1024-0224 JICA Visitor Use Study II

NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2016) OMB Control No. 1024-0224

National Park Service Expiration Date: 5/31/2019

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: 7/31/17

PROJECT TITLE: Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Visitor Use Study II – Expanding Understanding of Current and Future Visitor Experiences

ABSTRACT: (not to exceed 150 words)

Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (JICA) was established for the preservation of five historic buildings and 650 acres of various agricultural lands in and around the incorporated city of Plains, Georgia. The purpose of this collection is to better understand a variety of common visitor experience topics including visitor motivations, demographics, as well as perceptions of future opportunities at the site, transportation planning, and use of social media. Results will be used to inform current and future visitor use management at JICA. The research process includes two phases: an onsite survey phase (Part 1) and a follow-up online survey phase (Part 2).

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION:

Name: B. Derrick Taff Title: Assistant Professor

Affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University Phone: 814-867-1756

Address: 701H Donald H Ford Building, University Park, PA 16802

Email: [email protected]

PARK OR PROGRAM LIAISON CONTACT INFORMATION:

Name: Barbara Judy Title: Superintendent

Affiliation: Jimmy Carter National Historic Site Phone: (229) 824-4576

Address: 300 North Bond St. Plains, GA 31780

Email: [email protected]

PROJECT INFORMATION:

Where will the collection take place? Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (JICA)

	Phase 1 (Onsite Survey)	Phase 2 (follow-up Online Survey)
A	9/15/2017 – 11/15/2017	11/27/2017 -12/6/2017
B	3/15/2018 – 5/15/2019	5/21/2018 – 5/30/2018

Type of Information Collection Instrument: (Check ALL that Apply)

Mail-Back Questionnaire Face-to-Face Interview Focus Groups

On-Site Questionnaire Telephone Survey

Other (List) On-line questionnaire

Will an electronic device be used to collect information?

No Yes – Type of Device: iPads and Personal computers

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.

Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (JICA) was established in 1987 in Plains, Georgia. This site is unique in that Park locations are woven through the town of Plains. Other points of interest within Plains are not part of the Park, but lie within the Jimmy Carter Preservation District. These sites together impact visitors’ experiences. To date, little is known about visitation to JICA, with the exception of a very small sample (n=118) that was collected with visitors during the spring 2017 (“Visitor Use in Jimmy Carter National Historic Site” OMB Control #1024-0224). Beyond this limited study, there was a 2016 report that provided information about visitor transportation, pedestrian safety, wayfinding issues, and other transportation issues within Plains, GA. Managers at the site have noted increases in visitation, and staff have observed differences in visitor demographics, motivations, and expectations compared to the past. Additionally, JICA is exceedingly rare, because it is one of the few sites where the historic figure (the Carters) still live onsite. Visitors are not able to access the home or immediate surroundings at this time. After the Carter’s are no longer living in the family home, it is anticipated that visitor use and experience will change at JICA. The Carter family and JICA managers have requested this information to plan for future visitor use. Planning efforts are challenged by the limited data collected during the previous NPS JICA study. This collection goes further by expanding upon previous work by adding questions related to visitor motivations, and opinions about potential visitor experience options as the park plans for upcoming changes.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY:

1. Respondent Universe: All adult visitors 18 years or older visiting JICA from September 15 to November 15, 2017, and March 15 to May 15, 2018.

2. Sampling Plan / Procedures:

Phase 1

A systematic sample of all adult visitors at the locations and months provided below:

	Sampling Days Per Site
Location	September 2017	October 2017	November 2017	March 2018	April 2018	May 2018	Total
Plains High School/JICA Visitor’s Center	15	31	15	16	30	15	122

Plains High School	Sampling Days Per Month	Number of visitors contacted per day	Number of visitors contacted per month
2017 September	15	13	200
October	31	7	200
November	15	7	100
2018 March	16	6	100
April	30	7	200
May	15	13	200
TOTAL	122		1,000

The sampling design is based on suggestions provided by park staff as well as data collected at the site during the 2017 survey of the Visitor Experience in Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Given the relatively small number of visitors to JICA, the two-season approach to sampling was suggested by park staff to allow for enough statistical power for robust analyses. Additionally, visitors will be asked to provide an email address for follow-up survey (Phase 2).

