USVI Survey

NCRMP Resident Coral Reef Survey for the USVI

OMB control Number 0648-0646

DRAFT – For Review Only

Brief Background on the Survey: The jurisdiction surveys will have one common set of questions for all locations (the core module), as well as a few questions specific to local management needs. The target respondent is an adult in the jurisdiction. The survey delivery mode is either telephone or face-to-face. The survey script will be adjusted for the delivery mode. 

Survey conducted in (circle one): [English] [Spanish]

Introduction: [greeting specific to jurisdiction]

[SAMPLE TEXT WILL BE REPLACED WITH AN INTRODUCTION COMPLIANT WITH OMB REQUIREMENTS] My name is __________. We are interested in your opinions on some important environmental issues being talked about these days in the USVI. Your participation in this survey is voluntary and will be kept strictly confidential.

[IF NECESSARY:]

• Your phone number has been selected at random to participate in the island-wide survey

• We are not trying to sell you anything.

May I please proceed?

1. Yes [Proceed to Screening Questions]

2. No [THANK AND TERMINATE]

S1. I need to speak to a person in your household who is 18 years of age or older. Are you over 18 years of age?

1. Yes [Continue to Screening Question #2]

2. No [Ask for the person 18 years or older who has had the most recent birthday;
   if no one over 18, THANK AND TERMINATE]

98. DON’T KNOW [THANK AND TERMINATE]

99. REFUSED [THANK AND TERMINATE]

S2. Do you live at least 6 months of the year in the US Virgin Islands?

1. Yes [Continue to Screening Question 3]

2. No [THANK AND TERMINATE]

S3. We can conduct this survey in English or other language. For this survey, is there a particular language you would prefer to use?

1. English  

2. Other [SWITCH TO ALTERNATE QUESTIONNAIRE]

Thank-you for taking the time to provide your views.  This survey is being conducted in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Paperwork Reduction Act. Your participation is voluntary, your answers are confidential and you can stop the interview at any time.  The interview is expected to take less than 25 minutes.  If you have questions or would like to know more about the survey I will provide you with contact information.  

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control number for this survey is 0648-0646

The 25 minute estimate includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Please send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Peter Edwards, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Coral Reef Conservation Program, (1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA).

PARTICIPATION IN REEF ACTIVITIES

1. How often do you usually participate in each of the following activities?

	Never	Once a month or less	2-3 times a month	4 times a month or more	Not Sure
Swimming/wading
Snorkeling
Recreational Diving (SCUBA)
Waterside/beach camping
Beach recreation (beach sports, picnics)
Motorized Boating (not for fishing purposes)
Non-motorized Boating (kayaking, canoeing)
Fishing from shore – casting (rod & reel), cast netting
Fishing from a boat, canoe or paddle board – rod and reel, trolling, spear gun, free diving, SCUBA
Gathering of marine resources (seaweed, lobsters, whelk, sea cucumber, octopus, clams, mollusks)
Stand Up Paddle boarding, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing

SKIP PATTERN-- If respondent answers ‘never’ to fishing or gathering of marine resources, then skip to #3:

CORAL REEF RELIANCE / CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF REEFS

2. How often do you fish or gather marine resources for each of the following reasons?

	Frequently	Sometimes	Rarely	Never	Not Sure
To feed myself and my family/ household
To sell
To give to extended family members and/or friends
For fun/personal enjoyment
For special occasions, religious and cultural events

3. How often does your family eat fish/seafood? [INTERVIEWER: Family is defined as all persons living under the same roof.]

a. Every day

b. A few times a week

c. About once a week

d. 1-3 times a month

e. Less than once a month

f. Never

g. Not Sure

SKIP PATTERN-- If respondent answers ‘never’ to “how often does your family eat fish/seafood?”, then skip to #6:

4. What are the two main sources of the fish and seafood that you and your family eat? [INTERVIEWER: CODE THE ANSWERS ACCORDING TO THE RESPONSE CATEGORIES PROVIDED. PROMPT WITH EXAMPLES IF NECESSARY.]

1. Purchased by myself or someone in my household at a store or restaurant

2. Purchased by myself or someone in my household at a market or roadside vendor

3. Caught by myself or someone in my household

4. Caught by extended family members

5. Caught by friends or neighbors

6. Other, please specify ______________________

7. Not Sure

[INTERVIEWER: Now we know that we have asked you a similar question before. But now we are specifically interested in seafood harvested from coral reefs.]

