Picnic in the Park: A Demographic Case Study of Brittingham Park

Abstract

This case study examines the demographic composition, use patterns and perception of Brittingham Park patrons. In seeking to answer the research question who uses Brittingham Park and why, we used both quantitative and qualitative methods. We composed and administered a survey designed to measure park user characteristics such as age, gender, race and income, perception of the park and what park amenities are most important to users. Furthermore, we made analytical observations about park use and mapped income census data for the neighborhoods surrounding the park. This helped us to determine if the regions around Brittingham Park reflect the demographic of park users. We distributed surveys to people in the park, but the Monona Bay Neighborhood Association and members of the Camp Randall Rowing Club took the majority of the surveys through an online survey, which resulted in an imbalanced data set. After using quantitative statistical analysis to identify patterns within our data, we are forced to conclude that very little can be said about Brittingham Park user demographic, patterns of use or perceptions about the park, based on the data we collected. Although we did not discover anything statistically significant, this is an important topic and given the time and the resources, a more in-depth study of this subject could produce different, and more meaningful results.