Survey about the Pilgrim Roads of Santiago de Compostela

[Cicet]

𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗺 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗮

In the scope of the research project "The Touristic, Economic and Social Dimensions of the Pilgrim Roads to Santiago after Covid-19" funded by the European Union, CICET-FCVC is collecting data through an online survey.

If you have done the Camino(s) of Santiago de Compostela, we appreciate your collaboration in this study by answering the following survey:
https://lnkd.in/dASfPgMu
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This project is developed under the project NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000164, co-funded by the Regional Operational Program of the North (NORTE 2020), Portugal 2020 and the European Union, through the European Social Fund (ESF).
#fcvc #cicet #isag #tourism #trails #santiagogocompostela #norte2020

𝗜𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗲́𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗼𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗮

No âmbito do projeto de investigação “A Dimensão, Turística, Económica e Social dos Caminhos de Santiago Após a Covid-19” apoiado por Fundos da União Europeia, o CICET-FCVC encontra-se a recolher dados através de um questionário online.

Se já fez o(s) Caminho(s) de Santiago de Compostela, agradecemos a sua colaboração neste estudo através do preenchimento do seguinte questionário:
https://lnkd.in/d29H2NMF
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Este projeto é desenvolvido no âmbito do projeto NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000164, cofinanciado pelo Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE 2020), Portugal 2020 e União Europeia, através do Fundo Social Europeu (FSE).
#fcvc #cicet #isag #turismo #caminhos #santiagocompostela #norte2020

 

[Tincatinker]

Ah me. The usual questions. Wouldn't it be great if someone who'd actually walked a few Camino compiled the questions.

Does the advertising work?
How much did you spend?
Would you spend more?
Is there a part of the market we're missing?

 

[Cicet]

Thank you very much for your comment, we are sorry if the questions seem inappropriate. Actually, we do have within our research team loyal Santiago Piligrims. And the questions you pointed seem importnat, as pilgrimage sustain some local rural economies while they recive pilgrims, and we all being a community raises this concern.

 

[trecile]

I gave up when I could only enter a single digit in the question asking how many days I spent on the Camino.

 

[Cicet]

Sorry to hear that in theory it is possible... may because on the phone it is not visible...

 

[dougfitz]

It was not clear to me whether you were asking about:

• the most recent camino
• only the Camino de Santiago, or about other pilgrimage routes

For some reason, the survey seemed to assume that the Camino Portuguese started in Porto. Even then, it only offered three options for that route, and not, for example, the Variante Espiritual or the route through Braga (albeit that might be much less commonly travelled).

Expecting people to do more than guess at their expenses is ambitious, although there may be some who do keep more detailed records. I generally don't. I walk the Camino to reflect on other things than financial matters.

I gave up on the survey, and don't think I will go back, even if you do clarify your intent.

 

[Tincatinker]

Thank you very much for your comment, we are sorry if the questions seem inappropriate. Actually, we do have within our research team loyal Santiago Piligrims. And the questions you pointed seem importnat, as pilgrimage sustain some local rural economies while they recive pilgrims, and we all being a community raises this concern.

I’m well aware of the impact that the modern Camino has had on the economies of some localities. While villages less than a kilometer from the hallowed path continue to decay. The focus on economic benefits is a distraction from the socio-political impact of the promotion of Camino as a leisure pursuit. Nice people in nice hiking gear dispensing nice (trivial) quantities of €’s to the anticipatory peasantry, or more likely the hospitality industry dependent on cheap and even voluntary labour.

