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Limitations and Cautions
IV. Limitation and Cautions
The Mountain Loop Highway Visioning Survey data provide a snapshot of how a set of visitors and residents feel about places around the Mountain Loop area, but there are some limitations to the data and the kinds of conclusions that can be drawn from them. The survey data only represent a subset of users of the Mountain Loop area; this limits the generalizability of these results to the full set of potential users of the Mountain Loop area. We acknowledge that those who take the time to fill out the survey are more likely to have strong ties to the area and may be more frequent visitors. Many casual or infrequent visitors and their favorite places may not be included. Additionally, we are missing those people who visit the area but are unlikely to respond to a survey or participate in a public engagement process. There are certain activity categories that we know are common in the Mountain Loop area, but do not show up in results, such as fishing, rafting/boating, target shooting, and water play. For some of the response categories, such as non-visitors to the Mountain Loop area, the number of responses was low and results may be viewed as indicative of a trend, but a more robust sample would be needed to provide a definitive response.
Our survey asked respondents to share their favorite places; yet we acknowledge that a focus on favorite places may omit places that respondents frequently visit, but don’t consider a favorite place (e.g. places where respondents walk the dog or running routes, etc.) or places that respondents would prefer not to share (e.g. special fishing holes, berry patches, or places that feel remote or private). We recognize that some respondents may not feel comfortable navigating maps or using the mapping application, potentially resulting in some errors or inconsistencies. While we followed a strict data management protocol to address these concerns, there may be some places erroneously named or identified. Finally, the survey was administered in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic when public spaces experienced especially high use pressure. Some responses might reflect the unique conditions of the year.
