Cross-Border Tourism to Protected Areas in Poland and Germany: Methodology

Abstract

This chapter explains in detail the methodology used in our empirical study. It presents the hypotheses and design of the empirical research (workshops; pretest: focus group discussions; main survey: representative online questionnaire) and identifies the study population, before describing data collection, preparation (among other weighting) and analysis. We conducted a total of four workshops at different locations in the border region with various stakeholders; two focus group discussions, one in Szczecin and one in Berlin; and applied a representative online survey in both countries (with geographical sampling in the Polish voivodeships of Zachodniopomorskie and Lubuskie, and in eleven German counties along the border, including the city of Berlin). Each survey received over 600 responses. The format included several blocks of questions: first we asked about respondents’ leisure and holiday preferences, then for their environmental worldview and knowledge about protected areas in general, and in Poland and Germany, respectively. In the second part, respondents were asked to reply to questions concerning the image of the neighboring country, their perceptions of the border, the frequency of their border-crossings for different purposes, the barriers they perceive to cross-border activities, and their prejudices about Poland/Germany. The survey closed with sociodemographic questions.