Code of Conduct and Instructions for Surveyors

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).
General guidelines:
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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 survey schedule).

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Campground hosts can hand out surveys to campers in their campground and have
them drop the surveys off before they leave.

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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), or send the survey
back in the mail. If respondents request to mail in the survey questionnaire,
surveyor should provide them with a postage-paid return envelope that is addressed
to the Project Leader, not the surveyor.

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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.

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Surveyors will attempt to survey every 5th visitor at the survey location and every
5th individual within a group if the group contains over 5 individuals. For smaller
groups or family units consisting of less than 5 individuals, the surveyor will pick
an adult that is 16 years or older to fill out the survey.

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

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How to survey respondents:
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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 way and introduce themselves. Respect the respondent’s privacy.
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 should provide each potential surveyor with a
background paper containing enough information to allow surveyors to answer
basic questions about the purpose of the survey.

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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. Take the survey, pencil, and clipboard back from them
after they are finished and put the completed surveys in a secure place along with
other filled-out surveys.

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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.

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When a small group of people (i.e., two friends or a family unit of more than 5
individuals) recreates together, surveyors should ask every 5th person in the group
that is 16 years of age or older or an identified adult to complete the survey. If the
group is larger (i.e., two separate family units recreating together, but traveling
separately), the surveyor can hand out a survey to every 5th person of each family
unit if the group consists of more than 5 individuals. If the group consists of less
than 5 individuals, the surveyor will attempt to have one individual 16 years of age
or older fill out the survey. Following the above-mentioned parameters, surveyors
should introduce themselves to the first group, explain the purpose of the study, ask
them to participate, hand them the survey, clipboard, and pencil and tell them that
they will be back in a few minutes to pick up the survey. In the meantime,
surveyors can go to the next group of recreationists and do the same. If the survey
location is a high use area, surveyor will not be able to talk to all groups of visitors.
They should try to talk to as many groups as they can.

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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 all
groups 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

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all visitors that are recreating at its water bodies; therefore, all groups will be
surveyed as is possible.
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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/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).

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If possible, surveyors should alternate between male and female respondents.
However, they should not miss a potential respondent or group of respondents,
because there is no male or female in that particular group. It is important to get a
representative sample of the recreating population. Some recreational activities are
preferred by one gender versus the other.

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

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Surveyors should assist respondents and try to answer any questions that they
might have about 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.

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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
available. Please note that his option is only available to respondents who
specifically ask for it. Surveyors should give the names and addresses to the Project
leader as soon as possible. Surveyors should keep all the filled-out 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.

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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

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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.
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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 to verify
the legitimacy of the information collection.

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