1997

Survey of Public Participation 

in the Arts

SUMMARY REPORT

National Endowment for the Arts
Research Division Report Number 39

December 1998

National Endowment for the Arts

1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest

Washington, DC 20506-0001

Telephone: 202-682-5400

Produced by Tom Bradshaw

Research Division, National Endowment For The Arts

Prepared for the Research Division, National Endowment For The Arts

by Jack Faucett Associates, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland

Designed by Meadows Design Office, Incorporated, Washington, DC

www.mdomedia.com

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

1997 survey of public participation in the arts : summary report.

p. cm. — (Research Division report ; 39)

Produced by Tom Bradshaw and prepared for the Research Division,

National Endowment for the Arts, by Jack Faucett Associates, Inc., Bethesda, Md.

1. Arts audiences — United States. 2. Arts surveys — United States.

3. Arts — United States — Citizen Participation. I. Bradshaw, Tom.

II. National Endowment for the Arts. III. Jack Faucett Associates. IV. Title: survey of 

public participation in the arts. V. Title: Summary report. VI. Series: Research Division 

report (National Endowment for the Arts. Research Division) ; 39.

nx220.a16 1998

306.4'7'0973 — dc21 98-50433

cip

202-682-5496 Voice / tty

(a device for individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired)

Individuals who do not use conventional print materials may contact the 

Arts Endowment’s Office for AccessAbility at 202-682-5532 to obtain this 

publication in an alternate format.

This publication is available online: http://arts.endow.gov

the Web site of the National Endowment for the Arts
CONTENTS

Executive Summary 6

Introduction 9

Purpose 9

Organization of the Report 9

Data Collection and Survey Methodology 10

1997 sppa Questionnaire 10

Definitions 12

Tables 12

Chapter 1: Attendance at Live Performances and Events 14

Total Attendance, Attenders, and Rates of Attendance 14

Demographic Differences in Attendance and Attenders 15

Differences in Total Attendance and Median Age: 1992–97 23

Factors Affecting Attendance 24

Chapter 2: Arts Participation Through Broadcast and Recorded Media 28

Total Participants and Rates of Participation 28

Demographic Differences in Participation Via Media 29

Use of Personal Computers in the Arts 32

Chapter 3: Personal Participation in the Arts 33

Personal Performance or Creation 33

Demographic Di∑erences in Personal Participation 36

Chapter 4: Socialization 39

Participation by Taking Classes or Lessons 39

Parents’ Education 42

Arts Exposure 42

Chapter 5: Participation in Other Leisure Activities 43

Chapter 6: Music Preferences 47
Chapter 7: Arts Participation by Region, State, and Metropolitan Area 49

Regions, States, and Metropolitan Areas 49

Geographic Distribution of Participants and Rates of Participation 50

Chapter 8: Summary and Conclusions 56

Appendices

Appendix A: Background and History 58

Appendix B: Changes in Survey Procedures and Their Potential Effects on Estimates of Arts

Participation 62

Appendix C: Data Collection Experiences, Response Rates, And Weighting Procedures 76

Appendix D: Survey Design 78

Appendix E: Estimating Variance For 1997 sppa Data Items 80

Appendix F: 1997 Survey Questions 82
LIST OF TABLES 

1. Attendance at Arts Events 15

2. Attendance Rates at Arts Events by Demographic Group 16

3. Demographic Distribution of Attenders at Arts Events 18

4. Demographic Distribution of Total Attendance at Arts Events 20

5. Total Attendance and Median Age for Arts Events 23

6. Sources of Information About Arts Events 24

7. Place of Arts Performance 25

8. Relationship of Companions at Arts Events 25

9. Interest in Attending Arts Events More Often 25

10. Barriers to Attendance at Arts Events 26

11. Distribution of Ticket Prices for Performaning Arts Events 26

12. Distribution of Admission Fees at Museums 27

13. Participation Rates and Total Participation Via Broadcast and Recorded Media 29

14. Frequency of Listening to Music Via Broadcast and Recorded Media 28

15. Participation Rates Via Broadcast and Recorded Media by Demographic Group 30

16. Demographic Distribution of Participants Via Broadcast and Recorded Media 31

17. Use of Personal Computers for the Arts 32

18. Participation in the Arts Via Personal Performance and Creation 34

19. Rates of Personal Participation by Demographic Group 35

20. Demographic Distribution of Personal Participants 37

21. Participation by Taking Arts Classes or Lessons 40

22. Demographic Distribution of Participants in Arts Classes or Lessons 41

23. Highest Level of Parents’ Education 42

24. Respondents’ Childhood Arts Exposure 42

25. Children of Respondents Arts Exposure 42

26. Rates of Participation in Leisure Activities 44

27. Participation Rates for Other Leisure Activities by Demographic Group 45

28. Music Preferences 47

29. Rank of Preference for Types of Music 48

30. Attendance Rates for Arts Activities by State and Region 51

31. Attendance Rates for Arts Activities by Metropolitan Area 52

32. Number of Attenders at Arts Events by State and Region 53

33. Total Attendance at Arts Events by State and Region 54

34. Participation Rates Via Broadcast and Recorded Media by Region 55
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The 1997 nationwide Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (sppa) was sponsored by the

Research Division of the National Endowment for the Arts. The 1997 sppa was conducted by

Westat Corporation of Rockville, Maryland as a nationwide, stand-alone survey. Previous sppas had been supplements to the National Crime Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census. Although many of the questions were exactly the same as those asked in previous sppas,

the differences in the conduct of the previous surveys make their results difficult to compare

with the 1997 results. The 1997 survey design permitted a number of improvements, including a larger effective sample, more geographic details, greater flexibility in questionnaire design, and more timely reporting of the survey results, all of which improve our understanding

of arts participation patterns.

From June through October of 1997 a sample of 12,349 people throughout the nation were

asked questions concerning (a) their attendance at live arts events, (b) their participation in

the arts through broadcast and recorded media, and (c) their personal performance or creation

of art. The respondents’ replies indicate that half of the U.S. adult (18 and older) population

attended at least one of seven arts activities (jazz, classical music, opera, musical plays, nonmusical plays, ballet, or art museums) during the previous 12 months. This would translate to

97 million different people attended one or more of these events during the year.

Thirty-five percent of American adults made at least one visit to an art museum or gallery

in 1997. Because each visitor made an average of 3.3 visits per year, a total of 225 million visits

were made. Other arts activities with high participation rates were musical plays (25 percent),

non-musical plays and classical music (both 16 percent), and jazz and dance other than ballet

(both 12 percent). Ballet and opera had attendance rates of 6 and 5 percent, respectively. Related activities such as reading literature (63 percent) and visiting a historic park or an arts/craft

fair (both about 47 percent) also had high participation rates. These data are reported in detail in Table 1 (see page 15).

The 1997 sppa also asked questions about Americans’ participation in the arts through broadcast and recorded media. For jazz, classical music, opera, and musical plays, the survey covered both watching on video (television and video cassette recordings) and listening to radio

and audio recordings (phonographs, cassette tapes, and compact discs); for non-musical plays

both video and radio were applicable; and for dance and visual arts only video was relevant.

Like prior sppas, the 1997 sppa found substantially higher participation rates for broadcast and

recorded media than for live event attendance. For jazz, classical music, and opera, for example, the rates of participation via these media were more than twice the rates for live arts events.

The survey data indicate that more than ten million Americans participated in each of the

activities via each medium. Although dance and visual art were seen primarily via television,

the other art forms attracted very large numbers of listeners to radio and recordings. An estimated eighty million Americans listened to classical music on the radio, and 67 million to

recordings. For jazz the numbers were 77 and 57 million, respectively (see Table 13, page 29).

The 1997 sppa collected data on the respondent’s age, gender, race, education, and household income to permit analysis of arts participation by these socio-demographic variables. An

6
important finding was that participants in the arts via media were more evenly distributed by

race, age, income, and educational level than were participants who attended live arts events.

The 1997 sppa asked questions about each respondent’s participation in the arts by doing,

that is, by personally performing or creating art. Those who replied that they participated by

doing also were asked whether they performed in public or had their work displayed or published. The highest rates of personal participation in 1997 were in creative photography (17

percent), painting/drawing/sculpting (16 percent), dance other than ballet (13 percent), creative writing (12 percent), and classical music (11 percent). Weaving and other related arts also

had high participation rates. The lowest rates were in jazz and opera (both 2 percent) and in

ballet (less than 1 percent). Table 18 (see page 34) shows the rates and number of participants

who personally performed or created art and the rates and number of participants who did so

in public. Data for performing in public demonstrate the popularity of singing in groups. In

1997 more than 10 percent of the adult population-over 20 million people-sang publicly in a

choir, chorus, or other ensemble.

The analysis of the demographic composition of personal performers and creators of art

shows that, for most arts activities, the highest rates of participation are found among minority groups. For example, the rate of playing jazz was highest for African Americans and second highest for Hispanics. Hispanics also had high participation rates in other dance and drawing. American Indians had the highest rates of participation in other dance and photography,

and Asians had the highest participation rates in opera, musical plays, ballet, drawing, and

writing.

Several new questions were asked in the 1997 sppa . Some of these new questions concerned

the extent to which home computers were used in learning about the existence and details of

live arts events attended by the respondents (see page 32). About 8 percent of respondents used

computers for these purposes. Other questions asked whether the respondent used a home

computer to create works of art. New questions also asked about subscribing to series of performances and about membership at art museums. Some questions investigated the reasons

respondents did not attend a larger number of arts events and how much they paid when they

did attend. Lack of time, lack of a companion, lack of suitable events, and inaccessibility were

the primary deterrents to more frequent attendance at arts events. Data about companions indicate that most companions are family members, although dates and friends accompanied

the respondents more than 40 percent of the time (see Tables 7–12, pages 25–27).

Several questions asked about socialization in the arts, particularly addressing the amount of

exposure to the arts the respondents received as children, the lessons and classes they took at

any time during their lives, and how much they were exposing their own children to art. Respondents exposed their own children to the arts at rates similar to their own exposures (see

Table 24, page 42). Other questions investigated the respondents’ music preferences and determined that the rank orders were quite similar to those found in 1992 (see Table 29, page 48).

Respondents were asked about their rates of participation in leisure activities other than the

arts. When the responses were grouped in terms of flexibility of place and time of participation

and compared with groups of arts activities with similar characteristics, the patterns of public

participation were very similar for arts and other activities (see Table 26, page 44).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
Detailed geographical information was collected in the 1997 sppa. All the data relate to the

respondent’s residence zip code, not where the arts activity took place. Small samples made

comparison difficult for some arts activities and some geographical areas. The data were reported for seven metropolitan areas, ten individual states, and nine regions that include all 50

states (see pages 49–55). Rates of participation, total attenders, and total attendance were tabulated for each geographical component for each live arts activity, and the rate of participation was tabulated for each form of participation via broadcast or recorded media. This information not only will allow for more analysis of geographical differences in arts participation

in 1997, but also provide a baseline for future surveys to analyze geographical variables in arts

participation over time.