The interviewer will attempt to intercept all exiting visitor parties at the Plains High School/JICA Visitor’s Center between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM (the Center’s open hours) to administer the on-site survey. This process will continue each day throughout the sampling period. If the visitor refuses, information used for non-response bias testing will be recorded as described in the section below. Based on the results of the visitor study that occurred at JICA previously, (which spanned over 30 days, collecting n=118 surveys at three sites with a response rate of 68%), we anticipate intercepting approximately 1,000 visitor parties during the proposed 122-day sampling period. Additionally, the previous visitor study showed that nearly 90% of visitors to JICA reported visiting the Plains High School/JICA Visitor’s Center, thus making this location the most suitable site for intercepting visitors. Based on the first visitor study conducted at JICA (Visitor Experience in Jimmy Carter National Historic Site), we anticipate a 68% response rate (n=680).

	Estimated Number of Visitor Contacts
Location	September 2017	October 2017	November 2017	March 2018	April 2018	May 2018	Total
Plains High School/JICA Visitor’s Center	200	200	100	100	200	200	1000

Phase 2

Visitors on-site at JICA that provided an email address on the survey in Phase 1 will be emailed a personalized link through Penn State University Qualtrics software. Of the n=680 visitors we anticipate participating in the Phase 1 survey, based upon a previous on-site NPS collection (Brown vs Board of Education 1024-0224) we expect that approximately 90% (n=612) of those people will provide an email address for the online survey in Phase 2 of this collection. During Phase 2, respondents that provide an email address will be emailed a link to participate in an online survey. Approximately one week after the initial survey is distributed to the respondent, another request will be sent via email as a reminder to all respondents to complete the survey if they had not already done so.

	Total Estimated number of visitor contacted	Total Estimated number of emails addresses received
Phase 2 – Online Survey	680	612

3. Instrument Administration:

Phase 1

The initial contact with all visitors will be used to explain the study and determine interest in participating in the on-site survey. This should take approximately 1 minute. The interviewer will employ the following script when working with potential respondents:

“Excuse me, my name is __________. The mangers here at Jimmy Carter National Historic Site are interested in understanding more about visitor experiences in the park. I am asking a random sample of visitors to take a short survey that will gather information about their experiences and expectation while in the park. Your participation is voluntary and your responses will be anonymous. This should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Are you 18 years of age or older and willing to participate?”

If NO to survey: [Non-response Question] “Do you mind if I ask you one question?”

If YES to non-response: “Thank you.”

• During your most recent trip to JICA, what was your primary mode of transportation?

“Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you enjoy your visit.”

If NO to non-response: “Thank you”

• Recorded as hard refusal.

If YES to survey: “Thank you. Who in your group (who is at least 18 years old) has the next birthday? Would you be willing to participate in the study?”

If NO to survey after group contact: [Non-response Question] “Do you mind if I ask you one question?”

If YES to non-response: “Thank you.”

• “Was this your first visit to JICA?”

“Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you enjoy your visit.”

If NO to non-response: “Thank you”

• Recorded as hard refusal.

If YES to survey after group contact: “Thank you.” Begin reading survey script.

The final question of the survey, will ask each respondent to provide their email address if they would like to participate in the study. The email address will be collected electronically and maintained separately from the survey responses in a data file that will only be used to email the first and reminder URL to connect to the survey. Once the data collection is completed all files (electronic and paper version) containing the email addresses will be destroyed.

