National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Socioeconomic surveys of human use, knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions in USVI from 2017-02 to 2017-04 (NCEI Accession 0170928)

Data were collected through the telephone random digit dial survey method and the face to face interview method, and the total sample size for this survey was 1,188 with a response rate of 28% for telephone surveys and between 15-20% for in person surveys. Resident surveys took place on the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) in 2017. The potential respondent universe for this study was adults, eighteen years or older, who live on USVI for at least 6 months out of the year. Due to the importance of understanding all potential users of the coral reefs who may be affected by activities related to NOAA’s CRCP, the survey was not restricted to those who live directly on the coastline. Therefore, all adults on the islands were included in the potential respondent universe. Residents of USVI over the age of 18 were surveyed via telephone and via face to face interviews from February to April of 2017. Contracted surveyors used Questionnaire Programming Language (QPL) software and offered the survey in two languages: English and Spanish. For telephone surveys, the survey data were entered into the computer as each interview was being conducted, eliminating manual data entry after the completion of the survey. The survey questionnaire was programmed so that QPL branched, coded, and substituted phrases in the survey based on previous responses to ensure the integrity and consistency of the data collection. Telephone surveying times are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., local time. A five-callback design was used to maintain the representativeness of the sample, to avoid bias toward people easy to reach by telephone, and to provide an equal opportunity for all to participate. When a respondent could not be reached on the first call, subsequent calls were placed on different days of the week and at different times of the day. For the in-person interviews, a team of professional interviewers conducted all in person interviews with residents of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The in person interviewers were conducted as intercept surveys. Using the local knowledge of USVI-based team members, in person surveys were conducted at more than 30 sites frequented by USVI residents. These sites were selected to be geographically distributed around the islands in locations designed to capture residents of all ages, ethnicities, and income strata. In-person surveys were administered using tablets and/or laptops, with the data being inputted directly in real-time using data collection software. In addition to electronic data entry hardware, paper-based questionnaires were also made available to all surveyors in case unforeseen information technology issues arose. The on-site in-person surveys were conducted from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time.

Submission Package ID: 2UEJKR