∫∫∫∫∫

8 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE

In 1982, 1985, 1992, and 1997 the National Endowment for the Arts (nea) sponsored the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (sppa) to determine the extent to which adult Americans throughout the United States participated in the arts. Participation included attending

live arts performances and exhibitions, listening to and watching broadcast or recorded arts

programs, and personally performing or creating art. The responses to the survey were converted into rates of participation from which total participants were calculated. To analyze

the characteristics of arts participants and nonparticipants, demographic characteristics were

obtained from the survey data. Related data, such as the respondents’ music preferences, their

participation in arts and crafts and other leisure activities, and their use of personal computers for arts activities, were determined. Appendix A describes the background and history of

the 1997 sppa.

The results of the surveys are used by arts administrators, foundations, corporations, public organizations that make grants to arts organizations, educators, and researchers in the arts.

The 1997 data permit comparisons among the arts fields, among demographic groups, and

among competing alternatives for leisure time. The same sorts of data were collected in earlier sppas, but comparisons of earlier data with 1997 rates of attendance and audience size are

limited by changes in the method by which the surveys were conducted. Appendix B presents

a discussion of the effects of differences in the methods of conducting the surveys.

ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT

The first three chapters in this report treat the three methods of participation: attendance at

live events, participation through media, and participation by doing. Each chapter presents

the 1997 total participation, rates of participation, and participation by demographic group

for each arts activity. The first chapter also includes factors affecting participation in live arts

events as they are revealed by the sppa data and a comparison of 1997 and 1992 attendance totals. The information on the use of personal computers in the arts is included in the second

chapter. The fourth chapter is devoted to socialization, that is, the amount of education and

exposure to the arts of the respondents and their families. The fifth chapter compares arts participation with participation in other leisure activities. The sixth chapter shows the results of

questions concerning music preferences, and the seventh chapter presents data on the geographical distribution of participation in the arts. The last chapter contains the summary and

conclusions. And finally, appendices to the report provide the background and history of the

1997 sppa, details of its conduct and analysis, and a list of questions asked in the survey.

9
DATA COLLECTION AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY

Data were collected by Westat Corporation from June 1997 through October 1997. (Prior investigation of month-to-month differences in the responses to the sppa questions in 1982, 1985,

and 1992 had not shown significant differences within the same year.) Households were sampled from randomly selected telephone numbers using the method called list-assisted random

digit dialing (rdd). The individual within each household who was interviewed was the adult

with the most recent birthday.

The interviewers received about 10 hours of project-specific training for the 1997 sppa before beginning the interviews. Experienced trainers explained the nea’s intentions and the importance of obtaining complete and accurate responses. The training given by supervisors and

trainers included practice interviews, role playing, coping with problems, and follow-up procedures.

The sppa was field-tested in April 1997. The results indicated possible response rate difficulties. Advance letters were sent to the households for which mailing addresses could be obtained, and special efforts, including Federal Express letters, were made to convert refusals into

responses. Repeated telephone calls were made to numbers that did not answer or that answered only with recording machines.

Westat obtained 12,349 fully-complete interviews. This was an overall response rate of 55

percent of the individuals selected for interviews. (An overview of the list-assisted rdd method,

data collection, response rates, and weighting procedures, is given in Appendix C. Estimated

variances are provided in Appendix E.)

An important feature of the 1997 sppa survey design was the use of several question modules (sets of questions) to allow a greater number of questions to be asked even though the

number of respondents to particular sets would be too small for detailed analysis.

Appendix D shows the design matrix consisting of eight modules and eight different subsamples. The sample for each module ranged from about 900 to 12,000 responses. All subsamples received the modules containing questions about participation in live arts events and

questions about personal background. The duration of each interview ranged from 13 to 15

minutes. The 1997 survey design provides new data for researchers to analyze and guidance

for the construction of future surveys.

1997 SPPA QUESTIONNAIRE

Westat convened an advisory panel of experienced arts researchers to assist in designing the

1997 questionnaire. The objectives used to guide the design were (1) the retention of as much

as possible of the previous sppa questionnaires, (2) the inclusion of as many as possible of the

desired changes, and (3) a limit on the duration of the interview to no more than an average

of 15 minutes. The design matrix shown in Appendix D is the product of the compromise between these competing objectives. Most of the questions in the 1992 sppa were retained exactly as they were asked previously. The questions about attendance at live arts performances

and exhibitions (module a) were asked of all the respondents in just the way they were asked

in 1992. Almost the same questions were asked about participation through listening or watching arts activities through the broadcast and recorded media, including cd recordings (mod10 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
ule b). However these questions were asked of only about half of the respondents. The questions about personal participation by performing or creating works of art (module e) were

asked of about 4,500 respondents.

As Appendix D shows, questions about interest in increased participation in arts activities

(module c) were asked of about 7,000 respondents. Most of these people were not asked questions about personal arts participation (module e), about music preferences (module f), or

about arts socialization (module g). However every module overlaps with every other module, so researchers can look for unions in the sample sets, although the number of responses

may be small.

The number of responses to some questions is small because the questions were asked only

of those respondents who gave affirmative answers to a previous question. For example, only

the people who said they had attended an opera or had visited a museum were asked how many

times they did so. In order to maximize the amount of information collected and minimize

the respondent burden, many of the new questions were asked of only a relatively small number of interviewees. The new questions about arts participation can be grouped as follows:

∫ Questions about arts events attended: the name of the performance or performer, the type of

place, how the respondent heard about the event, the relationship to the respondent, ticket

price, and whether the ticket was part of a subscription.

∫ Questions about arts exhibitions visited: the type of art seen, whether it was for sale, the admission charge, and whether the respondent was a member of the museum or gallery.

∫ Questions about the type of literature that was read: the title or author and whether the respondent had read critical reviews of any artistic works.

∫ Questions about barriers to the respondent’s attending more arts events.

∫ Questions about how often and in what way the respondent used a personal computer in the

arts.

∫ Questions about the respondent’s exposure to the arts as a child and about the exposure to the

arts of the respondent’s children.

The 1997 questionnaire also collected new information on the respondent’s personal background and household characteristics (mostly in module H). In particular, respondents were

asked about their native country, national affinity, employment situation, occupation, health

and mobility, zip code, and ownership or rental of their residence.

All the sppas allowed the respondents to identify the art forms for themselves. There was no

definition of jazz or ballet, for example, although some assistance was given in the case of other

dance (“other than ballet, such as modern, folk, or tap”). It is reasonable to assume that, over

the 15-year period of sppas, some respondents’ definitions of some art forms, such as jazz, have

changed. The respondents also self-identified their demographic characteristics.

The complete questionnaire is presented in Appendix F. 

INTRODUCTION 11
DEFINITIONS

The respondents to the 1997 sppa defined for themselves the terms such as jazz, other dance,

and original work of art. The authors of this summary report have defined and consistently

used certain terms used in the report, distinguishing them to prevent confusion. Key among

them are the following terms:

Participation is defined as (1) attending a performance or visiting an art museum or gallery

(attendance at arts events); (2) listening or watching an arts performance or program on radio, television, video cassette or disk, phonograph record, tape recording, compact disk, or

personal computer (participation via media); (3) performing art for oneself or in public or creating a work of art for oneself or for exhibition to the public (personal participation); or (4)

buying or owning a work of original art (participation via acquisition).

Rate of participation is defined as the fraction of respondents to a question who said they

had participated in this kind of arts activity at least once during the period stated by the interviewer. Normally the period was “the past 12 months,” but questions about taking lessons

or classes applied to any time in the respondent’s life.

Participant is defined as a person who participated in an arts activity at least once during a

given time period. Each participant is a different person, so the rate of participation multiplied by the population gives the total participants, the total number of different people, who

participated in that arts activity in that form.

Attender is defined as a participant in a live arts event, each one a different individual; and

the total attenders is the total participants in live arts events.

Total attendance is defined as the product of the total attenders and the average number of

times each attender participated in that arts activity in that form. Some authors refer to the

total attendance as the total audience (with some of the attenders being there more than once).

The term audience is not used in the statistics of this report. The number of times an attender participated was measured only for the live arts events. Therefore, the total attendance

figures are not available for the other forms of participation in the arts.

TABLES

As its title indicates, this report is a summary of the data from the 1997 sppa. Two unique aspects of this report are the identification of the survey questions in the text and the regular inclusion of sample size in either the text or the tables. Because the questionnaire is organized

somewhat differently from this report, the text identifies the questions, e.g., qc3, from which

the answers have been tabulated. This makes it easy for readers to consult Appendix F to read

the exact wording of the question. The data that have been tabulated are those that conferences of users have indicated are the most useful. Their usefulness depends on the size of the

sample they represent. Some of the samples are limited to the respondents who gave positive

answers to previous questions, and the sizes are given. The tables include total participants and

rates of participation for different art forms and for each method of participation: attendance

at a live event, participation through broadcast or recorded media, and participation by performing or creating. Other tables show the fraction of the total participants that each demographic group constitutes or and the rates of participation by each demographic group.

12 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
Additional tables present data concerning respondents’ education in the arts, participation

in arts courses and lessons at any time in the respondent’s life, music preferences, and desires

to participate in additional arts activities. Data are presented that report the answers to new

questions regarding the venue in which the live events were seen, barriers to participation, and

the respondents’ use of personal computers in the arts.

A companion table shows total attendance in 1997 and in 1992. The total attendance (total

participants for live arts events) is the product of three factors: rate of attendance, frequency

of attendance, and adult population. Frequency of participation is available only for participation in live arts events. Almost all reported rates of participation were higher in 1997 than

in 1992, but some of the difference is believed to be caused by the differences in the conduct

of the surveys. Appendix B addresses this important issue. The total U.S. adult resident noninstitutionalized population increased from 185.8 million in 1992 to 195.6 million in 1997.

Therefore, increases in the population are included in the total attendance comparisons.

As the title indicates, this is a summary report, and many details contained in the 1997 sppa

results are not included. There are no cross-tabulations such as the number of people who attended more than one kind of activity or who both participated and took lessons. Some of the

topics are the subjects of past monographs which were based on earlier sppas: e.g., the effects

of age and education on arts participation. Some are the subject of monographs that are in

preparation, e.g., distributions of frequency of attendance at arts events. The results of most

of the new questions are potential subjects for such studies.

Researchers who wish to examine the survey results in more detail should send a written request for a cd-rom containing the responses to all four sppas to the Research Division, National Endowment for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20506.

∫∫∫∫∫

INTRODUCTION 13
CHAPTER 1

Attendance at 

Live Performances and

Events

TOTAL ATTENDANCE, ATTENDERS, AND RATES OF ATTENDANCE

The most notable single finding of the 1997 sppa is that an estimated half of the U.S. adult

population, or 97 million different people, reported attending at least one of seven arts activities (jazz, classical music, opera, musical plays, plays, ballet, or art museums) during the previous 12 months. Visiting art museums was the most popular of these activities, with 34.9 percent of adults reporting visiting at least once, followed by attending musical plays (24.5

percent), non-musical plays (15.8 percent), classical music concerts (15.6 percent), jazz (11.9

percent), ballet (5.8 percent), and opera (4.7 percent). The questions about these activities were

a1 through a23, designated as (qa1–23) in the remainder of the text.

The 1997 sppa also collected information on other related arts activities. Questions were

asked about “other dance” (other than ballet) (qa13,14), about attendance at art/craft fairs or

festivals (qa17,18), about attendance at historic parks or monuments or tours of buildings or

neighborhoods for their historic or design value (qa19,20), and about reading literature

(qa21–23). Total attendance and rates of attendance for these three activities are included in

this report.

