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

The 1960, 1965, and 1970 Surveysdiffered from the 1955 National Surveyin classification of expenditures asoutlined below:1. Alaska and Hawaii were notincluded in the 1955 Survey.2. Expenditure categories were moredetailed in 1970 than in earlierSurveys.3. The 1960 to 1970 classificationof some expenditures differs fromthe 1955 Survey in the followingrespects:a. “Boats and boat motors” shownunder “auxiliary equipment”were included in “equipment,other” in 1955.b. “Entrance and other privilegefees” asked separately wereincluded in “trip expenditures,other” in 1955.c. “Snacks and refreshments” notincluded with “food” expendituresin the 1960 to 1970 reportswere under “trip expenditures,other” in 1955.d. Starting in 1960, expenditureson equipment, magazines, clubdues, licenses, and similar itemswere classified by the one sportactivity for which expenditureswere chiefly made. In 1955,these expenditures were evenlydivided among all the activitiesin which the sportsperson tookpart.e. Compared with 1955, the 1960to 1970 Surveys reported fewerexpenditures within the “other”category because selected itemswere transferred to more appropriatecategories.f. Expenditures on alcoholicbeverages were reported separatelyin the 1970 Survey.4. The number of waterfowl huntersin the 1970 Survey is not comparablewith those reported in the1960 and 1965 Surveys. In 1960and 1965, respondent sportspersonswere not included in the waterfowlhunter total if they reported thatthey went waterfowl hunting butdid not take the trip chiefly to huntwaterfowl. In 1970, all respondentswho reported that they had huntedwaterfowl during 1970, regardlessof trip purpose, were included inthe total. The number of hunterswho did not take trips chieflyto hunt waterfowl in 1970 was1,054,000.1975 SurveyIn contrast to previous Surveys whichcovered substantial participants 12years old and older, the 1975 Surveybased all the estimates on responsesfrom individuals 9 years of age andolder and did not select respondentsbased upon substantial participation asdefined above. As a result, individualswho participated fewer than three daysor spent less than $7.50 on hunting orfishing were included in the estimatesof participants, days of activity, andexpenditures.Categories of hunting and fishingexpenditures differed from the previousfour Surveys in that only majorcategories were reported. For example,hunting equipment expenditures werenot further delineated by subcategory.Similarly, no detail was providedwithin the category of fishing equipmentexpenditures. Expenses for itemssuch as daily entrance fees, magazines,club dues, and dogs were categorizedas “other” in the 1975 report.In addition to the above differences, the1975 Survey gathered data on speciessought for the favorite hunting andfishing activity. This data replaced the“chiefly” category where hunting orfishing was the primary purpose of thetrip or day of activity. Data omitted inthe 1975 Survey that were included inprevious Surveys include the respondents’population density of residence,occupation, and level of education.1980 to 1985 SurveysThe 1980 and 1985 Surveys weresimilar. Each measured participants,rather than substantial participants.Questions were incorporated intothe 1980 and 1985 Survey questionnairesto facilitate the construction ofcategories of data for comparisons withearlier Surveys. The use of “chiefly”to delimit primary purpose appeared inthe 1970 and prior Surveys, and its usewas continued in the 1980 and 1985Surveys. The expenditure categoriesin 1980 and 1985 are similar to the1970 categories with the addition offish finders, motor homes, and campertrucks as separate categories. Thedefinition of fishing included the useof nets or seines and spearfishing. Anextensive wildlife watching section wasadded in 1980, necessitating a separatedetailed phase subsample.As in the 1970 and 1975 Surveys, the1980 and 1985 Surveys used a twophaseprocess to gather informationfrom households and individuals. Inthe first phase, household respondentswere asked to identify each participantsix years of age and older who residedin their household. In comparison,the 1975 and 1970 Surveys screenedhouseholds for participants who werenine years of age and older. In thesecond phase, the detailed interviewphase, interviews were conducted inperson for the 1985, 1980, and 1970Surveys and were conducted by mailfor the 1975 Survey. Participants wereincluded in the detailed phase of theSurvey if they were at least 12 yearsold in 1970, 9 years old in 1975, and 16years old in 1980 and 1985. As a result,the population of hunters and anglerswas more narrowly defined in 1980 and1985. However, estimates of sportspersons6 years old and older, 9 years oldand older, and 12 years old and older,derived from the screening phase, areavailable for comparison with pastSurveys.Regional TrendsSection I. Most recent trendsThis trends section covers the periodfrom 1991 to 2011. The 1991, 1996,2001, 2006, and 2011 Surveys usedsimilar methodologies, making allpublished information for the fiveSurveys directly comparable.Section II. Historical trendsThis trends section covers the periodfrom 1955 to 1985. The methodologyof these Surveys differed (see above),but approximate correction factors wereestimated.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census Bureau 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation 115