Products

The NPS Social Science Division produces a number of publications. The reports below, in addition to the rest of the Social Studies Science Collection, can be viewed electronically on the NPS Focus Digital Library & Research Station Web site.

Technical Assistance

The documents below have been completed as part of technical assistance to parks, regions, the Department of the Interior, and NPS partners.

• Cost-Benefit and Regulatory Flexibility Analyses: Final Regulations Addressing the Designation of Bicycle Use in Units of the National Park System (PDF - 137KB), conducted by the NPS Environmental Quality Division. This report presents the regulatory analyses for the 2012 general bicycle regulations.
• Visitor Use and Evaluation of Interpretive Media (PDF - 3.2MB), commissioned by the NPS Harpers Ferry Center and prepared by the Social Science Program and the Visitor Services Project (VSP). This report is an analysis of data from 23 VSP studies conducted in 1997, 1998, and 1999.
• Trends in Demographics and Information Technology Affecting Visitor Center Use: Focus Group Report (PDF - 1.4MB), commissioned by the Park Planning and Special Studies Program and prepared by Dr. James H. Gramann, NPS Visiting Chief Social Scientist
• A Comprehensive Study of Visitor Safety in the National Park System: Final Report (PDF - 429KB), commissioned by the NPS Social Science Program and the Risk Management Division and conducted by Dr. Seth Tuler and Dr. Dominic Golding, The George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University
• The Association of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Social Class in Outdoor Recreation Experiences: State of the Knowledge Report (PDF - 557k), commissioned by the NPS Social Science Program and prepared by Dr. Donald Rodriguez and Ms. Nina Roberts at Colorado State University
• Expedited Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys, Annual Report, FY 2009 (PDF - 283KB) Expedited Approval Annual Reports for previous years are available on the Expedited Review Guidelines page.
• Archived Technical Assistance Reports

NPS 2008–2009 Comprehensive Survey of the American Public Reports

The NPS Social Science Division conducted the second comprehensive survey of the American public from April 2008 through March 2009. This survey consisted of 15-minute interviews with more than 4,000 respondents across the United States. It was designed to be comparable with the first comprehensive survey of the American public, which was conducted in 2000. Both comprehensive surveys obtained information on public attitudes and behaviors related to programs and services provided by national parks, as well as on demographic characteristics of recent visitors and non-visitors to the National Park System. Links to the first three reports from the second comprehensive survey are listed below. Additional companion reports will be posted as they become available.

• National Technical Report (PDF - 903KB)
• Race and Ethnicity Report (PDF - 210KB)
• Comparison to the 2000 Survey (PDF - 207KB)
• Archived 2000 Comprehensive Survey regional and topic reports

Money Generation Model (MGM2) Reports

Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation and Payroll, 2010 (PDF - 1.60MB) is now available. This study provides updated estimates of NPS visitor spending for 2010 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 2010 park visits, spending averages from park visitor surveys, and local area economic multipliers. Impacts of the NPS payroll are estimated based on 2010 payroll data for each park.

Total Vistor Spending and Jobs by State and Park 2010 (XLS - 88KB) is a spreadsheet that reports total visitor spending and jobs by state and park.

The Money Generation Model estimating economic impacts of park visitation 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. Reports prior to 2003 are available on the NPS Focus Digital Library & Research Station Web site or on the MGM Web site.

• Archived MGM2 Park Reports (2003–present)

Social Science Research Review

Copies of the reviews will be made available as they are completed.

• Archived Social Science Research Reveiw Series Reports

The Socioeconomic Atlas supplements the scientific knowledge of park managers with information on socioeconomic conditions in the regions surrounding national park units. Each atlas presents information about population, economy and commerce, social and cultural characteristics, recreation and tourism, administration and government, and land use for counties that surround a national park unit.

• Archived Socioeconomic Atlases

Visitor Services Project

The Visitor Services Project produces an annual report, Serving the Visitor, that describes how well the NPS is serving its customers. Serving the Visitor 2008 (PDF - 2.21MB) is available.

Visitor Survey Card

Systemwide reports from annual Visitor Survey Card data include:

• Fiscal Year 2009 (PDF - 314KB)
• Fiscal Year 2008 (PDF - 235KB)
• Fiscal Year 2007 (PDF - 225KB)
• Fiscal Year 2006 (PDF - 222KB)
• Fiscal Year 2005 (PDF - 30KB)
• Fiscal Year 2004 (PDF - 28KB)
• Fiscal Year 2003 (PDF - 32KB)
• Fiscal Year 2002 (PDF - 32KB)
• Fiscal Year 2001 (PDF - 54KB)
• Fiscal Year 2000 (PDF - 29KB)
• Fiscal Year 1999 (PDF - 28KB)
• Fiscal Year 1998 (PDF - 49KB)

Public Use Statistics

The NPS Public Use Statistics Office produces a variety of reports ranging from monthly visitation summaries to annual statistical abstracts and in-depth analyses examining changes in visitation over the decades, current trends in park visitation, and short-term visitation forecasts. The annual National Park Service Statistical Abstract 2010 (PDF - 927KB) is also available.