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Abstract
From 1990 to 1992, the USDA Forest Service implemented a 3-year pilot test of CUSTOMER, a standardized nationwide recreation visitor survey. Intended as a partnership between the agency's Research and National Forest System branches, CUSTOMER has been a limited success to date. By the end of 1993, nearly 20,000 recreation visitors had been interviewed in more than 35 different sites, including 15,800 National Forest visitors from Alaska to Puerto Rico. Resulting data have not been fully analyzed to date nor been made available for recreation researchers, managers, or the general public. The results of a telephone interview of past CUSTOMER users is presented regarding their evaluation of the recreation visitor survey. Inherent conflicts within the multiple goals of CUSTOMER are examined, as well as insufficient funding and sponsorship, methodological compromises, and availability of alternative means for data collection that may be curbing a wide-spread demand for the survey in its present form. Six general recommendations are offered to help improve identified problems in CUSTOMER.
Parent Publication
Citation
Reed, Patrick; Hirsch, Gwen. 1995. A field critique of the 3-year pilot test for the CUSTOMER recreation visitor survey. In: Chavez, Deborah J., tech. coord. Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Social Aspects and Recreation Research, February 23-25, 1994, San Diego, California. Gen. Tech. Rep PSW-GTR-156. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture: 121-126
