Non-Respondents

Code of Conduct
and
Instructions for Surveyors
The following list is intended to help surveyors with the process of conducting a successful
survey and to establish certain guidelines and proper etiquette for communicating with
respondents. Reclamation’s survey project leader and/or contractor will discuss these
instructions and survey conduct items with all potential surveyors (camp hosts, volunteers,
contractor personnel, entrance gate attendants, Reclamation personnel, or combination
thereof).
Responsibilities of Project Leader


Oversees the survey on site to ensure a valid, nonbiased sampling based on the
pre-defined sampling periods.



Prepares a sampling plan and detailed schedule that will be adhered to by the
surveyors.



Trains all individuals who will be distributing surveys on the survey process before
the survey begins, and train all new individuals who will be distributing surveys
throughout the survey period.



Ensure that there are enough surveyors present on the scheduled survey days.



Makes all staff personnel aware of the survey collection so that they can answer
any questions related to the survey from any visitors to the recreation area.



Makes sure that drop boxes or drop off points are established where respondents
can easily deposit their completed surveys. Drop boxes will be clearly labeled,
sealed shut with only a slot in the top for depositing the surveys.

General guidelines:


The surveys will be handed out on-site during a predetermined survey period
(specific locations will be visited during specific times of the day, days of the week
(i.e., week days, weekends, holidays etc.) and at specific locations that have been
established in the sampling plan).



Campground hosts can hand out surveys to campers in their campground and have
them drop the surveys off before they leave. Campground hosts will follow the
sampling plan established by the project leader.



Each surveyor will have a sufficient amount of surveys, clipboards, and pencils to
hand out for the established survey period.

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

The preferred survey method is to have respondents fill out the survey on-site. This
gives respondents the opportunity to ask questions and usually results in better
response rates. If this method is not an option (i.e., the respondent has to leave
immediately after his or her activity), ask politely if the respondent would fill out
the survey later and drop it off at a predetermined drop-off location (i.e., visitor
center, entrance station, drop box, or with a campground host).



Since the sampling frame is a defined geographic area (i.e., reservoir or river
corridor), surveyors should limit the information collection to those areas at a
specific time and place as detailed in the sampling plan.



Surveyors will attempt to survey every fifth group at the survey location. Note: A
group can be one or more individuals. If there is more than one individual in a
group the surveyor will pick the person that has the next birthday; however, that
person has to be 16 years or older.



Surveyors should be dressed professionally, preferably in campground host
uniforms. If uniforms are not available, the surveyors should wear appropriate
attire and name tags.

How to survey respondents:


Surveyors should always be polite, friendly, and neutral. When they approach a
visitor or a group of visitors, they should greet them in a friendly, professional, and
non-threatening manner and always introduce themselves. The surveyor will
respect the respondent’s privacy. The surveyor will explain to the respondents why
the survey is being conducted, the purpose of the study, and the approximate time it
will take to fill out the survey. Reclamation’s project leader or contractor will
provide each potential surveyor with a background paper containing enough
information to allow surveyors to answer basic questions about the purpose of the
survey.



Surveyors should assure respondents that their responses will be treated with
anonymity (respondents do not have to provide their names and/or addresses).
After this short introduction, the surveyor should ask the respondents if they would
like to participate. If they agree, hand them a survey, clipboard, and pencil and let
them fill out the survey. After the respondent completes the survey, the surveyor
should collect the survey, pencil, and clipboard and put the completed surveys in a
secure place along with other filled-out surveys.



Most of the respondents will be happy to fill out a survey, but the surveyors should
be aware that some people will refuse. If respondents are not willing to fill out the
survey on-site or at a later point in time, that is perfectly fine. It is important to
keep in mind that this is a voluntary effort and nobody can or should be forced to
give their opinion. Surveyors should be polite and thank them anyway. If possible,

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the respondents should be questioned as to why they choose not to participate in the
survey.


Surveyors will maintain a survey log recording the disposition of every contact,
including refusals and the observable characteristics of respondents and
nonrespondents for use of a non-response bias analysis.



For the purposes of the individual survey collections, Reclamation has not
attempted to differentiate between and define personal groups as opposed to
organized groups. Therefore, surveyors will attempt to collect information from
every fifth group of one or more individuals within the defined geographic areas
that are participating in a recreation activity. It is Reclamation’s intent to get
feedback from a representative sample of all visitors that are recreating at its
waterbodies.



Surveyors should target survey respondents that they actually observe recreating
(i.e., boaters who just finished their fishing trip or current campers in the
campground). If there is any doubt, ask potential respondents politely if they have
participated in a specific recreation activity on or next to the river or reservoir
during their current or previous visit. To save the surveyors and public’s time,
surveyors should only attempt to contact those individuals that can best respond to
the topic areas of the survey (e.g., if you are administering a boating survey,
surveyors should not waste their time by asking people who are picnicking to fill
out the survey).



If possible, surveyors should attempt to collect surveys from both male and female
respondents. It is important to get a representative sample of the recreating public.
Some recreational activities are preferred more by one gender versus the other.



Surveyors should only ask visitors who are at least 16 years old to fill out a survey.
The survey respondents should be mature enough to be able to answer all the
questions.



Surveyors should assist respondents and try to answer any questions they might
have regarding the survey in general or specific questions to the best of their
knowledge. Surveyors should give unbiased answers, that is, do not take one side
over another on certain issues. If they are unsure about the answer to a question,
please be honest and apologize. See last bullet for instructions on what to do if the
surveyor cannot answer a question. If respondents do not know the answer to a
question, tell them to leave it blank. However, surveyors should try and get as
many responses as possible by clarifying any questions or uncertainties.



Once respondents have completed the survey, thank them politely for their
participation. If they would like to have a copy of the results (report of findings) of
the survey, surveyors should write their names and addresses down on a separate
sheet of paper and assure them that they will receive the results when they are

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available. Please note that this option is only available to respondents who
specifically request the results. Surveyors should give the names and addresses to
the project leader as soon as possible. The project leader will keep the names and
addresses separately from the surveys so that the surveys cannot be traced to a
specific person. Surveyors should keep all the completed surveys together in a safe
place and give them to project leader at their earliest convenience. If the surveys
are to be mailed to the project leader, copies of the surveys will be sent. Surveyor
will maintain possession of the originals until such time as they are physically put
into the hands of the project leader.


Surveyors should always be safe. Although it is important that they approach as
many of the boaters and campers as possible during your assigned survey period, it
is much more important to be safe. If they have the feeling that a group of
recreationists could be threatening or dangerous, they should not approach them
and/or leave the scene immediately. If, during a survey, a respondent or group of
respondents acts threatening or makes rude personal remarks, surveyors can and
should terminate the survey and leave the person or group right away. Do not put
surveyors at risk! Be careful of highway traffic. Surveyors should use common
sense and wear appropriate clothing for the weather conditions and protect
themselves with a hat, rain gear, sunscreen, water, etc. They may want to take a
folding chair along for comfort.



Make sure that all surveyors have an appropriate number of business cards
available with the name, address, and telephone number of the project leader or
other qualified person who they may contact to ask specific questions or verify the
legitimacy of the information collection.

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