National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife ... - All About Birds

Survey Background and MethodThe National Survey of Fishing,Hunting, and Wildlife-AssociatedRecreation (Survey) has beenconducted since 1955 and is one ofthe oldest and most comprehensivecontinuing recreation surveys. TheSurvey collects information on thenumber of anglers, hunters, and wildlifewatchers, how often they participate,and how much they spend on theiractivities in the United States.Preparations for the 2011 Surveybegan in 2008 when the Association ofFish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA)asked the Fish and Wildlife Service tocoordinate the twelfth National Surveyof wildlife-related recreation. Fundingcame from the Multistate ConservationGrant Programs, authorized by Wildlifeand Sport Fish Restoration Acts, asamended.Four regional technical committeeswere set up under the auspices ofAFWA to ensure that State fish andwildlife agencies had an opportunity toparticipate in all phases of survey planningand design. The committees weremade up of agency representatives.We consulted with State and Federalagencies and nongovernmentalorganizations such as the AmericanSportfishing Association and NationalShooting Sports Foundation to determinesurvey content. Other sportspersons’organizations and conservationgroups, industry representatives, andresearchers also provided valuableadvice.Data collection for the Survey wascarried out in two phases by theU.S. Census Bureau. The first phasewas the screen which began in April2011. During the screening phase, theCensus Bureau interviewed a sampleof 48,600 households nationwide, todetermine who in the household hadfished, hunted, or wildlife watched in2010, and who had engaged or plannedto engage in those activities in 2011.In most cases, one adult householdmember provided information for allmembers. The screen primarily covered2010 activities while the next, morein-depth phase covered 2011 activities.For more information on the 2010 data,refer to Appendix B.The second phase of data collectionconsisted of three detailed interviewwaves. The first wave began in April2011 concurrent with the screen, thesecond in September 2011, and thelast in January 2012. Interviews wereconducted with samples of likelyanglers, hunters, and wildlife watcherswho were identified in the initialscreening phase. Interviews wereconducted primarily by telephone, within-person interviews for respondentswho could not be reached by phone.Respondents in the second surveyphase were limited to those who wereat least 16 years old. Each respondentprovided information pertaining onlyto his or her activities and expenditures.Sample sizes were designed toprovide statistically reliable results atthe state level. Altogether, interviewswere completed for 11,330 anglers andhunters and 9,329 wildlife watchers.More detailed information on samplingprocedures and response rates is foundin Appendix D.Comparability WithPrevious SurveysThe 2011 Survey’s questions andmethodology were similar to thoseused in the 2006, 2001, 1996, and 1991Surveys. Therefore, the estimates arecomparable.The methodology for these Surveysdiffers significantly from the 1955to 1985 Surveys, so these estimatesare not directly comparable to thoseof earlier surveys. Changes in methodologyincluded reducing the recallperiod over which respondents had toreport their activities and expenditures.Previous Surveys used a 12-monthrecall period which resulted in greaterreporting bias. Research found that theamount of activity and expendituresreported in 12-month recall surveyswas overestimated in comparisonwith that reported using shorter recallperiods.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census Bureau2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation vii