Measuring Passenger Satisfaction of Interpretive Programming on Two Amtrak Trains in the Midwest: Testing the Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory

Abstract

The National Park Service (NPS) developed a partnership with Amtrak in 1994 to offer interpretive programming for train passengers on selected routes. Since its inception, over 1.5 million passengers have attended nearly 60,000 presentations delivered by park rangers or trained volunteers. Onboard presentations create a unique opportunity for the NPS to interact with many individuals who are not traditional park visitors. For Amtrak, interpretation is a value-added service. The purpose of this study was to evaluate passenger satisfaction of NPS-led presentations on two trains in the Midwest during the summer of 2005. A field experiment was designed to compare the responses of passengers in treatment (n=72) and control (n=80) groups using expectancy disconfirmation theory. Passengers were satisfied with all aspects of the presentations, including interpreter characteristics, message quality, and program benefits.