Table 1 shows the 1997 attendance at the eleven arts activities. The first column of data shows

the rate of participation, that is, the fraction of the respondents who said they participated in

each activity at least once during the past 12 months. The second column of data shows the

total attenders (the number of different participants): that is, the rate of attendance times the

adult population. The third data column shows the average number of times each attender attended, and the fourth data column shows the total attendances, obtained by multiplying the

data in the second and third columns.

The first seven activities involve attending a performance that is scheduled by someone other

than the respondent to the survey. The survey data show that 42.2 percent of the respondents

attended at least one performance of these seven performing arts activities during the previous 12 months. Art museums, historic parks, and craft fairs permit more discretion in timing

one’s visit, and the data show that 66.0 percent of the respondents visited at least one of these

three arts activities during the previous 12 months. The time and place of reading is almost

completely under the respondent’s control, and 63.1 percent read literature. These differences

in control may contribute to the differences in the rates of participation. Overall, 80.7 percent

14
of the respondents said they participated in at least one of the eleven arts activities about which

questions were asked.

The total attendance numbers for arts activities are quite large. Only for opera and ballet

are the total attendances less than 20 million. For art museums, art/craft fairs, and historic

parks, the annual total attendances or visits ranges from 225 million for art museums to 376

million for historic parks. The high number of attendances or visits for these activities is a result of both the large number of attenders and the higher frequency of visits relative to the

other activites surveyed. Although only two-thirds of the respondents reported that they read

books, those who do, read an average of 17 books per year.

DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN ATTENDANCE AND ATTENDERS

Table 2 shows the rates of attendance at arts activities for various demographic groups. The

demographic characteristics are gender, race, age, household income, and education. (qh1, 2,

9, 26). This table illustrates how people with similar demographic characteristics behave in

terms of attendance at different arts activities. The last column shows the sample size for that

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 15

Table 1. Attendance at Arts Events: 1997

Persons Attendances / Visits

Arts Activity Percent of Adults Number of Adults Average Number Total Number

Participating at Least Attending/Visiting of Visits of Visits

Once in Last 12 Months in millions1 Per Attender in millions

Attended

Jazz performance 11.9% 23.3 3.1 72.2

Classical music 15.6 30.5 2.9 88.5

Opera performance 4.7 9.2 1.8 16.5

Musical play 24.5 47.9 2.2 105.4

Non-musical play 15.8 30.9 2.5 77.3

Ballet 5.8 11.3 1.7 19.3

Other dance2 12.4 24.3 2.6 63.1

Visited

Art museum 34.9 68.3 3.3 225.3

Historic park 46.9 91.7 4.1 376.1

Art/craft fair 47.5 92.9 2.6 241.6

Read

Literature3 63.1 123.4 NA4 NA4

1 The number of attenders was computed by multiplying the attendance rate by 195.6 million: the U.S. resident

noninstitutionalized population, 18 years of age and over in 1997. (from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population

Survey, March 1997)

2 “Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet, including, for example, modern, folk and tap.

3 “Literature” refers to reading plays, poetry, novels or short stories.

4 No frequency information was obtained for reading literature.
16 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 2. Attendance Rates at Arts Events by Demographic Group: 1997

U.S. Adult Non- Arts/

Population Classical Musical Musical Other Art Historic Crafts Read Sample

in Millions Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Museum Park Fair Literature Size1

All Adults 195.6 11.9% 15.6% 4.7% 24.5% 15.8% 5.8% 12.4% 34.9% 46.9% 47.5% 63.1% 12,349

Sex

Male 94.2 13.2 14.2 4.0 22.3 14.6 4.1 11.7 34.3 48.2 41.6 55.0 5,250

Female 101.4 10.6 16.8 5.2 26.7 16.8 7.5 12.9 35.5 45.8 53.0 70.6 7,093

Race

Hispanic 19.1 6.8 8.4 3.1 15.7 9.7 4.5 14.6 29.4 32.7 34.0 49.9 1,110

White 146.1 12.1 17.5 5.2 26.5 16.6 6.5 11.9 36.1 50.8 51.9 65.3 9,268

African American 22.1 15.6 9.6 2.1 22.4 16.4 3.9 13.4 31.1 36.5 34.4 59.9 1,110

American Indian 3.0 11.0 8.9 5.1 15.4 5.0 1.2 10.6 21.8 41.9 46.6 56.0 149

Asian 5.3 10.3 16.2 6.9 20.4 18.1 4.3 14.5 41.7 43.6 38.9 68.6 357

Age

18 to 24 23.7 15.1 16.4 5.4 26.0 20.2 6.9 14.7 38.3 46.3 44.1 69.8 1,098

25 to 34 40.1 12.7 11.4 4.0 22.5 13.3 4.7 11.1 36.5 49.4 49.2 61.2 2,457

35 to 44 45.3 14.3 14.3 4.4 25.8 14.7 6.6 13.6 37.3 52.3 54.2 64.3 2,894

45 to 54 33.7 13.0 20.4 6.0 29.2 19.8 7.2 14.0 40.2 53.8 55.9 65.5 2,138

55 to 64 20.9 8.8 16.3 4.9 23.0 14.4 4.8 11.5 29.7 44.5 44.3 57.6 1,362

65 to 74 19.6 8.2 17.9 4.1 24.0 14.6 5.3 12.3 28.0 37.1 40.0 58.9 1,223

75 and older 12.3 3.7 13.8 3.3 15.4 12.5 3.8 6.3 19.7 25.1 23.6 61.2 874

Income

$10,000 or Less 15.0 4.6 4.3 1.8 11.6 9.6 1.6 7.2 16.1 22.5 26.2 45.2 838

$10,001 to 20,000 26.5 5.7 8.2 1.9 12.1 7.4 3.2 7.6 20.3 28.7 31.3 53.1 1,356

$20,001 to 30,000 29.4 7.5 9.7 2.4 17.0 9.9 3.7 9.4 26.1 39.3 40.3 61.8 1,501

$30,001 to 40,000 32.1 11.1 13.1 2.5 20.9 15.5 4.6 12.7 32.2 50.1 49.6 61.7 1,663

$40,001 to 50,000 25.9 10.7 14.8 4.5 23.4 15.3 6.0 13.0 36.8 52.3 50.2 64.3 1,296

$50,001 to 75,000 35.0 16.3 22.1 7.5 32.0 19.8 8.1 15.8 45.6 61.9 63.7 71.9 1,864

$75,001 to 100,000 16.2 23.3 26.3 5.8 41.2 27.0 9.6 20.2 55.0 65.2 63.4 74.6 917

Over $100,000 15.5 26.6 35.0 13.3 51.3 31.9 13.3 18.7 59.6 68.7 68.6 75.6 948

Education

Grade school 13.7 1.8 2.1 0.2 6.0 3.1 1.5 7.3 6.0 12.7 13.0 29.3 516

Some high school 26.9 3.4 3.9 1.5 12.6 7.2 1.8 6.6 14.4 26.6 26.9 46.2 957

High school graduate 62.0 6.8 8.3 1.7 15.7 9.1 3.6 9.2 24.6 40.5 42.9 57.6 3,545

Some college 50.3 15.4 18.1 5.2 28.4 18.9 6.5 13.7 43.2 56.3 57.8 72.1 3,527

College graduate 25.2 21.3 28.0 10.2 43.6 27.7 10.8 17.8 57.7 66.6 65.2 79.5 2,012

Graduate school 17.4 27.7 44.5 14.3 50.3 37.2 14.4 24.7 69.8 72.7 69.3 86.3 1,653

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants (12,349).
row. The rates of participation for the different demographic groups may be compared among

arts activities and among groups within a demographic characteristic (e.g., gender, age) in each

arts activity. Some patterns are different for different arts activities, and some are largely true

for all activities.

For example, men participated at a higher rate than women for only two activities: attending jazz performances and visiting historic parks. In each case the difference was at least two

percentage points. The rates for women exceeded the rate for men by margins greater than

this in five arts activities: classical music (3 percentage points), ballet (3 points), musical plays

(5 points), arts/crafts fairs (11 points), and reading literature (16 points). In contrast, for every

arts activity the rate of participation increased with increased education. For every activity except other dance, the participation rate for each of the six levels of education was as high or

higher than the rate for the next lower level.

The relationship between participation rate and household income was almost as strong as

the relationship for education. With very few exceptions, the rate of attendance for each of

the eight levels of household income was as high or higher than the rate for the next lower

level. Most of the exceptions were differences of less than one percentage point. The strong

relationship between rate of arts participation and both education and household income was

also observed in previous sppas.

The racial and ethnic groups showed fewer distinct patterns. Asians participated at the highest rate for attending operas and non-musical plays, for visiting art museums, and for reading

literature. African Americans attended at the highest rate for jazz, and Hispanics attended at

the highest rate for other dance. Whites had the highest participation rates for the other five

activities.

The group of respondents under the age of 25 had the highest participation rates of any age

group for attending jazz, non-musical plays, and other dance performances and for reading

literature. They had the second highest participation rate in attending ballet performances and

in visiting museums. Arts administrators and practitioners may be encouraged by these findings. For most arts activities, the peak attendance rates were in the 45–54 age group. People

whose age was 75 or greater attended productions of classical music, musical plays, and nonmusical plays at rates greater than 10 percent, and they visited art museums, historic parks,

and arts/crafts fairs at rates of 20 percent or more. They read literature, which does not require

mobility, at the rate of 61 percent.

Table 3 shows the distribution by demographic group of the 1997 attenders for each arts

form. The demographic groups and their arrangement are the same as in Table 2. These are

the separate individuals who attended a live arts event. An analogy can be drawn with the mailing list for a performing arts organization or the members of a museum. The percentages in

the table are the fractions of the attenders that are in each demographic group for each arts activity. The percentages in each group add to 100 for each activity. The percentages in each row

can be compared with the figure shown in the left column which shows the fraction of the

U.S. adult population in that demographic group. For example, males constituted 48.2 percent of the population and were overrepresented only in the activities of attending jazz performances and visiting historical parks and places. This sort of comparison can be made for

each of the demographic groups.

