The Water Sports Foundation Urges Boaters to Participate in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Safety Survey
The Water Sports Foundation is encouraging boaters to participate in the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2026 National Recreational Boating Safety Survey, which will help guide programs that keep people safer on the water.
The survey will estimate how many Americans go boating, the types of boats they use, and how often they get on the water. Findings will inform national, state, and local efforts to improve boating safety.
The University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC) is conducting the survey on behalf of the Coast Guard. More than 50,000 households across all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be invited to participate. Selected households will receive invitations by letter, postcard, email, or text message. The Water Sports Foundation urges everyone contacted to respond. Each completed survey helps researchers build a clearer picture of recreational boating across the country.
“The findings are critical in guiding the Coast Guard’s security efforts to keep boating safe and enjoyable for everyone,” said Captain Brent Schmadeke of the Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety. The survey is normally conducted every five years, though the most recent survey was completed eight years ago, in 2018.
Responses are confidential and will be used only for statistical summaries. The information collected will help shape safety standards, law enforcement programs, and boating policies. The survey is funded through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the Coast Guard as part of the National Recreational Boating Safety Program.
Since its creation under the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971, the program has helped the Coast Guard make America’s waterways safer. It sets boat construction standards, strengthens accident investigations and reporting, and funds safety efforts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and six U.S. territories. The Coast Guard estimates these efforts have saved 95,000 lives over the last 55 years.
Boaters can volunteer to take the survey by completing a brief online sign-up form about their boating habits and providing contact information. Volunteers may then be invited to participate in the larger survey.
The Water Sports Foundation promotes safer boating and paddling through education, public awareness, and marine industry partnerships. Encouraging survey participation supports that work by helping safety agencies better understand the people using America’s waterways.
For more information, visit the Coast Guard’s National Recreational Boating Safety Survey webpage.