Phase 2

Respondents will be emailed a personalized link to the survey. The link will bring the respondents to an online survey interface (Qualtrics) where they can complete an approximately 10-minute long questionnaire. Because of a unique identifier, respondents will only be able to complete the survey once.

Prior to answering any questions, the link will bring respondents to a cover page. This page will take the place of a traditional intercept message and will state:

Thank you for agreeing to take this survey! This survey is for Penn State in cooperation with Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. We are doing a survey for park managers of people who have visited Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. This survey will only take about 10 minutes to complete. All of your answers are voluntary and you will remain completely anonymous. Your contact information will be disposed of at the end of the study.

You must be 18 years of age or older to take this survey. Please click the button below to agree that you are at least 18 years of age or older and proceed to the survey.

 I am 18 years of age or older

Thank you.

This is considered to be the initial contact with respondents and will be used to explain the study and secure permission. This should take approximately 1 minute.

4. Expected Response Rate / Confidence Level:

Phase 1

Based upon suggestions from JICA managers, visitation statistics, and previous sampling efforts in the spring of 2017 (Visitor Use in Jimmy Carter National Historic Site), we anticipate that we will approach a total of 1,000 individuals to be interviewed. Of these, we estimate that about 68% will agree (n=680) to complete an on-site questionnaire and the remaining 32% will refuse to participate. We anticipate that of the 320 visitors that refuse at least 95% will agree (n=304) to answer the non-response bias questions, and the remaining n=16 will completely refuse to participate.

Respondent Group	Initial Contacts	Acceptance 68%	Non-respondents (Soft refusals) 32%	Non-response survey 95%	Hard Refusals 5%
Phase 1 – Onsite Visitors	1,000	680	320	304	16

Phase 2

We are anticipating that 680 visitors will complete an on-site survey during Phase 1 and of those, we expect that approximately 90% (n=612) will provide an email address that will be used during Phase 2. This estimate is based on conversations with other researchers in the field, using comparable methods at similar national historic sites. From the 612 email addresses we estimate that about 50% (n=306) completed follow-up questionnaire will be returned (this includes initial and reminder contacts) leaving 306 non-respondents. This estimate is also based off of the results of similar on-line survey research conducted by this research team, as well as consultation with other researchers in the field.

Respondent Group	Initial Contacts	Acceptance 50%	Non-respondents 50%
Phase 2 – Online Follow-up	612	306	306

Based on the survey sample sizes for both phases of this research, there will be 95 percent confidence that the survey findings will be accurate to within 5 percentage points. With that, the proposed sample size should be adequate, but will not be used to produce results that will be generalizable beyond the scope of this collection. If needed, the sample will suffice for bivariate comparisons and more sophisticated multivariate analysis. For dichotomous response variables, estimates will be accurate within the margins of error and confidence intervals will be somewhat larger for questions with more than two response categories.

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

Phase 1

In addition to asking all visitors that do not agree to participate to respond to the non-response survey question

“Is this your first visit to JICA?”

The surveyors will also record the following observational information in a survey log:

• time and day of contact,

• gender,

• group size,

• number of adults and children in the group, and

• any potential language barrier

This process will continue throughout the sampling period at each location. This information will be used to determine any non-response bias. Any non-response bias will be reported in final summaries to JICA.

Phase 2

Respondents from the on-line survey will be compared with respondents from an on-site survey on two different variable responses that are repeated in each survey. These variables are:

• Was this your first visit to JICA?

• During your most recent trip to JICA, what was your primary mode of transportation?

This method is used for checking non-response bias in online samples. This information will be used to determine any non-response bias between on-site and online respondents. Any non-response bias will be reported in final summaries to JICA.

6. Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or instrument:

Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this research use similar methods and questions that have been used in other visitor use monitoring studies, and questions specifically from the Pool of Known Questions, though adapted for appropriate context at JICA. The questions included in the survey instrument were designed, reviewed and pretested by the following: PI, research staff and graduate students, scientists in the Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management Department at Pennsylvania State University with expertise in social science research, and JICA staff. Pre-testing for clarity and estimated burden time was conducted with graduate and undergraduate students at Pennsylvania State University.