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 17
Table 3. Demographic Distribution of Attenders at Arts Events: 1997

U.S. Adult Population Non- Arts/ _________________ Classical Musical Musical Other Art Historic Crafts Read Sample

Millions Percent Jazz Music Opera Plays Plays Ballet Dance Museums Parks Fairs Literature Size1

No. of Attendees in Millions 23.3 30.5 9.2 47.9 30.9 11.3 24.3 68.3 91.7 92.9 123.4

Sex

Male 94.2 48.2% 53.6% 44.0% 41.7% 43.6% 44.6% 33.9% 45.6% 47.3% 49.4% 42.2% 42.0% 5,250 

Female 101.4 51.8 46.4 56.0 58.3 56.4 55.4 66.1 54.4 52.7 50.6 57.8 58.0 7,093

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 12,343

Race

Hispanic 19.1 9.8 5.6 5.3 6.5 6.3 6.0 7.5 11.5 8.2 6.8 7.0 7.7 1,110

White 146.1 74.7 75.8 84.1 82.7 80.3 78.6 82.7 71.7 77.5 80.6 81.2 77.2 9,268

African American 22.1 11.3 14.8 7.0 5.1 10.3 11.8 7.5 12.3 10.1 8.8 8.1 10.7 1,110

American Indian 3.0 1.5 1.4 0.9 1.7 1.0 0.5 0.3 1.3 1.0 1.4 1.5 1.4 149

Asian 5.3 2.7 2.3 2.8 3.9 2.2 3.1 2.0 3.2 3.2 2.5 2.2 2.9 357

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 11,994

Age

18 to 24 23.7 12.1 15.3 12.8 14.0 12.8 15.5 14.3 14.2 13.3 11.9 11.1 13.4 1,098

25 to 34 40.1 20.5 21.8 14.9 17.6 18.8 17.3 16.4 18.2 21.4 21.4 21.1 19.9 2,457

35 to 44 45.3 23.1 27.6 21.3 21.8 24.3 21.6 26.1 25.3 24.7 25.7 26.3 23.6 2,894

45 to 54 33.7 17.2 18.7 22.6 22.1 20.4 21.6 21.2 19.3 19.8 19.7 20.1 17.9 2,138

55 to 64 20.9 10.7 7.9 11.2 11.2 10.0 9.7 8.8 9.9 9.1 10.1 9.9 9.8 1,362

65 to 74 19.6 10.0 6.8 11.6 8.8 9.8 9.3 9.1 9.9 8.1 7.9 8.4 9.4 1,223

75 and older 12.3 6.3 1.9 5.6 4.5 4.0 5.0 4.2 3.2 3.6 3.3 3.1 6.1 874

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 12,046

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 7.7 2.8 2.1 3.0 3.6 4.6 2.1 4.3 3.5 3.5 4.1 5.4 838

$10,001 to 20,000 26.5 13.5 6.2 7.0 5.7 6.6 6.2 7.3 8.1 7.7 8.0 8.6 11.3 1,356

$20,001 to 30,000 29.4 15.0 9.1 9.2 7.9 10.3 9.3 9.2 11.1 11.0 12.2 12.3 14.6 1,501

$30,001 to 40,000 32.1 16.4 14.6 13.5 8.9 13.8 15.8 12.6 16.3 14.9 16.9 16.5 15.9 1,663

$40,001 to 50,000 25.9 13.2 11.4 12.3 12.7 12.4 12.5 13.3 13.4 13.7 14.2 13.5 13.4 1,296

$50,001 to 75,000 35.0 17.9 23.5 24.8 28.8 23.1 22.0 24.4 22.1 23.0 22.8 23.2 20.2 1,864

$75,001 to 100,000 16.2 8.3 15.5 13.7 10.4 13.8 13.9 13.4 13.1 12.9 11.1 10.7 9.7 917

Over $100,000 15.5 7.9 16.9 17.4 22.7 16.4 15.7 17.6 11.6 13.3 11.2 11.1 9.4 948

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 10,383

Education

Grade school 13.7 7.0 1.1 1.0 0.3 1.7 1.4 1.8 4.1 1.2 1.9 1.9 3.2 516

Some high school 26.9 13.8 3.9 3.5 4.4 7.1 6.2 4.2 7.3 5.7 7.8 7.8 10.1 957

High school graduate 62.0 34.5 18.1 16.9 11.3 20.3 18.2 19.8 23.6 22.3 27.4 28.6 28.9 3,545

Some college 50.3 17.2 33.2 29.9 28.6 29.8 30.7 28.6 28.6 31.8 30.9 31.2 29.4 3,527

College graduate 25.2 18.6 23.0 23.2 28.2 22.9 22.5 23.7 18.5 21.2 18.3 17.6 16.2 2,012

Graduate school 17.4 8.9 20.7 25.5 27.3 18.3 20.9 21.9 17.9 17.8 13.8 12.9 12.2 1,653

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 12,210

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants.
Table 4 shows the demographic distribution of the 1997 total attendance for each arts activity. The total attendance is analogous to the number of tickets sold or turnstile counts. The

total attendance percentages in the table are the fractions of the total attendances that are in

each demographic group for each arts activity. Thus, if males attended jazz events a total of

570 times and females attended them a total of 430 times, the total attendance would be 57

percent male and 43 percent females. As in Table 3 the participation percentages in each row

can be compared with the figure shown in the left column, which shows the fraction of the

U.S. adult population in that demographic group. For example, males constituted 48 percent

of the population and were overrepresented only in the activities of attending jazz performances

and visiting historic parks and places, the same as the situation with the attenders.

The data for both attenders and total attendance are presented for several reasons. First, only

the attender data can be compared with participation via the media and personal participation, because frequency of participation has not been collected for these forms of participation. Second, the total attendance data are the data most useful to arts administrators and organizations, because these are the numbers that are indicative of earned revenue from ticket

sales and admission fees. Finally, marked differences between data for attenders and data for

total attendance by the same demographic group may disclose important information about

the group, especially if the differences are common to several arts activities.

The findings concerning demographic patterns are generally, but not always, applicable to

both attenders and to total attendance. For example, Hispanics were overrepresented in both

statistics for other dance, but only in total attendance for ballet. Whites were overrepresented

in both statistics in all arts activities except other dance, in which they were underrepresented.

For both statistics African Americans were overrepresented in jazz, and Asians were overrepresented in opera, while American Indians were overrepresented in total attendance at other

dance events and at historic parks. (Some caution should be used in interpreting these data

because of the small sample size of the group.)

The youngest age group attended arts events at or above their representation in the population in all activities except for visiting arts and crafts fairs and festivals, in which they were

underrepresented. Jazz was the only performing arts activity at which the next older group,

those 25–34 years old, was overrepresented, and they were substantially underrepresented as

both attenders and in total attendance at classical music events. For both statistics and for all

the arts activities the age group with the highest participation was either the 35–44 group or

the 45–54 group. However, in attending jazz performances and in visiting historic parks, the

two youngest age groups constituted 40 percent of the total attendance and only 32.6 percent

of the population. The age groupings 45–54, 55–64, and 65–74 were overrepresented in total

attendance at classical music performances, but only the groups 45–54 and 55–64 were overrepresented in total attendance at opera performances. The age group 55–64 was overrepresented in total attendance at classical music and opera events, and the group 65–74 was overrepresented only in total attendance at classical music concerts. The oldest group, those over

74, was underrepresented in both statistics for all arts activities, except reading literature, and

total attendance at classical music and opera. Among all the arts activities for both attenders

and total attendance, the distribution of participation for reading literature matched most

closely the age distribution of the entire U.S. adult population.

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 19
Table 4. Demographic Distribution of Total Attendance at Arts Events: 1997

U.S. Adult Population Non- Arts/ _________________ Classical Musical Musical Other Art Historic Crafts Sample

Millions Percent Jazz Music Opera Plays Plays Ballet Dance Museums Parks Fairs Size1

Attendances/Visits in Millions 72.2 88.5 16.5 105.4 77.3 19.3 63.1 225.3 376.1 241.6

Sex

Male 94.2 48.2 57.0% 48.5% 41.4% 42.9% 42.7% 39.1% 48.3% 48.0% 55.4% 39.7% 5,250

Female 101.4 51.8 43.0 51.5 58.6 57.1 57.3 60.9 51.7 52.0 44.6 60.3 7,093

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 12,343

Race

Hispanic 19.1 9.8 5.0 4.0 8.3 6.0 5.7 11.9 11.5 8.5 8.0 5.6 1,110

White 146.1 74.7 78.7 87.2 80.9 80.8 81.7 77.3 70.0 79.6 80.0 84.0 9,268

African American 22.1 11.3 13.5 5.5 5.9 10.7 9.7 7.7 11.4 8.5 6.9 7.1 1,110

American Indian 3.0 1.5 0.8 0.5 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.2 4.4 0.9 2.8 1.4 149

Asian 5.3 2.7 2.0 2.9 3.9 1.9 2.2 2.9 2.8 2.5 2.3 1.9 357

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 11,994

Age

18 to 24 23.7 12.1 19.1 15.2 13.0 12.0 14.4 14.5 17.6 12.7 17.4 9.5 1,098

25 to 34 40.1 20.5 20.6 10.7 16.1 19.7 20.6 18.1 14.5 20.7 22.7 21.5 2,457

35 to 44 45.3 23.1 24.5 18.7 20.6 21.9 19.2 23.0 21.4 22.2 23.1 26.7 2,894

45 to 54 33.7 17.2 15.2 21.9 20.6 20.3 21.6 21.2 21.8 25.0 18.8 21.0 2,138

55 to 64 20.9 10.7 9.9 12.7 15.0 11.6 10.1 10.9 10.2 9.6 9.3 10.9 1,362

65 to 74 19.6 10.0 8.5 13.8 9.0 10.3 9.1 8.3 11.7 6.9 6.5 8.0 1,223

75 and older 12.3 6.3 2.2 6.9 5.7 4.2 5.0 3.9 2.8 2.9 2.2 2.4 874

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 12,046

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 7.7 6.0 5.0 2.8 3.3 6.1 1.7 3.6 4.9 2.8 3.4 838

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 13.5 6.7 5.7 5.1 6.4 6.4 7.6 6.3 8.0 7.6 7.1 1,356

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 15.0 7.7 7.9 8.0 10.9 12.6 8.7 10.2 9.4 13.7 11.0 1,501

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 16.4 14.0 12.2 9.5 13.3 13.7 10.6 24.6 11.0 17.7 15.8 1,663

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 13.2 13.0 12.3 13.3 12.2 11.3 17.3 12.7 11.8 13.1 15.1 1,296

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 17.9 22.2 25.0 25.3 23.6 18.8 22.8 16.5 21.3 21.3 24.9 1,864

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 8.3 13.6 13.1 9.3 13.1 12.2 13.4 13.2 13.4 10.8 11.4 917

Over $100,000 15.5 7.9 16.8 18.7 26.7 17.3 18.9 17.8 12.9 20.1 13.0 11.4 948

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 10,383

Education

Grade school 13.7 7.0 0.9 0.6 0.2 1.3 0.9 1.2 8.7 0.7 3.6 1.2 516

Some high school 26.9 13.8 4.8 2.7 3.2 5.7 6.0 2.9 8.2 4.5 7.4 7.1 957

High school graduate 62.0 34.5 19.3 12.8 9.7 18.8 17.7 18.7 27.1 14.8 22.5 27.2 3,545

Some college 50.3 17.2 30.8 28.6 27.1 29.7 26.6 26.3 27.6 30.7 33.5 31.9 3,527

College graduate 25.2 18.6 23.3 23.2 25.5 24.1 24.7 29.2 14.2 24.9 17.9 18.9 2,012

Graduate school 17.4 8.9 20.9 32.2 34.4 20.4 24.1 21.7 14.2 24.4 15.1 13.6 1,653

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 12,210

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants.
Comparisons of the data in Tables 3 and 4 for the same demographic group show patterns

in frequency of attendance by that group. For example, one can infer the effect of mobility on

attendance by older people. Arts events at which the percentage of total attendance by an age

group exceeded the percentage of attenders in that group are events at which the group attended more than the average number of times for all age groups. For participants age 65 or

older, the percentage of total attendance was greater than the percentage of attenders for jazz

(by 2.0 percentage points), opera and other dance (both by 1.4 percentage points), ballet (by

1.1 percentage points), and classical music (by 3.3 percentage points). These activities are normally attended as a seated participant in an interior performance space. The arts activities for

which this age group attended less often than the average for all age groups were art museums,

arts/crafts shows, and historic sites or parks (all differed by 1.1 to 2.5 percentage points). All of

these activities involve moving around and may require climbing stairs or using elevators.