Try a survey of “why do/ did you walk Camino”? Sort out your primary categories: bucket list; cheap; my friend did it; I saw a movie and it looked fun…
Unless you are trying to sell Camino to yet another market, or service provider, the €£¥$ question is irrelevant. Measuring life in terms of GDP is what got us into the current mess

 

[CWBuff]

I somewhat took exception to one of the choices for going on Camino being "visiting Family\Friends" (OK perhaps the Spaniards do that... but still...)
Also regarding the COVID situation the 3 choices given as to when you walked the Camino were

• before and after March 2020
• Just after March 2020
• Just before March 2020

Considering that I walked in May\June of 2022 none of these truly apply and it would not let me submit the answers until I answered this MANDATORY question. I got off the page

 

[Cicet]

It was not clear to me whether you were asking about:

• the most recent camino
• only the Camino de Santiago, or about other pilgrimage routes

For some reason, the survey seemed to assume that the Camino Portuguese started in Porto. Even then, it only offered three options for that route, and not, for example, the Variante Espiritual or the route through Braga (albeit that might be much less commonly travelled).

Expecting people to do more than guess at their expenses is ambitious, although there may be some who do keep more detailed records. I generally don't. I walk the Camino to reflect on other things than financial matters.

I gave up on the survey, and don't think I will go back, even if you do clarify your intent.

Thank you very much for your time and response! We are sorry that some questions were not clear and seemed inappropriate. The emphasis really is the last Camino walked, and in case there is no answer that fits within the list, there is an option ""Other", where respondents may write. I do share your view on the financial aspect of the problem, but there is, unfortunately, no other way we can proceed with this data from the Pilgrim point of view. We appreciate your time and contribution!

 

[Cicet]

I somewhat took exception to one of the choices for going on Camino being "visiting Family\Friends" (OK perhaps the Spaniards do that... but still...)
Also regarding the COVID situation the 3 choices given as to when you walked the Camino were

• before and after March 2020
• Just after March 2020
• Just before March 2020

Considering that I walked in May\June of 2022 none of these truly apply and it would not let me submit the answers until I answered this MANDATORY question. I got off the page

Thank you very much for your contribution. Regarding your concern, in this case, as you have walked May\June of 2022, it is after March 2020, as the focus was to see the before/after Covid. We are grateful for your time.

 

[Cicet]

I’m well aware of the impact that the modern Camino has had on the economies of some localities. While villages less than a kilometer from the hallowed path continue to decay. The focus on economic benefits is a distraction from the socio-political impact of the promotion of Camino as a leisure pursuit. Nice people in nice hiking gear dispensing nice (trivial) quantities of €’s to the anticipatory peasantry, or more likely the hospitality industry dependent on cheap and even voluntary labour.

Try a survey of “why do/ did you walk Camino”? Sort out your primary categories: bucket list; cheap; my friend did it; I saw a movie and it looked fun…
Unless you are trying to sell Camino to yet another market, or service provider, the €£¥$ question is irrelevant. Measuring life in terms of GDP is what got us into the current mess

We share and understand your concerns. Appreciate your time for sharing them.

 

[VNwalking]

I had no problem with the survey technically, but did struggle to figure out how much I might have averaged spending in a month on things I might have done once, if that (museums, for example). It actually comes to less than 1€, so I just rounded up.

 

[Cicet]

I had no problem with the survey technically, but did struggle to figure out how much I might have averaged spending in a month on things I might have done once, if that (museums, for example). It actually comes to less than 1€, so I just rounded up.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us! It is a aproxiamate estimation, so yes, you did as supposed! Thank you one more time!

 

[CWBuff]

Thank you very much for your contribution. Regarding your concern, in this case, as you have walked May\June of 2022, it is after March 2020, as the focus was to see the before/after Covid. We are grateful for your time.

If that is the case, then the word "just" should be removed as it implies "immediately before/after"...perhaps up to 3 months max, not 2 years....

 

[Cicet]

If that is the case, then the word "just" should be removed as it implies "immediately before/after"...perhaps up to 3 months max, not 2 years....

Thank you, it is a valid consideration and the change is made. In a sence of explination, it is to underline that the pilgrimage took place only after or only before, or in the third case both before and after. Is the formulation that is used now is more adequate?

 

[trecile]

When I checked the boxes of all the Caminos I have done (one of which was the Portuguese Camino) the survey then asks me "Which one of the following Portuguese Routes was the last one you did?" even though my last Camino was not in Portugal. If I don't list the Portuguese route the survey asks me "Which one of the following Routes you did the last?" and then I can choose the Primitivo, which was the last route that I walked. Should I just not check the Portuguese box, do that I can answer questions about my most recent Camino?