BURDEN ESTIMATES:

Phase 1

We plan to approach 1,000 potential participants. From the 1,000 originally contacted, we expect that 68% (n=680) will agree to complete the on-site survey. We estimate that it will take one minute for the initial contact and additional 5 minutes to complete the on-site survey (68 hours of burden).

We expect that ~32% (n=320) of all visitors contacted will refuse to participate in the study. For those individuals, we will record their refusal and ask them to answer the non-response check question (additional observational data will be recorded on the study log, as mentioned above). Based on previous JICA research, we anticipate that ~5% of the visitors refusing to complete the on-site interview will also refuse to answer the non-response questions as well (n=16). We estimate that the remaining n=304 visitors refusing to participate in the study will agree to answer the non-response question will spend one minute answering the non-respond questions (5 hrs.). Therefore, the total burden for Phase 1 of this collection is estimated to be 73 hours.

	Responses	Completion Time * (minutes)	Burden Hours
		Initial Contact time added to completion time
Completed questionnaire	680	6	68 hours
Non-response survey	304	1	5 hours
Total burden:			73 hours

Phase 2

In Phase 1, we estimate that 612 people will agree to provide an email for a follow-up survey related to this project. For Phase 2, we expect that about 50% (n=306) of the people who volunteered an email in Phase 1 will actually complete the online survey. This will take one minute for the initial contact and additional 10 minutes to complete the online survey (56 burden hours). We expect that ~50% (n = 306) of all visitors contacted will refuse to participate in the study, but may still view the email invite or link. We estimate that viewing the email or the link should take about 1 minute. This would result in 5 burden hours. Therefore, the total burden for this collection is estimated to be 61 hours. Because of the comparison among onsite and online visitors described in Section E, no non-response survey is needed.

	Responses	Completion Time * (minutes)	Burden Hours
		Initial Contact time added to completion time
Completed questionnaire	306	11	56 hours
Viewing email (non-respondents)	306	1	5 hours
Total burden:			61 hours

Collectively both Phase 1 and Phase 2 would result in a combined total of approximately 134 burden hours.

REPORTING PLAN:

For both Phase 1 and Phase 2, the reporting plan is as follows:

1. Analyze data and prepare reports: May 2018 – September 2018

   1. Product: draft reports with visitor frequencies and descriptive statistics regarding visitor experience in JICA.

   2. Product: compiled final draft report for Management, reviewed by colleagues and chief of Resources.

2. Write final report to JICA Management Team: December, 2018

   1. Product: final report to JICA management staff

   2. Product: Presentation of survey results

NOTICES

Privacy Act Statement

General: This information is provided pursuant to Public Law 93-579 (Privacy Act of 1974), December 21, 1984, for individuals completing this form.

Authority: National Park Service Research mandate (54 USC 100702)

Purpose and Uses: This information will be used by The NPS Information Collections Coordinator to ensure appropriate documentation of information collections conducted in areas managed by or that are sponsored by the National Park Service.

Effects of Nondisclosure: Providing information is mandatory to submit Information Collection Requests to Programmatic Review Process.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) and is authorized by the National Park Service Research mandate (54 USC 100702). This information will be used by The NPS Information Collections Coordinator to ensure appropriate documentation of information collections conducted in areas managed by or that are sponsored by the National Park Service. All parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to, this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has reviewed and approved The National Park Service Programmatic Review Process and assigned OMB Control Number 1024-0224.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public Reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 60 minutes per collection, including the time it takes for reviewing instructions, gathering information and completing and reviewing the form. This time does not include the editorial time required to finalize the submission. Comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form should be sent to the Information Collection Clearance Coordinator, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Dr., Fort Collins, CO 80525.

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Management And Lands (Item 1.A.2) (N1-79-08-1)).