Sometimes the activities are outdoors.

As might be expected, arts participants were relatively well off financially and well educated.

The top two household income brackets ($75,000 and above) constituted more than 30 percent of the total attendance for all the performing arts activities except other dance and more

than 33 percent of visitors to art museums, although they comprised only 16 percent of the

population. More than one quarter of the total attendance for operas had a household income

of more than $100,000. Except for opera and other dance, the income group with the highest percentage participation was the $50,000-$75000 bracket. For other dance, the peak bracket

was $30,000 to $40,000. By contrast, the three lowest income brackets, which contained 36

percent of the population, were generally underrepresented, as both attenders and in total attendance.

The statistics for education are strikingly clear. For every arts activity, attenders who were

high school graduates or who had not finished high school were underrepresented. They were

underrepresented in total attendance in all activities except other dance. Those with at least

some college were overrepresented as attenders and in total attendance in almost all activities.

Those with the least education were most underrepresented and those with the most education were most overrepresented.

Some of the 1997 demographic patterns that apply to particular art forms are described

below.

Jazz

For jazz the total attendance revealed distinct characteristics:

∫ The total attendance at live jazz events during the past year was 57 percent male.

∫ The total attendance was 79 percent white, 14 percent African American, and 5 percent Hispanic.

∫ The total attendance was young; 40 percent was under the age of 35; 79 percent was under age

55.

∫ Almost two-thirds of the total attendance had household incomes of $40,000 or more, and

nearly one-third had incomes of $75,000 or more.

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 21
∫ Of the total attendance, 75 percent had some college education, and 47 percent had graduated.

Classical Music

For classical music the features were somewhat different:

∫ The fraction of the total attendance that was white (87 percent) was the highest for any arts

activity.

∫ The fraction that was more than 64 years old (21 percent) was also the highest.

∫ Fifty-seven percent of the total attendance had household incomes of more than $50,000.

∫ Eighty-four percent of the total attendance had attended college, and 32 percent had at least

some graduate education.

Opera

Some of the demographic patterns for opera were similar to those for classical music, but some

were quite different:

∫ Women outnumbered men in total attendance more heavily in opera (59 percent) than in classical music; and non-white groups, particularly Hispanics and Asians, were more strongly represented.

∫ The total attendance for opera is younger: 50 percent were under age 45 and 70 percent were

under age 55.

∫ Sixty-one percent of the total attendance for opera had household incomes greater than

$50,000, and 27 percent had incomes greater than $100,000.

∫ Thirty-four percent of the total attendance had gone to graduate school, the largest fraction

of any arts activity.

Musical and Non-Musical Plays

The demographic patterns for musical plays and non-musical plays were very similar in all dimensions, and were similar to visitors at art museums in race, income, and education. Smaller

fractions of the musical and non-musical play attenders were male and more than 64 years old

than was the case for art museum visitors.

Ballet and Other Dance

Total attendance for ballet was very different from total attendance for other dance and most

other art forms.

∫ Ballet total attendance had the largest fraction of females of any activity (61 percent), while

other dance total attendance was 52 percent female, just their fraction of the total population.

∫ Hispanics formed a larger part (12 percent) of the total audience for ballet performances than

any other arts activity.

22 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
∫ The other dance total attendance had the lowest fraction that was white (70 percent) of any

activity. Other dance attendance was 11.5 percent Hispanic and 11.4 percent African American.

American Indians accounted for four percent of the attendance, the highest percentage of any

arts activity.

∫ Other dance total attendance contained a larger fraction of people with less than a high school

education (17 percent) and with incomes of less than $40,000 (45 percent) than any other arts

activity. Total attendance at other dance events was the only activity at which people with less

than any high school education were overrepresented.

DIFFERENCES IN TOTAL ATTENDANCE AND MEDIAN AGE: 1992–97

As the Introduction explains, total attendance is the product of rate of attendance, average

number of attendances per attender, and total adult population. All the rates of attendance in

1997 were greater than in 1992. Some of the average numbers of attendances per attender increased, some decreased, and some were unchanged. The total U.S. population grew by

5.27 percent. The resulting total attendance

in 1992 and 1997 are shown in Table 5. This

table also shows the median age of the attenders for the same two years.

For the first three activities in Table 5 the

large increase in the total attendance from

1992 to 1997 is the result of increases in all

three factors. The increases for ballet and art

museums are the result of only two factors,

and in the case of other dance and art/craft

fairs, the increases would have been larger if

the average number of attendances had not

declined.

Table 5 also shows that the median age of

the attenders generally increased between

1992 and 1997. The median age of the U.S. resident population increased 1.5 years during this

period, and the median age of the attenders at most arts activities increased by one or two

years. For jazz the increase was four years, and for ballet it was three years. For non-musical

plays there was no increase, and for opera the median age decreased by one year.

The data in Table 3 (see page 18) show that jazz was different insofar as age of attenders is

concerned. Attenders under the age of 35 years form a higher fraction of the total than they do

for any other arts activity. Attenders over the age of 64 years form a smaller fraction of the total than for any other arts activity. However, the fraction of the attenders at jazz events who

were under the age of 35 decreased from 43 percent in 1992 to 40 percent in 1997, and the fraction of attenders over the age of 64 increased from seven percent in 1992 to ten percent in 1997.

For ballet there is a similar pattern. The younger group was 38 percent of the total in 1992

and 31 percent in 1997, while the older group was eleven percent in 1992 and thirteen percent

in 1997. 

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 23

Table 5. Total Attendance And Median Age For Arts Events: 1992–97

Total Total Median Age Median Age 

Arts Activity Attendance Attendance 1992 1997

1992 (millions) 1997 (millions) (years) (years)

Jazz performance 57.1 72.2 37 41

Classical Music60.3 88.5 45 46

Opera performance 10.4 16.5 45 44

Musical play 74.5 105.4 43 44

Non-musical play 60.2 77.3 44 44

Ballet 14.8 19.3 40 43

Other Dance 39.6 63.1 41 43

Art Museum 163.7 225.3 40 42

Historic Park 243.6 376.1 41 42

Art/Craft Fair 204.1 241.6 41 42
FACTORS AFFECTING ATTENDANCE

The 1997 sppa also queried respondents about other information related to their arts attendance, such as how the respondent who attended a live performance learned about the event,

the place of the event, with whom he or she attended, and whether he or she wanted to attend more. These questions were asked only of respondents who said they had attended a live

arts event, so the number of responses is frequently smaller than 500.

Sources of Information

A small number of respondents (417) were asked how they found out about a particular art

event they attended (qa26). The results are shown in Table 6.

Although the sample is small, it appears that the newspaper is second only to personal acquaintances as a source of arts information. Together they account for almost two-thirds of

the critical information about arts events. Mailings and radio remained important in 1997.

Only one respondent cited the Internet or an on-line computer service as the source.

Venues for Arts Performances and Events

A small number of respondents (421) were asked where they attended

an art event (qa25) and the results are shown in Table 7. 

The sample size limits the conclusions that may be drawn, but the

expected patterns of venues are supported. Jazz tended to be attended

in night clubs, out of doors, and at college facilities. Classical music

was heard primarily in concert halls and indoor theaters. Opera was

heard almost exclusively in these facilities. Musical and non-musical

plays were seen primarily in indoor theaters, but concert halls were

the venue for many musicals. Non-musical plays were more widely

distributed among the types of locations. Ballet was seen primarily in

theaters, concert halls, and schools, while other dance was seen in a

wide variety of locations.

Companions

Of the total of 442 respondents who were asked whether they attended an arts event alone or

with a companion (qa30), only eleven percent replied that they attended alone. The remainder had one or more companions (qa31), and the data show that attendance at an arts event

is strongly a social activity — over half of respondents indicated attending with a spouse and

43 percent with a friend or date. The respondent’s party included companions whose relationships with the respondent were distributed as shown in Table 8.

Table 6. Sources of Information About Arts

Events: 1997

Source of Percentage of 

Information Respondents

Friend, neighbor, relative, co-worker 38.5%

Newspaper 24.7

Mailed announcement or advertisement 7.0

Radio 4.6

Television 4.0

Public bulletin board 3.9

School 3.8

At work 2.8

Church or synagogue 1.8

Other source 8.9

24 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
Interest in Attending More Arts Events

If sppa respondents could attend live arts events as often as they wished, how many would go

to more performances or exhibitions than they did in 1997? Table 9 shows the answers to that

question. Based on a subset of the sppa (approximately 6,900 respondents) some 34.9 percent

of respondents said they would like to go to more live jazz performances and more than 67

percent said they would go to more museum/gallery exhibitions. In terms of the types of arts

activities respondents would most likely frequent if they were able to attend more performances, the second column of Table 9 shows that 20.4 percent of those interested in attending more (3,500 of the 6,900 respondents referred to above) would choose first go to more musical plays and operettas if they could. Nearly 31 percent would first choose to visit art museums

and galleries more often — compared to less than three percent who would go to the opera as

their first choice.

Table 7. Place of Arts Performance: 1997

Classical Musical Non-Musical Other 

Type of Place Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance

Concert Hall, Opera House 8.5 % 40.0 % 74.9 % 24.4 % 8.9 % 27.9 % 31.6 %

Indoor or Dinner Theater 3.3 20.6 20.8 56.9 59.2 35.8 16.4

Night Club, Coffee House 32.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 3.6

College Facility10.9 12.0 0.0 2.4 6.0 8.1 0.0

School 1.1 2.2 0.0 8.2 5.4 20.7 11.3

Church, Synagogue 2.2 11.7 0.0 3.7 1.3 0.0 4.9

Park, Open Air Facility 25.4 11.7 4.3 3.6 10.0 0.0 19.9

Other 15.3 1.8 0.0 0.8 8.9 7.6 12.2

Table 8. Relationship of Companions at Arts

Events: 1997

Relationship Percentage

Spouse 51.5%

Parent 8.8

Child, son, or daughter 13.6

Brother or sister 8.6

Other relative 12.4

Friend or date 43.4

Other nonrelative 10.2

The total of the percentages exceeds 100 because some

parties included several companions related in different

ways to the respondent.

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 25

Table 9. Interest in Attending Arts Events More Often: 1997

Would Like to Would Most Like to 

Arts Activity Attend More* Attend More 

Jazz music performances 34.9% 13.2%

Classical music performances 38.0 7.9

Operas 18.5 2.8

Musical plays or operettas 53.7 20.4

Non-musical plays 54.2 11.7

Ballet performances 27.6 5.1

Other dance performances 50.2 8.1

Art museums or galleries 67.2 30.8

* The total of the percentages in this column exceeds 100 because respondents chose more

than one arts activity that they would like to go to more often.
A comparison of the data in Table 9 with the data in Table 1 (see

page 15) shows that the activities people would like to attend more often are roughly the same as the live arts events with higher participation rates. For example, of the eight arts activities listed in Table 9,

visiting art museums and galleries ranks the highest among the arts

that people would attend more if they could. And visiting art museums also has the highest attendance rate in Table 1. Although live performances of ballet and opera may be unavailable or unaffordable for

many people, the indicated preference for them is also lower than for

other arts activities. An exception to this pattern is jazz performances,

which ranks sixth in actual attendance but third in the list of live performances that people would most like to attend more frequently.

