This Month at
Responsive Management

    collage of natural resource and outdoor recreation photos
Responsive Management, an internationally recognized public opinion and attitude survey research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues, is currently involved in more than 20 research projects on public opinion on and attitudes toward natural resource and outdoor recreation issues. Having already completed 35 studies in 2007, Responsive Management is closing out a busy and successful year conducting surveys and needs assessments for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, to name a few.

Recently completed projects include studies on public opinion on, attitudes toward, and knowledge of agency funding, grizzly bear recovery, wildfires and controlled burning, hunting and shooting sports, deer management, and public access programs; hunters' and anglers' opinions on energy development on public lands; hunters' opinions on game management and youth hunting recruitment efforts; anglers' participation in fishing and opinions on species-specific regulations; boaters' participation in and opinions on boating activities; factors related to boat fatalities in the U.S.; and factors related specifically to canoe and kayak fatalities in the U.S.

Some interesting findings from our recent studies include:

  • The majority of Vermonters support alternative funding options for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, including redistributing a portion of the current state sales tax, providing money from the state's general fund for current programs the Department does not already receive money, and receiving a portion of the Rooms and Meals Tax.

  • A majority of residents of counties in the Cabinet Mountains and Yaak Valley area in Montana know a great deal or moderate amount about the grizzly bear recovery program in the area, while a majority support having grizzly bears there and just over half support the grizzly bear recovery efforts.

  • In Oregon, Responsive Management found that 64% of active Oregon anglers (licensed anglers who had fished in the past 12 months) primarily consider themselves to be a coldwater fish angler (as opposed to a warmwater fish angler). Other results from this study indicated that the majority of trout anglers in Oregon do not have a preference for fishing for hatchery or wild trout but, among those with a preference, wild trout is by far the preferred trout.

  • The Future of Hunting and Shooting is a study on public attitudes toward and participation in hunting and the shooting sports and is being conducted by Responsive Management in cooperation with the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The nationwide survey found that support for hunting and fishing has remained strong over the past decade with approximately every 3 out of 4 Americans approving of legal hunting: in 1995, 73 percent of Americans approved of hunting while in 2006, 78 percent approved of hunting.

  • In a study examining the factors associated with canoe and kayak fatalities, Responsive Management performed regression analyses on the U.S. Coast Guard's Boating Accident Reporting Database (BARD) data from 1995 through 2004. The research found that the more people involved in the incident, the lower the fatality rate. In short, canoeing or kayaking alone increases the likelihood of being involved in a fatal accident.
In addition to our recently completed projects and studies currently underway, Responsive Management has also recently been awarded several major projects to perform some exciting new surveys, including two 2008 Multistate Conservation Grants, one in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation on issues related to hunting access in the United States and another in partnership with the American Sportfishing Association to develop a comprehensive understanding of angler access issues. Other projects recently awarded to Responsive Management include an evaluation of boater education programs nationwide for the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, an evaluation of the National Archery in the Schools Program, surveys to better understand public opinion on hunting in California and Washington state, and extended contracts for performing multiple public opinion and attitude surveys on natural resources and outdoor recreation issues for the states of Arizona and Washington.

Click here for a comprehensive list of recent and current survey research projects conducted by Responsive Management.

Download the Fall 2007 Responsive Management newsletter, which highlights recent research on public opinions on alternative funding for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department as well as species management in Vermont. Best viewed with Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or higher.

Our mission is to help natural resource and outdoor recreation agencies and organizations better understand and work with their constituents, customers, and the public. This is accomplished through a variety of methodologies, including telephone, mail, and web surveys; focus groups; and numerous other techniques listed on the far right side of this page. Click here to learn more about Responsive Management.

Download a brief 4-page overview of the services Responsive Management offers as well as comments from our clients.

RM Conducts:
Telephone Surveys
Mail Surveys
Focus Groups
Personal Interviews
Park/Outdoor Recreation Intercepts
Web-Based Surveys
Needs Assessments
Programmatic Evaluations
Literature Reviews
Data Collection for Universities and Researchers
RM Develops:
Marketing Plans
Communications Plans
Business Plans
Policy Analysis
Public Relations Plans

 130 Franklin Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801    Phone (540) 432-1888    Fax (540) 432-1892    mark@responsivemanagement.com
Content © Responsive Management, unless otherwise noted.