NPS Photo/Rachel Hendrix
Why Is This Needed?
The NPS lacks comprehensive, up to date visitor data. Many parks lack recent or any data on visitors.
Locally, Socioeconomic Monitoring (SEM) Visitor Surveys equip park managers for decision making based on current information about visitors- who they are and what they expect. Over time, regional trends will emerge to show diverse or similar expectations, experiences, and perceptions. Nationally, this project provides yearly tracking of trends and visitor perceptions across sampled parks to improve management decisions. SEM Park Selection is designed so that each year's park units combine to improve understanding of all park types, including understudied parks. As the number of studied parks grows, so too does the representativeness of the data as a whole and the capacity to draw service-wide conclusions. To better understand the process, see the Visitor Survey Process Visualization.
NPS Social Science Program
Areas of Inquiry
Focal areas for SEM Visitor Surveys feed into one another and help increase the accuracy of other components of the Social Science Program, such as Economics (namely Visitor Spending Effects), Visitor Use Statistics (including Annual Visitation Highlights), and other park surveys.
Survey Outputs
SEM Visitor Surveys produce annual data for analysis at park and national levels. Over time, these data will reveal long term trends and become increasingly representative of regional and national visitation. Findings are delivered through the following: annual reports to parks, annual national reports, and an interactive data dashboard.
SEM Visitor Survey Reports
2023 National SEM Visitor Survey Report (published October 2024)
2023 Park-Level SEM Visitor Survey Reports (published October 2024)
Previous Year's Socioeconomic Monitoring Reports
Additional Resources
(2018) The Need for a Comprehensive Socioeconomic Research Program for the NPS
(2010) NPS Socioeconomic Monitoring Needs Assessment
Jordan Beer
Application Examples
Damage Assessment: In 2024, NPS economists used SEM visitor survey data to assess the value of lost recreational opportunities resulting from a recent fire. Any monetary compensation that the park receives from this assessment of damages will be used for restoration activities that benefit park visitors, thus making the public whole for their loss.
Congressional Planning: In 2023, SEM data for one of the top 10 most visited national parks informed legislation on sustainable river use. By showing the importance of the park as a tourist destination of visitors coming from other states, park staff was able to provide the information needed to assist in preservation of the river on which many visitors recreate.
Program Planning: In 2024, a NPS program used SEM data to inform planning and internal policy documents. By assessing the importance of tourists (visitors not coming from the local area) across different park types, NPS staff could examine tourism-related issues, challenges, trends, and opportunities. This process was assisted by the sampling method of selecting SEM parks, which prioritizes all types of parks and provides data for different park type each year.
Testing Park Narratives: In 2024, a rural historic/culturally focused park used the SEM to objectively test and reaffirm staff observations. This provided an opportunity to right-size the type of visitation. SEM likewise helped increase accuracy in the park’s economic impact on the local community, which is being used to more precisely communicate this with confidence to local stakeholders.
Regional and Park-Level Workshops: In 2023 and 2024, SEM reports have provided a starting point and/or supporting information for regional and park workshops on topics such as communication with partner groups, natural resource planning, visitor demographic assessment, and relationships with neighboring communities. Annual addition of more parks from each region assists with better understanding of each region as a whole.
Last updated: October 1, 2024