Barriers to Participation

About 3,500 respondents were asked why they did not go to performances or art museums as often as they would like (qc3). Eleven possible reasons were offered and respondents could cite as many as were

applicable to them. Table 10 shows the fraction named for each of the

reasons on the list.

The major barriers are limited time, insufficient offerings, expense,

and inconvenient location. Less important but still significant factors

are lack of a companion, child responsibilities, safety, and ticket availability. Health, feeling out of place, and the quality of the activity were

the least often cited reasons.

Ticket Prices and Admission Fees

The 1997 sppa was the first sppa to collect information concerning the

prices of tickets to the arts events the respondents attended. Out of

421 respondents who were asked (qa27), 102 (24 percent) said admission was free to the arts event in question. Out of the remaining 319

respondents who were asked (qa28), 31 (10 percent) replied that the

ticket they purchased was part of a subscription.

These 319 people were then asked the price of the ticket or subscription (qa29). Their replies

(22 respondents did not know the price) are grouped in Table 11. Although only 5 percent of

these prices are for subscriptions, the survey did not determine which prices they were (qa29).

Approximately 245 visitors to art museums and galleries were asked additional questions

about their visit. Only 6 percent were members (qa33). Between 75 and 80 percent of those

questioned reported that the art was for viewing only and not for sale (qa32). Forty-five percent reported that the museum had an admission fee (qa34). Table 12 shows the distribution

of the admission charges (qa35).

26 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 10. Barriers to Attendance at Arts

Events: 1997

Barrier to Percentage of 

Greater Participation Respondents

Difficult to make time to go out 64.2%

Not many performances/exhibitions here 54.9

Tickets are too expensive 53.2

Location is inconvenient 46.5

No one to go with 21.8

Child care or baby sitter problems 19.7

Location is not a safe area 19.4

Tickets are sold out too soon16.5

Health problem or disability 10.4

May feel uncomfortable 10.3

Quality of performance or 

exhibition is poor 9.8

Table 11. Distribution of Ticket Prices for

Performing Arts Events: 1997

Ticket or Subscription Price Percentage

$5.00 to $9.99 13.1%

$10.00 to $14.99 13.8

$15.00 to $19.99 12.7

$20.00 to $29.99 14.7

$30.00 to $39.99 11.1

$40.00 to $49.99 5.6

$50.00 or more 18.6
Reading Critical Reviews

A new question in 1997 concerned the respondent’s reading of any

critical reviews of artistic works (qb1). Of 6,070 respondents who

were asked the question, about 40 percent responded that they had

read such reviews. Reviews heard on the radio or watched on television were not included, but the reviews may have affected the

respondents’ participation in both live events and in arts events via

broadcast or recorded media. Many of these reviews were also

probably read after the respondents had already seen the performance or exhibition.

∫∫∫∫∫

ATTENDANCE AT LIVE PERFORMANCES/EVENTS 27

Table 12. Distribution of Admission Fees at

Museums: 1997

Admission Fee Percentage

Less than $2.50 18.7%

$2.50 to $4.99 23.7

$5.00 to $7.49 38.4

$7.50 to $9.99 10.4

$10.00 or more 8.7
CHAPTER 2

Arts Participation 

Through Broadcast and

Recorded Media

TOTAL PARTICIPANTS AND RATES OF PARTICIPATION

The 1997 sppa collected information from 6,070 respondents on participation by watching

and listening to arts activities through the broadcast and recorded media for seven art forms

(qb3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13–22). (Ballet and other dance were combined in this part of the survey, as

they were in 1992.) Respondents also were asked whether they had listened to taped or live

readings of literature, but the responses were not separated, so the portion on tape cannot be

determined. Data on the use of video (via television or video tape recording), radio, and recordings (phonograph, cassette tapes, and compact discs) were collected for the fields of jazz, classical music, opera, and musical plays. Only video and radio were included for non-musical

plays, and only video was considered for dance and visual art. The 1992 sppa surveyed the same

arts activities via the same combinations of media.

Table 13 shows the rate of participation in 1997 for each of the 16 methods of watching or

listening through media. Table 13 also shows the number of different people in 1992 and in

1997 who participated at least once during the past 12 months in each art form via each

medium. This number was obtained by multiplying the 1997 rates of participation by the total adult population in those years and yields the estimated total participants. The 1997 sppa

does not permit estimates of the total number of viewings or listenings because data were not

collected on the number of times a medium was used.

28

Table 14. Frequency of Listening to Music Via Broadcast and Recorded Media: 1997

Percentage of Respondents

Less than 1 to 2 Times 1 to 2 Days 3 to 7 Days Total

Music and Medium 1 to 2 Times Per Month Per Week Per Week

Per Month

Jazz on Radio 10.2% 9.5% 10.0% 9.6% 39.3%

Jazz on Recordings 6.3 7.6 8.2 6.9 29.0

Classical Music on Radio 9.7 11.3 10.0 10.0 41.0

Classical Music on Recordings 7.2 10.0 8.9 8.1 34.2
The 1997 sppa asked 2,665 respondents how often they listened to

jazz on the radio. It asked 1,984 respondents how often they listened

to jazz on records, tapes, or compact discs. The 1997 sppa asked 2,761

respondents how often they listened to classical music on the radio and

2,440 respondents how often they listened to recorded classical music

(qb5, 7, 10, 12). Table 14 shows the results of these questions about the

frequency of listening to these types of music via media.

About an equal number of respondents said they listened to classical music with frequencies that might be described as very seldom, occasionally, often, and very often. The same is true of listening to jazz

on radio. The patterns for listening to the two kinds of music on

recordings are less uniform, but still are somewhat evenly distributed.

DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN PARTICIPATION VIA

MEDIA

Table 15 shows the participation rates for the different demographic

groups. Men had higher rates of participation via media than women

for 8 of the 16 combinations of media and arts activity. African Americans had the highest rates, and Asians had the second highest rates of

media participation for jazz. Except for opera on tv, for which Hispanics have the highest participation rates, Asians had the highest rates

of participation for all three forms of media participation for classical

music, opera, and musical plays. Asians also had the highest rate of

participation for non-musical plays on radio. African Americans had

the highest rates for plays on television. Hispanics had the highest rates

of participation in both dance and visual arts via television.

Rates of participation via media were distributed more evenly for all

age groups than they were for participation in live arts events. People

under the age of 25 participated in jazz, classical music, and opera via

media at roughly double their rate of participation in live arts events.

People over 74 years of age participated via media at rates two to five

times that for live events, probably because less mobility is required for participation via media.

Participation rates via media increased with increases in income and in educational level,

but not as rapidly as the rates increased for live arts events. The greater number of opportunities to participate in the arts via media and the generally lower cost undoubtedly contributed

to the more even distribution among and within all demographic categories that were examined.

Table 16 shows that the distribution of genders among media participants was 52 percent

female and 48 percent male instead of the 60 percent and 40 percent distribution in the case

of live arts events. Men outnumbered women in several categories, particularly in listening to

non-musical plays on the radio, while women heavily outnumbered men in watching opera,

musical plays, and dance via video media. In general Hispanics and African Americans comARTS PARTICIPATION THROUGH BROADCAST AND RECORDED MEDIA 29

Table 13. Participation Rates and Total

Participation via Broadcast and Recorded

Media: 1997

Percentage Number

of Adult of Adults

Population Using at 

Using at Least Once

Activity Least Once in Last 

Watched or in Last 12 12 Months

Listened to Media Months (millions)1

Jazz Video (TV/VCR) 30.7% 60.0

Radio 39.3 76.9

Recorded2 29.0 56.7

Classical Video (TV/VCR) 32.2 63.0

music Radio 41.0 80.2

Recorded2 34.3 67.1

Opera Video (TV/VCR) 15.0 29.3

Radio 10.8 21.1

Recorded2 10.7 20.9

Musical Video (TV/VCR) 25.0 48.9

play Radio 4.8 9.4

Recorded2 11.5 22.5

Non-musical Video (TV/VCR) 23.4 45.8

play Radio 6.0 11.7

Dance Video (TV/VCR) 39.4 77.1

Visual art3 Video (TV/VCR) 45.1 88.2

1 The number of media users was computed by multiplying the

usage rate by 195.6 million: the U.S. resident noninstitutionalized

population, 18 years of age and over. (from the U.S. Bureau of

the Census, Current Population Survey, March 1997)

2 Includes phonographs, cassette tapes, and compact discs.

3 Refers to programs about artists, art works, or art museums.
30 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 15. Participation Rates Via Broadcast and Recorded Media by Demographic Group: 1997

U.S. Adult Musical Non-Musical Sample

Population Jazz Classical Opera Play Play Dance Art Size1

in millions TV Radio Rec TV Radio Rec TV Radio Rec TV Radio Rec TV Radio TV TV

All Adults 195.6 30.7% 39.3% 29.0% 32.2% 41.0% 34.3% 15.0% 10.8% 10.7% 25.0% 4.8% 11.5% 23.4% 6.0% 39.4% 45.1% 6,070

Sex

Male 94.2 32.3 41.4 31.0 29.2 42.0 33.5 13.5 12.2 11.4 21.9 5.1 11.1 22.5 7.3 33.9 44.8 2,606

Female 101.4 29.1 37.3 27.1 35.1 40.0 35.2 16.4 9.6 10.1 27.9 4.6 11.9 24.3 4.8 44.6 45.3 3,463

Race

Hispanic 19.1 31.4 35.2 27.3 33.7 42.2 31.6 23.3 13.8 9.1 21.7 7.5 7.6 19.7 7.2 41.7 45.8 630

White 146.1 27.3 36.5 25.9 31.7 41.4 35.3 12.8 10.0 11.0 24.9 3.6 12.5 23.3 5.0 39.0 45.4 4,478

African American 22.1 52.6 62.0 50.5 32.3 36.7 29.4 18.7 11.1 9.3 27.1 8.3 9.4 28.6 9.5 40.5 43.2 520

American Indian 3.0 23.4 25.7 23.3 27.5 30.6 16.1 8.8 3.6 0.9 7.2 0.5 2.9 17.3 3.0 35.4 41.0 71

Asian 5.3 33.3 44.7 34.6 36.5 46.4 48.8 21.0 16.9 14.0 30.4 10.5 16.9 25.9 10.8 35.8 43.6 203

Age

18 to 24 23.7 23.7 38.3 30.3 23.2 39.2 32.3 12.3 7.9 9.7 21.2 5.3 12.1 23.4 5.5 29.3 39.0 549

25 to 34 40.1 25.6 37.9 27.9 22.7 35.4 31.2 11.6 6.6 6.5 21.0 4.2 11.0 17.5 6.3 35.5 46.5 1,214

35 to 44 45.3 35.4 48.3 35.7 30.0 41.7 36.4 12.7 9.6 10.0 21.6 4.0 11.1 20.6 5.7 38.1 51.0 1,363

45 to 54 33.7 35.5 41.7 30.2 37.4 46.5 38.1 15.9 10.7 11.7 26.6 4.9 11.5 27.4 6.5 46.0 51.1 1,099

55 to 64 20.9 32.5 36.6 27.8 42.6 46.6 38.6 19.2 15.4 15.0 30.9 5.2 14.2 27.3 6.2 43.5 41.9 678

