Social Science

Activities

The activities and priorities of the National Park Service (NPS) Social Science Program are guided by Usable Knowledge: A Plan for Furthering Social Science and the National Parks. The plan outlines a specific and ambitious set of tasks to be accomplished. A summary (82k) of the plan is available. Policies regarding NPS Social Science are contained within Director's Order #78: Social Science (103k). Below are descriptions of the activities of the Social Science Program. Click here to learn more about available publications and other materials.

Current activities of the Social Science Program include:

Technical Assistance

The NPS Social Science Program provides technical assistance to parks, NPS clusters and regions, the Department of the Interior, and NPS partners. Assistance ranges from technical advice on survey design and implementation to developing social science research plans and training.

The NPS Social Science Program is responsible for working with scientists and managers to help them obtain OMB approval for surveys (Paperwork Reduction Act requirements). The NPS (with DOI and OMB) developed a program to streamline the survey approval process. The program -- "Expedited Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys" -- was launched in 1998 and was renewed and expanded in 2001. This program significantly reduces the approval period for most NPS-sponsored public surveys, saving time and money. For more information, contact Megan McBride, or go to Social Science Research page .

Research to Meet National Needs

The NPS has social science needs that range in scale from individual parks, park clusters, and partnership programs to the system-wide and interagency level. The Social Science Program supports and sponsors research relevant to system-wide national needs. For more information, contact Jim Gramann.

The Money Generation Model (MGM2)

MGM2 is a set of Microsoft Excel workbooks for estimating the economic impacts of NPS visitor spending on a local region. MGM2 is an update of the NPS Money Generation Model as originally developed by Ken Hornback. Daniel Stynes and Dennis Propst at Michigan State University have developed the new version, called MGM2. Like the original Money Generation Model, MGM2 estimates the impacts that park visitors have on the local economy in terms of their contribution to sales, income, and jobs in the area. The Money Generation Model produces quantifiable measures of park economic benefits that can be used for planning, concessions management, budget justifications, policy analysis, and marketing. Refinements to the MGM make MGM2 more readily applicable to evaluating management, policy, and marketing alternatives, both inside and outside the park. Economic impact information has proven quite helpful in fostering partnerships within the community and garnering support for park policies and interests. The economic analysis also helps to identify the roles the park, local community, and tourism businesses play in attracting and serving visitors. For further information, contact Daniel Stynes, or visit the MGM2 Web site.

Recent Report: National Park Spending and Payroll Impacts for CY 2007 (578k) is now available. This study provides updated estimates of NPS visitor spending for 2007 and extends the analysis to include impacts of the NPS payroll on local economies.  Visitor spending and local impacts are estimated using the Money General Model version 2 (MGM2) based on 2007 park visits, spending averages from park visitor surveys, and local area economic multipliers.  Impacts of the NPS payroll are estimated based on 2007 payroll data for each park. 

The Money Generation Model is applied to selected Visitor Services Project (VSP) studies each year. Special reports are prepared for those parks choosing to incorporate the Economic Impact Analysis Module in the VSP study. Visit the Products and Reports page for copies of those reports.

Social Science Research Review Series

A Social Science Research Review series is published. Each review paper in the series focuses on a specific issue critical to the management of the National Park System. The purpose of these reviews is to provide a basis for scientific understanding of the issue. Experts are commissioned to write the review papers, and each paper undergoes peer-review. Several research reviews have been published and widely distributed throughout the NPS (go get copies). For more information, contact Jim Gramann, Visiting Chief Social Scientist.

Social Science Studies Collection

As part of the effort to conduct and promote state-of-the-art social science related to the mission of the National Park Service and deliver usable knowledge to NPS managers and the public, the Social Science Program has established the Social Science Studies Collection. This collection reflects a growing demand by park managers for information on the relationship between people and parks. Currently, it includes more than 260 records including study reports, images, and other documents produced by or for the NPS from disciplines such as recreation resource management, economics, geography, psychology, political science, and sociology. The electronic version of the collection is now available on the NPS Focus Digital Library & Research Station Web site. A list of documents (82k) is available. A full catalog (528k) including abstracts is also available (494k). For further information or to request specific documents, contact Megan McBride.

Visitor Services Project

The Visitor Services Project (VSP) provides NPS managers with scientific information about visitors that can be used to improve services and protect resources. The VSP has conducted over 150 in-depth visitor studies in units of the National Park System, offered technical assistance to parks, developed new evaluation tools, and provided training throughout the NPS. A brochure (183k) describing the VSP is available for download (52k). For more information, contact Margaret Littlejohn, or visit the VSP Web site.

Visitor Survey Card

In FY98, the Social Science Program implemented a mail-back customer satisfaction card similar to surveys successfully used by major U.S. corporations. The survey is used annually by all NPS units to systematically measure and report performance related to the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals IIa1 (visitor satisfaction) and IIb1 (visitor understanding and appreciation). Results for 13 indicators (including park facilities, visitor services, and recreational opportunities) are reported at the park, cluster, regional and national levels. For more information, contact Jennifer Hoger Russell, or visit the VSC Web site. The FY07 (224k) Systemwide Reports are available.

Public Use Statistics Office

The Public Use Statistics Office, based in Denver, CO., coordinates visitor counting protocols Systemwide and provides visitation statistics and forecasts for areas administered by the NPS. For more information, contact Butch Street, or visit the Public Use Statistics Office Web site. The NPS Statistical Abstract 2007 (1.28mb) is now available.

Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas

The Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas is a collaboration among Canon U.S.A., Inc., The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the U.S. National Park Service. Begun in 1997, the program annually awards doctoral dissertation scholarships to support graduate student research in national parks. To learn about the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program for the Americas, please go to www.nature.nps.gov/canonscholarships/.

Graduate Student Internships

The NPS Social Science Program offers semester-long graduate student internships based in Denver, CO. Graduate student interns with the NPS Social Science Program will work with program staff on research and technical assistance projects that deliver usable knowledge to NPS managers and the public. For a flier describing the internships and application procedures click here (137k). For more information, contact Megan McBride.

Please Note: The Graduate Internship program is currently suspended. The Social Science Program will not be accepting any internship applications until further notice. Please continue to check back for updates regarding this program. Also, feel free to contact Megan McBride with any questions.