5. How often does your family eat fish/seafood that is harvested from coral reefs? (For
   example snapper, grouper, parrotfish, old wife, trigger fish, lobster, or conch)?

a. Every day

b. A few times a week

c. About once a week

d. 1-3 times a month

e. Less than once a month

f. Never

g. Not Sure

6. Do you or your family consume lionfish?
   a. Yes
   b. No
   c. Not Sure

PERCEIVED RESOURCE CONDITION

7. In your opinion, what is the current condition of the USVI’s marine resources on the island of your residence? Please rank from “very bad” to “very good.” [Prompt from interviewer – please note that you can assess the condition from either what you can see for yourself underwater from swimming/snorkeling or from the amount and types of fish might notice at your local fish market]

	Very Bad	Bad	Neither Bad nor Good	Good	Very Good	Not sure
Ocean Water Quality (clean and clear)
Amount of Coral and other coral reef invertebrates
Number of Fish
Health of coral
Amount of marine debris or trash

8. How would you say the condition of each of the following has changed over the last 10 years? Please rank from “it has gotten a lot worse” to “it has gotten a lot better.”

	A lot Worse	Somewhat Worse	No Change	Somewhat Better	A lot Better	Not Sure
Ocean Water Quality (clean and clear)
Amount of Coral
Number of Fish
Health of coral
Amount of marine debris or trash

9. In the next 10 years, do you think the condition of the marine resources in the USVI will get worse, stay the same or improve?

1. Get worse

2. Stay the same

3. Improve

4. Not sure

AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF CORAL REEFS

10. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with each of the following statements.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not Sure
Coral reefs protect the USVI from coastal erosion and natural disasters.
Coral reefs are only important to fishermen, divers and snorkelers.
Coral reefs in good condition provide food for island communities to eat
Coral reefs are important to my island’s culture.

11. How familiar are you with each of the following potential threats facing the coral reefs in the USVI? Please rank from “very unfamiliar” to “very familiar.”

	Very Unfamiliar	Unfamiliar	Neither Familiar nor Unfamiliar	Familiar	Very Familiar	Not sure
Climate change
Coral bleaching
Hurricanes and other natural disasters
Pollution and runoff (stormwater, wastewater outfall, sediment, and marine debris)
Increased coastal/urban development
Invasive species (Example: Lionfish)
Over harvesting of resources
Damage from ships and boats (groundings or anchoring)
Damage from SCUBA divers and snorkelers while in the water
Open dumping/littering

12. Do you believe that the threats to coral reefs in the USVI are:

1. Extreme

2. Large

3. Moderate

4. Minimal

5. None

6. Not sure

ATTITUDES TOWARDS CORAL REEF MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND ENFORCEMENT

13. A Marine Protected Area is an area of the ocean where human activity is typically restricted to protect living, non-living, cultural, and/or historic resources such as conservation areas and sanctuaries. How familiar are you with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)?

1. Very Unfamiliar

2. Unfamiliar

3. Neither Unfamiliar nor Familiar

4. Familiar

5. Very Familiar

6. Not sure

SKIP PATTERN-- If respondent answers ‘Very unfamiliar’ or ‘Unfamiliar’, then skip to #15:

14. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with each of the following statements.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree nor Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not Sure
MPAs protect coral reefs
MPAs increase the number of fish
There should be fewer locally-managed MPAs in the USVI
There should be more locally-managed MPAs in the USVI
There has been economic benefit to the USVI from the establishment of locally-managed MPAs
Fishermen’s livelihoods have been negatively impacted from the establishment of locally-managed MPAs in the USVI
Locally managed MPAs help increase tourism in the USVI
The establishment of locally-managed MPAs increases the likelihood that people will vacation in the USVI
I would support adding new locally managed MPAs in the USVI if there is evidence that the ones we have are improving the USVI’s marine resources
I generally support the establishment of locally-managed MPAs

AWARENESS OF CORAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

15. The following are rules and regulations that can be used to manage the marine environment. We are interested in your opinion about the use of these rules and regulations for the protection of coral reefs. Please indicate the extent to which you disagree or agree with each of the following:

Rules/Regulations	Strongly Oppose	Oppose	Neither Support nor Oppose	Support	Strongly Support	Not Sure
Size limits for harvesting certain fish species
Impose a license requirement and fee for land-based recreational fishers
Charge a small fee to non-residents visiting locally managed MPA to fund conservation
Increased enforcement of wastewater and stormwater regulations to preserve water quality
Amending building regulations to consider sea level rise and climate impacts.
More restrictions on construction practices to prevent sediment going to sea

PARTICIPATION IN BEHAVIORS THAT MAY IMPROVE CORAL CONDITION

16. How often do you participate in any activity to protect the environment (for example,
    beach clean ups, volunteering with an environmental group, donating to a coastal
    environmental charity, lionfish removal, marine debris removal)?

1. Not At All

2. Once a year or Less

3. Several times a year

4. At least once a month

5. Several Times a Month or more

6. Not Sure

17. Which of the following would you consider to be the sources of information about coral reefs and the environment that you use most often in the USVI?

Interviewer checks the top 3 sources of information in box below.

18. To what degree do you trust each of your top rated sources of information to provide you the most accurate information on coral reefs and coral reef related topics in the USVI?

Respondent rates only the top 3 sources of information in box below.

Top 3	Sources	Very untrustworthy	Untrustworthy	Neither Trustworthy nor Untrustworthy	Trustworthy	Very Trustworthy	Not sure
	Newspapers, other print publications
	Radio
	TV
	Internet
	Social Media
	Friends and family
	Community leaders
	Jurisdictional government agencies (DPNR???)
	Federal government agencies (NOAA, EPA, US Fish and Wildlife)
	Non-profit environmental organizations (TNC, University of the Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands Conservation Society)
	Other

19. How involved is the local community in protecting and managing coral reefs?

1. Not at all involved

2. Somewhat involved

3. Moderately involved

4. Involved

5. Very involved

6. Not sure

20. How involved are you in making decisions related to the management of coral reefs in the USVI?

1. Not at all involved

2. Slightly involved

3. Moderately involved

4. Involved

5. Very involved

6. Not sure

DEMOGRAPHICS

I just have a few more questions that will help us to interpret our results. As a reminder, the information you provide is completely confidential.

21. Are you male or female?

1. Male

2. Female

22. What is your year of birth? __________________

23. How many years have you lived in the USVI? ____________ [OPEN ENDED]

24. Which part of the island do you live in (which estate)? _________________________________

25. Including your primary language, please name each language you speak. [interviewer should not read options below, but should allow respondent to answer]

1. English

2. Spanish

3. French

4. German

5. Italian

6. Portuguese

7. Danish

8. Haitian Creole

9. St. Lucian Creole

10. Dominica Creole

11. Vietnamese

12. Tagalog

13. Mandarin

14. Chinese

15. Other: Please list
____________

16. No Response

26. What race/ethnicity do you consider yourself? [interviewer should not read options below, but should allow respondent to answer]

1. American Indian or Alaskan Native

2. Asian

3. Black or African American

4. Hispanic or Latino

5. Puerto Rican

6. Cuban

7. Chinese

8. Filipino

9. Japanese

10. White

11. Korean

12. Mexican

13. Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

14. Taino

15. Thai

16. Vietnamese

17. Other/Mixed

18. No response

27. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

1. 8th Grade or Less

2. Some high school

3. High School Graduate, GED

4. Some college, community college or AA

5. College Graduate

6. Graduate School, Law School, Medical School

7. No Response

28. What is your current employment status?

1. Unemployed

2. Student

3. Employed full-time

4. Homemaker

5. Employed part-time

6. Retired

7. None of the above: Please specify __________________

8. No Response

29. What is your occupation? [open ended] ___________________

30. May I ask, what is your annual household income?

1. Under $10,000

2. $10,000-19,999

3. $20,000-29,999

4. $30,000-39,999

5. $40,000-49,999

6. $50,000-59,999

7. $60,000-74,999

8. $75,000-99,999

9. $100,000-149,999

10. $150,000 or More

11. No Response

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

If you would like a copy of the results, please provide us with your mailing address or email address (write on separate contact sheet that is not linked to survey answers).

16

Draft v5– For review only