65 to 74 19.6 30.4 30.1 23.0 39.7 39.7 31.8 17.1 15.8 12.8 28.9 4.9 12.3 28.2 5.5 43.6 33.9 613

75 and older 12.3 27.5 28.8 15.4 37.2 34.9 26.4 23.8 16.4 13.8 35.9 7.4 7.7 27.0 6.8 43.5 35.5 396

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 31.4 34.4 29.1 27.8 29.6 20.4 15.3 7.2 5.8 19.3 4.8 6.7 19.4 6.7 31.0 33.3 412

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 24.2 27.5 20.5 24.5 29.6 22.2 13.6 8.5 7.4 19.2 4.9 6.9 19.4 5.5 30.1 35.2 659

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 27.6 31.4 22.7 31.6 37.5 30.0 14.4 8.4 8.5 21.1 4.6 8.6 22.4 5.8 38.0 41.3 739

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 32.1 39.1 26.6 30.4 39.2 29.7 14.1 11.0 10.0 28.3 5.1 10.0 22.9 6.0 39.8 44.9 816

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 29.8 42.4 30.6 32.7 39.6 38.7 14.5 9.1 9.6 23.7 3.5 11.7 22.8 5.2 40.7 42.3 650

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 36.8 48.9 34.4 37.8 49.0 41.5 16.1 11.8 11.9 29.1 4.5 15.6 24.1 5.4 45.4 54.6 908

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 40.9 56.1 44.7 41.7 55.9 50.6 15.5 11.8 13.6 31.3 4.0 13.8 26.2 6.6 49.4 59.1 456

Over $100,000 15.5 34.6 55.4 48.5 40.3 56.9 54.6 18.8 19.2 26.1 30.4 7.3 23.4 27.8 7.8 51.2 61.4 461

Education

Grade school 14.6 18.8 17.2 9.7 21.8 25.5 15.1 15.3 11.6 6.5 15.7 7.6 5.9 15.6 3.6 29.2 29.7 271

Some high school 28.2 25.1 28.4 20.5 20.7 29.3 21.4 10.8 6.7 5.3 14.4 3.4 6.3 18.9 6.7 29.5 31.7 466

High school graduate 60.9 26.2 32.5 22.5 24.9 31.6 24.3 11.2 7.3 6.8 19.8 3.4 7.8 19.8 3.8 33.6 37.2 1,705

Some college 50.1 34.2 46.1 34.5 35.4 45.7 38.4 15.0 9.5 11.0 28.4 4.0 11.8 25.0 6.4 42.6 50.3 1,741

College graduate 24.8 37.1 52.2 42.4 44.0 56.5 54.4 19.4 15.0 18.7 37.3 7.6 20.6 27.9 8.5 51.5 60.5 994

Graduate school 17.2 45.4 61.4 46.2 57.8 69.8 65.6 27.7 26.9 25.5 40.8 8.4 25.3 38.7 9.3 58.8 69.3 824

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants.
ARTS PARTICIPATION THROUGH BROADCAST AND RECORDED MEDIA 31

Table 16. Demographic Distribution of Participants Via Broadcast and Recorded Media: 1997

U.S. Adult Non-Musical Sample

Population Jazz Classical Opera Musical Play Play Dance Art Size1

Millions Percentage TV TV TV Radio Rec TV Radio Rec TV Radio TV TV

Sex

Male 94.2 48.2% 51.2% 44.2% 43.9% 54.7% 51.8% 42.8% 51.4% 47.0% 47.0% 59.1% 42.0% 48.5% 2,606

Female 101.4 51.8 48.8 55.8 56.1 45.3 48.2 57.2 48.6 53.0 53.0 40.9 58.0 51.5 3,463

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6,069

Race

Hispanic 19.1 9.8 11.6 11.9 17.8 14.6 9.8 10.0 18.0 7.5 9.5 13.8 12.0 11.5 630

White 146.1 74.7 64.6 71.9 62.8 68.2 76.1 73.4 55.4 78.5 72.2 61.7 72.2 73.3 4,478

African American 22.1 11.3 19.3 11.3 14.1 11.8 9.9 12.4 19.7 9.2 13.7 18.1 11.6 10.8 520

American Indian 3.0 1.5 1.2 1.4 0.9 0.5 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.4 1.2 0.8 1.5 1.5 71

Asian 5.3 2.7 3.3 3.5 4.3 4.9 4.1 3.8 6.7 4.5 3.4 5.5 2.8 3.0 203

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 5,902

Age

18 to 24 23.7 12.1 9.6 9.0 10.3 9.2 11.3 10.5 13.7 13.0 12.4 11.3 9.2 10.8 549

25 to 34 40.1 20.5 17.1 14.5 15.9 12.5 12.4 17.2 17.8 19.3 15.3 21.2 18.4 21.2 1,214

35 to 44 45.3 23.1 24.7 20.1 18.3 19.1 20.1 18.5 17.9 20.5 18.8 20.3 20.7 24.3 1,363

45 to 54 33.7 17.2 20.9 21.3 19.4 18.2 20.0 19.3 18.7 18.0 21.3 19.5 21.2 20.6 1,099

55 to 64 20.9 10.7 12.1 15.3 14.7 16.4 16.0 14.1 12.4 14.0 13.2 11.7 12.6 10.6 678

65 to 74 19.6 10.0 10.4 13.0 12.0 15.5 12.6 12.1 10.6 11.1 12.4 9.5 11.5 7.9 613

75 and older 12.3 6.3 5.2 6.8 9.3 9.0 7.6 8.3 8.9 3.9 6.5 6.5 6.4 4.6 396

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 5,912

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 7.7 8.1 6.9 8.3 5.6 4.4 6.3 8.3 4.7 6.9 9.2 6.3 6.0 412

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 13.5 10.6 10.4 12.6 11.2 9.5 10.6 14.3 8.3 11.7 12.8 10.4 10.6 659

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 15.0 13.4 14.9 14.8 12.4 12.1 13.0 15.1 11.5 15.1 15.0 14.6 14.0 739

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 16.4 16.8 15.4 15.5 17.3 15.2 18.6 18.0 14.3 16.6 16.8 16.4 16.2 816

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 13.2 12.2 13.0 12.6 11.3 11.5 12.3 9.6 13.1 13.1 11.6 13.2 12.1 650

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 17.9 20.0 19.8 18.4 19.2 18.8 19.9 16.2 23.1 18.1 15.6 19.4 20.4 908

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 8.3 10.4 10.2 8.2 9.0 10.1 10.0 6.8 9.5 9.2 8.9 9.8 10.4 456

Over $100,000 15.5 7.9 8.4 9.4 9.6 14.0 18.5 9.3 11.8 15.5 9.3 10.1 9.8 10.3 461

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 5,101

Education

Grade school 14.6 7.4 4.5 5.1 7.5 8.0 4.5 4.7 11.6 3.8 4.9 4.5 5.5 4.9 271

Some high school 28.2 14.4 11.8 9.3 10.5 8.9 7.1 8.4 10.3 7.8 11.7 16.2 10.8 10.1 466

High school graduate 60.9 31.1 26.6 24.2 23.4 21.1 19.5 24.6 21.8 20.9 26.4 19.8 26.5 25.8 1,866

Some college 50.1 25.6 28.6 28.2 25.8 22.5 26.2 29.1 21.1 26.0 27.4 27.7 27.7 28.6 1,149

College graduate 24.8 12.7 15.4 17.4 16.5 17.6 22.0 18.9 20.0 22.5 15.2 18.1 16.5 17.0 1,425

Graduate school 17.2 8.8 13.1 15.9 16.3 21.9 20.8 14.4 15.2 19.1 14.5 13.7 13.1 13.5 824

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 6,001

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants.
prised larger fractions of media participants than they did of participants at live events. The

distributions of age, household income, and educational level were di∑erent for participants

via media than for those at live events, because people with lower incomes and lower educational levels formed a larger part of the media participants.

USE OF PERSONAL COMPUTERS IN THE ARTS

The 1997 sppa asked several new questions concerning the respondent’s use of personal computers. The questions concern several forms of participation in the arts, but the results are reported together for the reader’s convenience. A sample of 6,070 respondents were asked

whether they used a personal computer to listen to or watch any kind of performance or artistic work (qb23). The 533 who said yes were asked whether this use was

for visual art such as copies of paintings or sculpture in a museum, for

musical performances such as jazz or opera, or for any other type of

performance or artistic work (qb24).

The same number also were asked if they used a personal computer

to find out about art shows or live performances or to order tickets

(qb25). A sample of 5,467 respondents were asked whether they had

ever used a personal computer, on their own, to learn something about

the arts or to teach themselves an artistic, musical, or literary skill

(qg33). A sample of 6,028 respondents were asked if they used a personal computer for hobbies such as games or surfing (qd13), and, if

so, about how many hours they used the PC for this purpose in an

average week (qd14).

Table 17 shows the replies to these questions as percentages of the

total sample population. A small but significant fraction of the respondents used personal computers in the arts, and those who did so used it for more than

one kind of participation. Those who used a personal computer for hobbies or enjoyment used

it an average of 5.1 hours per week.

∫∫∫∫∫

32 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 17. Use of Personal Computers for 

the Arts: 1997

Uses for Percentage of 

Personal Computer Respondents

To participate in any art form8.0%

To participate in visual arts 5.0

To participate in music 3.5

To participate in another art form 3.1

To find out about events or tickets 8.7

To learn about art or art skills12.7

For hobbies (e.g., games, surfing) 40.4
∫ performing or rehearsing jazz music

∫ playing classical music

∫ singing any music from an opera

∫ singing music from a musical play or an operetta

∫ dancing ballet

∫ dancing other dance such as modern, folk,

or tap

∫ acting in public in a non-musical play

∫ singing in public with a chorale, choir, glee

club, or other vocal group

∫ painting, drawing, sculpture, or 

printmaking

∫ creative writing of stories, poems, or plays

∫ composing music

∫ creating pottery, ceramics, jewelry, leatherwork, or metalwork

∫ weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlepoint,

or sewing

∫ making photographs, movies, or video tapes

as an artistic activity

CHAPTER 3

Personal Participation 

in the Arts

The previous chapters have analyzed the public’s participation as spectators and listeners at

arts activities that are other people’s work. People also participate in the arts both by personally performing and creating art and by taking classes and lessons in the arts (the subject of

Chapter 4). Not surprisingly, the number of such arts participants is much smaller than the

number of spectators and listeners, either at live events or for media programs. Nonetheless,

personal arts participation by doing involves millions of American adults.

PERSONAL PERFORMANCE OR CREATION

In 1997, as in 1992, the sppa asked all respondents whether they had personally performed or

created works in most of the performing and exhibiting arts activities. Respondents who answered affirmatively were asked whether they had performed or exhibited their work publicly (qe1–30). The following categories of performance and creation were noted in both 1992

and 1997:

33
Two-thirds (66.6 percent) of the respondents said they had participated personally in at least

one of these categories. Table 18 shows the personal participation rate and the rate of performing in public for each of 13 activities and for having purchased an orginal work of art.

Note that, for singing in a group and for acting in plays, only performing in public is included.

As Table 18 indicates, the most popular public arts activity is singing in choir — more than 20

million adult Americans sing in groups in public. Because this activity normally requires rehearsals and frequently involves many performances each year, the annual number of participations by these singers probably is several times 20 million.