 

[Cicet]

When I checked the boxes of all the Caminos I have done (one of which was the Portuguese Camino) the survey then asks me "Which one of the following Portuguese Routes was the last one you did?" even though my last Camino was not in Portugal. If I don't list the Portuguese route the survey asks me "Which one of the following Routes you did the last?" and then I can choose the Primitivo, which was the last route that I walked. Should I just not check the Portuguese box, do that I can answer questions about my most recent Camino?

Thank you very much for your response! The main focus is the Portuguese Route, so if the Portuguese route was ever done, the questions will be directed to the last Portuguese route. In case the Portuguese route was never taken we also consider other routes. We are grateful for your contribution!

 

[oursonpolaire]

You might want to provide more clarity in the choice of religious identity. Evangelical/Protestant as a category could be interpreted differently by North Americans, for whom evangelical refers to non-liturgical traditions specifically, excluding (e.g) Lutherans and Episcopalians/Anglicans and, as well, the word sometimes has a strong political flavour; a German would likely interpret it differently from a North American.

While this distinction might sound finicky, I wonder if it means that the answers might not necessarily adequately give a good picture of a changing scene. I wonder if Protestant liturgical churches (i.e., Lutheran, Anglican) and Protestant/Evangelical might be better categories, especially now that we are beginning to see North American evangelicals on the Camino.

 

[Gringazolana]

Completed. A few minor typographical errors on the survey instrument, but I’m trilingual so I understand what you mean!

 

[Cicet]

You might want to provide more clarity in the choice of religious identity. Evangelical/Protestant as a category could be interpreted differently by North Americans, for whom evangelical refers to non-liturgical traditions specifically, excluding (e.g) Lutherans and Episcopalians/Anglicans and, as well, the word sometimes has a strong political flavour; a German would likely interpret it differently from a North American.

While this distinction might sound finicky, I wonder if it means that the answers might not necessarily adequately give a good picture of a changing scene. I wonder if Protestant liturgical churches (i.e., Lutheran, Anglican) and Protestant/Evangelical might be better categories, especially now that we are beginning to see North American evangelicals on the Camino.

Thank you very much for your alert! Unfortunately, at this stage, we would not be able to add a category to a survey to separate them, but we will consider it in the interpretation of the results!

 

[Cicet]

Completed. A few minor typographical errors on the survey instrument, but I’m trilingual so I understand what you mean!

Thank you very much for your contribution and time dedicated to the survey! Have a wonderful day!

 

[lt56ny]

I think you miss the point of the criticisms others are making here. We have seen many surveys from different groups and graduate students asking the same basic questions you have asked. I have a feeling that many of us who have walked multiple caminos could generally answer most of these questions with the same level of exactitude that you will gather. There is really nothing scientific and nothing that you can specifically pinpoint about pilgrim behavior or money spent as you did not have a carefully compiled control group. Your conclusions will be based on the whims of who decided to answer your survey. You speak of the economic impact. Those of us who have walked for many years can tell you that yes there is a really positive economic impact on towns and villages that were struggling to survive when there were far fewer pilgrims walking. The Meseta is a perfect example of this fact. It does not take a rocket scientist to be able to figure out if there are two or three times as many people walking through towns today as opposed to 10 or 15 years ago there is going to be more businesses and more money to support those towns and villages. If you walk a route like the VDLP you will see little economic or support services in towns and villages because there are relatively so few pilgrims walking. Most of the other questions are really throw away questions as there is lots of previous literature that answers these questions. I take these surveys hoping to see something fresh and new. So far I haven't.

 

[David Tallan]

I somewhat took exception to one of the choices for going on Camino being "visiting Family\Friends" (OK perhaps the Spaniards do that... but still...)
Also regarding the COVID situation the 3 choices given as to when you walked the Camino were

• before and after March 2020
• Just after March 2020
• Just before March 2020

Considering that I walked in May\June of 2022 none of these truly apply and it would not let me submit the answers until I answered this MANDATORY question. I got off the page

I think in this situation "just" is meant as "only" rather than "close to".

