Frequently Asked Questions
Your household was chosen as part of a scientific study to represent people living in your area. Some addresses were selected at random, while others were drawn from lists of boat owners. Your views and experiences will represent thousands of people like you.
The National Recreational Boating Safety Survey is the United States Coast Guard's nationwide survey that has been conducted since 1973 and is designed to estimate how many people go boating, what types of boats they use, and how often they go boating.
The survey supports national safety and law enforcement programs. It helps the U.S. Coast Guard and state agencies improve boating safety, allocate resources effectively, and help make water sports more enjoyable.
Yes! Your response is just as important as someone who boats. The survey needs to hear from everyone, whether you boat frequently, occasionally, or not at all. This helps create an accurate picture of boating activity across the country.
The survey is being conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard. NORC is an objective, non-profit research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous science to guide critical business, program, and policy decisions. NORC has been conducting impactful, unbiased research for over 80 years for organizations such as Consumer Reports, the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, the Associated Press, the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and many more.
The survey allows one qualified adult in your household, 18 years or older, to complete the survey.
If you are eligible and complete the survey before it closes, we will give you $10 in your choice of an Amazon, Target, Walmart, or Lowe’s gift card.
Yes. Please be assured that any information you provide NORC will be held in the strictest confidence and will be grouped with the information from many others in your area to produce statistical summaries.
Read more about the survey and how it is used by the U.S. Coast Guard here: U.S. Coast Guard National Recreational Boating Safety Survey Website
Authority: 14 U.S.C 504; 14 U.S.C. 505; and 46 U.S.C 13102.
Purpose: Data will be used to estimate overall recreational boating attitudes and exposure in the United States along with collect data on boating safety equipment and safety education. To assist with maintaining confidentiality, respondents are advised not to include any personally identifiable information not requested in their responses.
Routine Uses: This survey solicits information that the Coast Guard will use to better identify safety priorities, coordinate, focus research efforts, and encourage consistency in the information that is collected as well as the applied analysis methods. DHS/ALL/PIA-069 DHS Surveys, Interviews, and Focus Groups provide coverage for this collection.
Disclosure: Furnishing this information is strictly voluntary.