Linking the 2010 Census to National Park Visitors
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Linking the 2010 Census to National Park Visitors Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/WASO/NRTR—2014/880 ON THE COVER Visitors at Grand Canyon National Park Photograph by: Jerry J. Vaske Linking the 2010 Census to National Park Visitors Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/WASO/NRTR—2014/880 Jerry J. Vaske Professor Katie M. Lyon Research Assistant Colorado State University Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Forestry Building Fort Collins, CO 80521-1480 June 2014 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Technical Report Series is used to disseminate results of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advancement of science and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series provides contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available in digital format from the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Vaske, J. J., and K. M. Lyon. 2014. Linking the 2010 census to national park visitors. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/WASO/NRTR—2014/880. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 909/124861, June 2014 ii Contents Page Figures................................................................................................................................................... vi Tables .................................................................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................viii Methods .......................................................................................................................................viii Results ........................................................................................................................................... ix Project Background .............................................................................................................................. 10 Research Questions ...................................................................................................................... 10 Methods ................................................................................................................................................ 10 Identifying Parks for Inclusion in Study ...................................................................................... 10 Project Variables .......................................................................................................................... 11 National Park Service Designations ........................................................................................ 11 National Park Service Regions ................................................................................................ 12 United States ZIP Codes .......................................................................................................... 13 VSP Variables .............................................................................................................................. 13 Education ................................................................................................................................. 13 Household Income ................................................................................................................... 13 Ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino) ................................................................................................. 13 Race ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Age .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Sources of Information ............................................................................................................ 14 Activities ................................................................................................................................. 14 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Education Level ............................................................................................................................ 14 Education Level by National Park Service Region ................................................................. 15 Education Level by National Park Service Designation ......................................................... 15 iii Contents (continued) Page Household Income ........................................................................................................................ 17 Household Income by National Park Service Region ............................................................. 17 Household Income by National Park Service Designation ..................................................... 18 Ethnicity ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Ethnicity by National Park Service Region ............................................................................. 19 Ethnicity by National Park Service Designation ..................................................................... 19 Race .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Race by National Park Service Region ................................................................................... 20 Race by National Park Services Designation .......................................................................... 21 Age ............................................................................................................................................... 21 Age by National Park Service Region ..................................................................................... 22 Age by National Park Services Designation ........................................................................... 23 Sources of Information ................................................................................................................. 23 Sources of Information by National Park Service Region ...................................................... 24 Sources of Information by National Park Services Designation ............................................. 25 Park Activities .............................................................................................................................. 26 Park activity by National Park Service Region ....................................................................... 27 Park activity by National Park Services Designation .............................................................. 28 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 31 Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 31 Conceptual Explanations .............................................................................................................. 31 Household Income ................................................................................................................... 31 Ethnicity and Race ................................................................................................................... 32 Age .......................................................................................................................................... 34 Methodological Explanations ......................................................................................................