 

[Cicet]

I think you miss the point of the criticisms others are making here. We have seen many surveys from different groups and graduate students asking the same basic questions you have asked. I have a feeling that many of us who have walked multiple caminos could generally answer most of these questions with the same level of exactitude that you will gather. There is really nothing scientific and nothing that you can specifically pinpoint about pilgrim behavior or money spent as you did not have a carefully compiled control group. Your conclusions will be based on the whims of who decided to answer your survey. You speak of the economic impact. Those of us who have walked for many years can tell you that yes there is a really positive economic impact on towns and villages that were struggling to survive when there were far fewer pilgrims walking. The Meseta is a perfect example of this fact. It does not take a rocket scientist to be able to figure out if there are two or three times as many people walking through towns today as opposed to 10 or 15 years ago there is going to be more businesses and more money to support those towns and villages. If you walk a route like the VDLP you will see little economic or support services in towns and villages because there are relatively so few pilgrims walking. Most of the other questions are really throw away questions as there is lots of previous literature that answers these questions. I take these surveys hoping to see something fresh and new. So far I haven't.

Thank you for your time to share and we will try to keep up with the suggestions in our reserch!

 

[oursonpolaire]

As a minor note, I saw that the survey listed non-binary as one of the categories. Ten years ago I would have been puzzled with this. But on my last two caminos I spoke with three pilrims who identified themselves as such, so perhaps it is is a phenomenon worthy of measuring. One of them was a German army officer walking with their also non-binary partner as a honeymoon pilgrimage (not uncommon!!) and I could not but help wonder what Rommel might have thought about this....

For nationality, you might want to think of just having participants write it in, rather than prompting a few categories-- some responders might wonder if they were limited to the posted options.

 

[Cicet]

As a minor note, I saw that the survey listed non-binary as one of the categories. Ten years ago I would have been puzzled with this. But on my last two caminos I spoke with three pilrims who identified themselves as such, so perhaps it is is a phenomenon worthy of measuring. One of them was a German army officer walking with their also non-binary partner as a honeymoon pilgrimage (not uncommon!!) and I could not but help wonder what Rommel might have thought about this....

For nationality, you might want to think of just having participants write it in, rather than prompting a few categories-- some responders might wonder if they were limited to the posted options.

Thank you very much for your comment! Indeed it is interesting what you described! In relation to the nationality, there is an initial list to help with the choice, but also it has other, where is possible to write

 

[CA_Pilgrim]

I completed the survey, but like most Camino surveys I've completed, there's no place to explain areas of dissatisfaction. Overall, I need to emphasize that I had a wonderful experience and plan to do it again in 2024 with a different route. However, there are two areas where I think the Camino experience could be improved are:

1) More and better public toilets available along the more remote parts of the path. In the few areas where there is some privacy, the areas were generally littered with human excrement and toilet paper from the thousands that have gone before.

2) The bikers need to be forced to use the road and not the walking paths. There were areas where it became very dangerous to those walking the Camino with bikers going way to fast on the path, even where there is a road with bike lanes just 6 feet away! It really diminishes from the hiking experience.

 

[Cicet]

I completed the survey, but like most Camino surveys I've completed, there's no place to explain areas of dissatisfaction. Overall, I need to emphasize that I had a wonderful experience and plan to do it again in 2024 with a different route. However, there are two areas where I think the Camino experience could be improved are:

1) More and better public toilets available along the more remote parts of the path. In the few areas where there is some privacy, the areas were generally littered with human excrement and toilet paper from the thousands that have gone before.

2) The bikers need to be forced to use the road and not the walking paths. There were areas where it became very dangerous to those walking the Camino with bikers going way to fast on the path, even where there is a road with bike lanes just 6 feet away! It really diminishes from the hiking experience.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience, we will include in our report.