What We Do

Understanding relationships between people and parks is critical for protecting resources unimpaired and providing for public enjoyment. The Social Science Program (SSP) conducts and promotes state-of-the-art social science related to the mission of the NPS, delivering usable knowledge to park managers and the public.

Focus Areas

Visitor Use Statistics

We collect, analyze and publish official visitation statistics for the National Park Service on a monthly basis and produce annual summaries at the end of each calendar year.

Economics

The Economics Program provides economic research and support for protecting and restoring park resources, making well-informed management decisions, and communicating the significant value of national parks and programs.

Socioeconomic Monitoring

The Socioeconomic Monitoring (SEM) Program is an annual agency-wide research study conducted by SSP. In at least 24 parks annually, visitors will be asked to participate in the study and answer questions about their trip characteristics, spending, perceptions of their experience, demographics, and more. Over time, all parks in the system will be sampled. The SEM study is unique because for the first time socioeconomic results will be generalizable to the entire agency.

Information Collection

Collecting the opinions and experiences of the American public provides vital data to inform National Park Service (NPS) planning and management. The NPS is responsible for reviewing all social science surveys of the public conducted, funded, or sponsored to provide information needed for planning and management.

Park and Program Assistance

Visitor use and socioeconomic research is integral to understanding and addressing the NPS’s goals to provide high quality experiences for visitors. Park managers require knowledge about the people who use NPS lands in order to best serve visitor needs and to communicate the range of benefits provided by NPS lands and programs. The Social Science Program provides technical assistance to parks and programs that need socioeconomic and resource recovery expertise and project management.