Forty-four percent (44%) of American adults think admission to U.S. national parks should always be free, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

But slightly more adults (47%) think the cost of admission should cover the costs of maintaining those parks.

Of those who have visited a national park at least once over the past five years, 50% say admission costs should cover maintenance while 43% say admission should be free. Those adults who have not visited national parks during that time favor free admission slightly more, 48% to 44%.

The Obama administration this summer launched an initiative that would waive admission fees for all national parks for three separate weekends. The plan is an effort to provide tourists with affordable vacations during the recession.

However, the plurality of adults (46%) thinks keeping costs of national parks down to taxpayers is more important than getting more people to visit the parks. Forty-one percent (41%) take the opposite view. There is little difference on this question between those who have visited a park in the past five years and those who have not.

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Most adults (57%) say they have visited a national park within the last five years, but 39% say they have not. Of those who have visited a park, 32% say they’ve visited just once over the past five years while 48% have visited at least three times.

By a 62% to 48% margin, more married adults say they have visited a national park in the past five years than adults who are not married.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of men think national parks should be free to the public, but just 39% of women agree. Most women (50%) say admission costs should cover park maintenance, compared to 44% of men.

Half of men (50%) think it is more important to keep costs of national parks down to taxpayers than to get more people visiting those parks. Women are more evenly divided.

A survey in May found that 58% of those planning a summer vacation said economic conditions were forcing them to cut back on their holiday spending.

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