develop outreach materials and to understand any possible barriers that limit Hispanic visitation from the communities surrounding the park. The results may also be combined with other preliminary indicators that could be used to develop a future survey in Hispanic communities to obtain generalizable data.

A total of 315 numbers will be randomly selected and called from the list of 1,260 names purchased from SSI. We anticipate that 47 (15%) of the numbers will be unusable (out of service, wrong number, etc.); and that 161 (60%) of those contacted will decline to participate in the survey. All of the individuals refusing to participate will be asked three non-response bias questions that will be recorded in a survey log. We are expecting that we can recruit at least 40 people to participate in one of the five focus groups. This response rate was estimated based a previous focus group conducted in an African American community in South Carolina near Congaree National Park.

Sampling frame	Number of Random Calls (every 4th number)	Expected Number of bad numbers (15%)	Expected number Declining to Participate (60%)	Expected Number of Accepting invitation (25%)
1,260	315	47	161	40

6. Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias:

During the initial contact, the interviewer will ask everyone contacted by phone, the following three questions that will serve as the non-bias check for this collection. These questions are taken from the interview script.

1. Name at least two National Parks sites you’ve ever visited.

   1. If you have never visited, please tell me at least two that you’ve heard of.

2. Do you ever use the word “Hispanic” to describe yourself?

3. Have you ever heard of the Juan Bautista Anza National Historic Trail?

All of the individuals refusing to participate will also be asked to provide their gender and zip codes which will also be used in the non-response bias check.

The responses will be recorded for every contact. Results of the non-response bias check will be reported and any implications for decision-making will be discussed

7. . Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or instrument (recommended):

The focus group questions are based on a similar 2011 focus group study completed by SAGU park ranger Esther Rivera, who published the findings as a part of her University of Arizona master’s thesis. This study concentrated on natural resources and recreation so this proposed study will add complimentary data to the earlier survey. Ms. Rivera peer reviewed and suggested changes to the focus group script which closely follows the successful 2011 study. The study was also peer reviewed by the graduate student’s three-person thesis committee composed of PH.D.-level professors from the University of Maryland. The earlier Rivera study was pre-tested using University of Arizona students and this pre-test was considered adequate by the peer reviewers for this complimentary set of questions.

Burden Estimates

We plan to approach 268 individuals during the phone recruitment process. We expect that the initial contact time will be five minutes per person (268 x 5 minutes=22.3 hours). We expect that based on the selection process, 228 people will either be ineligible or decline to participate in the focus groups. We will record the basic demographic information (age, length of residency, and gender) that will be used for the non-response check. This time is included in the initial contact time described above.

For those who are selected to participate in the study (40) we expect that it will take 90 minutes to complete the focus group sessions (40 x 90 minutes = 60 hours). The total burden for this collection is estimated to be 101 hours.

Estimated Total Number

Estimation of Time (minutes)

Estimation of Burden (hours)

Initial Contacts

268

Initial Contact

5

Initial Contact

33

Refusals/ nonresponse

228

Refusals/ nonresponse

2

Refusals/ nonresponse

8

Responses

40

To complete response

90

To complete response

60

101

Reporting Plan

The outcome of this project is the summary and analysis of previous research and analysis of focus group responses to form an understanding of Latino interest in Hispanic cultural parks. A final report with conclusions and recommendations will be completed, submitted to the NPS Social Science Branch, and made available electronically to NPS regions and parks. Individual participant names will not be used in the report. Transcribed focus group meetings will be available but will also withhold participant names. The results will also be used as a part of a Master’s thesis. Professional papers, webinars, social media, and other outlets that focused on the results of this study may also be important means of distributing this important information.