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

Guide to Statistical TablesPurpose and Coverage of TablesThe statistical tables of this report weredesigned to meet a wide range of needsfor those interested in wildlife-relatedrecreation. Special terms used in thesetables are defined in Appendix A.The tables are based on responses tothe 2011 Survey, which was designedto collect data about participation inwi ldlife-related recreation. To havetaken part in the Survey, a respondentmust have been a U.S. resident (aresident of one of the 50 states or theDistrict of Columbia). No one residingoutside the United States (includingU.S. citizens) was eligible for interviewing.Therefore, reported nationaltotals do not include participation bythose who were not U.S. residents orwho were U.S. citizens residing outsidethe United States.Comparability With PreviousSurveysThe numbers reported can be comparedwith those in the 1991, 1996, 2001, and2006 Survey Reports. The methodologyused in 2011 was similar to that used inthose Surveys. These results should notbe directly compared to results fromSurveys earlier than 1991 since therewere major changes in methodology.These changes were made to improveaccuracy in the information provided.Trends further back than 1991 arepresented in Appendix C. These trendswere developed using parts of theSurveys that were comparable.Coverage of an Individual TableSince the Survey covers many activitiesin various places by participantsof different ages, all table titles,headnotes, stubs, and footnotes aredesigned to identify and articulate eachitem being reported in the table. Forexample, the title of Table 1 shows thatdata about anglers and hunters, theirdays of participation, and their numberof trips are reported by type of activity.By contrast, the title of Table 3 indicatesthat it contains data on freshwateranglers and the days they fished fordifferent species.Percentages Reported in the TablesPercentages are reported in the tablesfor the convenience of the user. Whenexclusive groups are being reported,the base of a percentage is apparentfrom its context because the percentsadd to 100 percent (plus or minus arounding error). For example, Table 1reports the number of trips taken by biggame hunters (65 percent), those takenby small game hunters (17 percent),those taken by migratory bird hunters(8 percent), and those taken by hunterspursuing other animals (10 percent).These comprise 100 percent becausethey are exclusive categories.Percents should not add to 100when nonexclusive groups are beingreported. Using Table 1 as an exampleagain, note that adding the percentagesassociated with the total number of biggame hunters (85 percent), total smallgame hunters (33 percent), total migratorybird hunters (19 percent), and totalhunters of other animals (16 percent)will not yield total hunters (100percent) because respondents couldhunt for more than one type of game.When the base of the percentage is notapparent in context, it is identified in afootnote. For example, Table 6 reportsthree percentages with different bases:one for the number of hunters, one forthe number of trips, and one for days ofhunting. Footnotes are used to clarifythe bases of the reported percentages.Footnotes to the TablesFootnotes are used to clarify the informationor items that are being reportedin a table. Symbols in the body of atable indicate important footnotes.The following symbols are used in thetables to refer to the same footnote eachtime they appear:* Estimate based on a sample sizeof 10–29.... Sample size too small to report datareliably.Z Less than 0.5 percent.XNot applicable.NA Not available.Estimates based upon fewer than tenresponses are regarded as being basedon a sample size that is too small forreliable reporting. An estimate basedupon at least 10 but fewer than 30responses is treated as an estimatebased on a small sample size. Otherfootnotes appear, as necessary, toqualify or clarify the estimates reportedin the tables. In addition, these twoimportant footnotes appear frequently:• Detail does not add to total becauseof multiple responses.• Detail does not add to totalbecause of multiple responses andno nresponse.“Multiple responses” is a term used toreflect the fact that individuals or theircharacteristics fall into more than onecategory. Using Table 2 as an example,those who fished in saltwater and freshwaterappear in both of these totals. Yeteach angler is represented only once inthe “Total, all fishing” column. Similarly,in Table 6, those who hunt forbig game and small game are countedonly once as a hunter in the “Total, allhunting” column. Therefore, totals willbe smaller than the sum of subcategorieswhen multiple responses exist.“Nonresponse” exists because theSurvey questions were answeredvoluntarily, and some respondents didnot or could not answer all the questions.The effect of nonresponse isillustrated in Table 27, where the totaldays of hunting is greater than thesum of hunting days on private landand hunting days on public land. Thisoccurs because some respondents didnot answer the days hunted on private/public land questions. As a result,it is known how many days huntershunted but not known if those dayswere on public or private land. In thiscase, totals are greater than the sum ofsubcategories when nonresponses haveoccurred.56 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census Bureau