The survey did not collect information about the frequencies of performance or creation,

so only the number of different participants is shown for each activity. Fifteen million people

sang music from musical plays; more than 20 million people played classical music, did creative writing, or danced; almost 30 million created pottery or similar works of art; and more

than 30 million adult Americans created photographs, paintings, or other works of visual art.

These are very significant fractions of the total population, and a substantial portion of the

participants’ discretionary time is probably devoted to their arts activity.

34 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 18. Participation in the Arts Via Personal Performance and Creation: 1997

Private and/or Public Performance/Display Public Performance, Display, or Publication

Arts Activity % of Adults Doing at Least Number of Adults Doing % of Adults Doing at Least Number of Adults Doing

Once in Last 12 Months (millions)1 Once in Last 12 Months (millions)1

Playing

Jazz 2.2% 4.3 0.9% 1.8

Classical Music 11.0 21.5 1.3 2.5

Singing

Opera 1.8 3.5 0.3 0.6

Musicals 7.7 15.1 1.7 3.3

Choirs, Chorale NA2 NA2 10.4 20.3

Dancing

Ballet 0.5 1.0 0.3 0.6

Other Dance 12.6 24.6 2.0 3.9

Acting in Non-Musical Plays NA2 NA2 2.7 5.3

Painting/Drawing 15.9 31.1 2.9 5.7

Pottery 15.1 29.5 2.4 4.7

Weaving 27.6 54.0 2.7 5.3

Buying Art 35.1 68.7 NA3 NA3

Photography 16.6 32.6 2.3 4.5

Creative Writing 12.1 23.7 1.2 2.3

Composing Music 3.7 7.2 1.3 2.6

1 The number of personal participants was computed by multiplying the participation rate by 195.6 million: the U.S. resident noninstitutionalized population,

18 years of age and over. (from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, March 1997)

2 For these activities, questions were only asked about public performances.

3 For this activity only questions about “doing” were asked
PERSONAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS 35

Table 19. Rates of Personal Participation by Demographic Group: 1997

U.S. Adult Non- Singing 

Population Classical Musical Musical Other Photo- Buying in Sample

(Millions) Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Drawing Writing graphy Pottery Weaving Art Groups Size1

All Adults 195.6 2.2% 1.1% 1.8% 7.7% 2.7% 0.5% 12.6% 15.9% 12.1% 16.9% 15.1% 27.6% 35.1% 10.4% 4,452

Sex

Male 94.2 2.9 8.6 1.3 6.2 2.4 0.0 13.2 14.6 10.3 15.6 16.2 4.5 36.4 8.7 1,851

Female 101.4 1.5 13.3 2.3 9.1 2.9 1.0 12.0 17.1 13.7 18.2 14.2 48.7 33.9 11.8 2,599

Race

Hispanic 19.1 2.5 6.8 0.8 3.4 1.6 1.1 13.9 17.1 8.2 11.6 10.6 17.3 33.0 7.2 341

White 146.1 1.9 11.9 2.0 8.7 2.4 0.3 12.4 15.3 12.1 16.8 16.0 29.5 35.6 8.4 3,390

African American 22.1 3.3 8.0 1.5 5.8 6.0 1.2 11.1 15.7 13.9 18.3 11.2 25.2 43.0 26.0 424

American Indian 3.0 0.0 8.9 1.2 1.8 0.8 0.3 20.9 18.1 10.2 28.4 25.1 27.6 34.6 6.5 52

Asian 5.3 1.6 11.5 4.5 9.5 2.0 2.7 16.8 26.9 20.7 21.7 13.3 27.9 18.9 9.1 119

Age

18 to 24 23.7 3.2 13.0 1.7 9.8 7.8 2.6 20.4 38.7 31.6 28.4 20.8 21.8 42.1 13.7 372

25 to 34 40.1 1.7 10.3 1.8 8.2 2.9 0.2 12.8 17.5 13.2 18.4 16.9 24.9 43.0 8.8 890

35 to 44 45.3 2.9 11.3 1.7 8.2 2.3 0.3 12.7 15.3 11.7 17.9 17.5 29.4 39.9 8.7 1,074

45 to 54 33.7 2.4 15.2 2.5 6.8 2.5 0.4 11.1 12.8 9.5 18.0 17.6 28.6 36.6 12.7 775

55 to 64 20.9 0.9 8.8 2.1 5.0 1.4 0.3 7.5 9.4 5.4 10.0 9.7 29.2 31.1 11.1 495

65 to 74 19.6 3.5 6.3 1.1 8.2 0.7 0.0 14.1 7.3 4.8 9.6 9.7 32.4 23.0 9.9 411

75 and older 12.3 0.1 6.2 2.3 5.8 0.3 0.0 9.2 3.7 5.7 5.4 3.4 28.1 7.6 6.5 332

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 2.0 5.1 1.6 5.5 1.5 0.4 8.8 14.9 8.0 10.6 7.7 28.1 28.9 12.7 296

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 1.6 7.4 1.4 4.0 1.5 0.0 10.4 13.2 8.0 13.5 11.9 27.4 26.7 9.4 470

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 0.9 7.7 1.6 5.8 2.9 0.3 12.4 16.6 12.3 14.3 16.2 26.0 25.6 11.0 568

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 2.7 9.8 2.2 10.1 4.2 0.4 13.6 15.0 11.3 18.0 19.8 28.8 44.3 13.4 586

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 3.0 11.3 1.4 6.9 2.8 0.2 12.4 16.1 12.6 17.9 16.9 29.1 35.2 8.0 485

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 2.9 14.9 2.9 11.9 2.2 0.2 13.4 16.8 16.5 18.0 17.9 28.2 32.1 10.4 639

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 2.6 14.6 2.8 10.1 3.9 1.8 17.6 17.6 13.3 23.0 17.4 24.0 41.4 10.6 324

Over $100,000 15.5 1.9 17.6 2.1 7.3 1.8 0.2 12.3 12.4 10.6 22.8 14.3 23.2 45.7 8.6 336

Education

Grade school 13.7 2.4 1.9 0.0 2.8 0.0 0.0 4.4 3.6 2.1 7.8 7.3 13.9 24.4 10.8 175

Some high school 26.9 1.0 3.6 0.4 1.4 2.7 0.6 11.3 13.0 8.3 12.0 15.3 22.4 35.0 8.9 359

High school graduate 62.0 1.5 8.0 1.2 5.0 1.8 0.1 12.3 15.0 9.2 13.1 16.0 28.2 30.9 8.7 1,344

Some college 50.3 2.6 14.2 2.6 10.9 3.9 1.1 15.7 20.3 17.0 21.5 18.1 31.9 34.6 12.6 1,206

College graduate 25.2 3.3 18.2 2.4 11.8 3.7 0.2 10.3 18.0 13.9 23.1 13.3 32.0 40.6 9.0 730

Graduate school 17.4 4.3 19.8 5.1 15.1 2.7 0.5 15.2 18.2 19.4 21.8 13.0 25.8 40.5 11.8 586

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants.
This suggestion is partially supported by the findings from other questions. In 1997 the respondents also were asked whether they played a musical instrument for pleasure and whether

they played well enough to play with other musicians. Of the 4,452 respondents who were

asked this question (qe14), 9 percent reported that they played well enough to play with others.

Regarding another form of personal participation, the same number of respondents were

asked (qe15) in 1997 whether they purchased any original works of art. Of these respondents,

35 percent said yes.

DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES IN PERSONAL PARTICIPATION

Table 19 shows the personal participation rates by demographic groups in 1997. This table reveals information that can be masked by the population distributions. For example, the rate

of playing jazz was highest for African Americans and second highest for Hispanics. African

Americans also had the highest rate of acting in non-musical plays, of singing in groups, and

of purchasing works of art. American Indians had the highest rates of personally participating

in other dance, photography, and making pottery (note, however, the very small sample size).

Asians had the highest rates in opera, musical plays, ballet, drawing, and creative writing. Classical music and weaving were the only arts forms in which whites personally participated at a

higher rate than members of any other race.

Personal participation rates tended to decrease with the age of the respondents. The youngest

age group had the highest rate of personal participation in musical plays, non-musical plays,

ballet, other dance, drawing, writing, photography, and pottery. Some of this participation may

have been as students The age group 45–54 had the highest rate for classical music and the age

group 65–74 had the highest rate for playing jazz and for weaving and other textile arts.

The rates of personal participation generally increased with increasing income. This trend

was most pronounced for playing classical music, an activity for which those with household

incomes of more than $100,000 had the highest rate of participation. This group also purchased art at the highest rate. For all the other activities the highest rate was lower but did not

fall below $30,000. The rates of participation for different educational attainments were somewhat similar. Respondents who had been to graduate school personally participated at the

highest rates for performing jazz, classical music, opera, musical plays, and for creative writing. People who had some college or who were college graduates had the highest participation

rates for all the other arts activities. There were no activities in which people with low incomes

or less than a high school education had high participation rates.

Table 20 shows the demographic distribution of the 1997 personal participants, those who

participated by doing. The demographic composition of participants who danced ballet was

different from that of any other arts activity. Almost all the dancers were female, more than half

of them were between the ages of 18 and 24, and non-whites predominated. Probably because

of the youth of the participants, higher levels of education were not well represented, but 41

percent of the dancers had household incomes of $75,000 to $100,000. The sample on which

these data are based was extremely small. Of the 4,452 respondents questioned, only 24 said

they had danced ballet during the past 12 months and only 8 of these had danced in public.

36 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
PERSONAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS 37

Table 20. Demographic Distribution of Personal Participants: 1997

U.S. Adult Non- Singing 

Population Classical Musical Musical Other Photo- Buying in Sample

Millions Percent Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Drawing Writing graphy Pottery Weaving Art Groups Size1

Sex

Male 94.2 48.2% 63.6% 37.1% 34.9% 38.3% 42.8% 3.0% 50.2% 43.8% 40.7% 43.8% 51.1% 7.8% 48.7% 40.3% 1,851

Female 101.4 51.8 36.4 62.9 65.1 61.7 57.2 97.0 49.8 56.2 59.3 56.2 48.9 92.2 51.3 59.7 2,599

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4,450

Race

Hispanic 19.1 9.8 10.1 5.3 3.4 3.7 5.1 17.2 9.4 9.2 5.8 5.8 6.0 5.3 3.8 5.9 341

White 146.1 74.7 68.9 81.9 79.6 83.7 66.5 40.7 74.2 72.7 74.7 75.3 80.4 79.7 83.5 60.8 3,390

African American 22.1 11.3 18.8 8.8 9.4 8.8 26.1 26.7 10.6 11.9 13.7 13.1 9.0 10.9 10.0 30.0 424

American Indian 3.0 1.5 0.0 1.0 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.7 2.1 1.4 1.0 2.1 2.1 1.2 1.4 0.8 52

Asian 5.3 2.7 2.2 3.0 6.8 3.5 2.0 14.6 3.8 4.8 4.8 3.7 2.5 2.8 1.3 2.5 119

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4,326

Age

18 to 24 23.7 12.1 16.6 13.9 10.4 14.8 33.1 57.4 18.8 28.2 30.1 19.7 15.8 9.2 9.9 15.5 372

25 to 34 40.1 20.5 15.5 19.8 19.5 22.5 22.4 9.0 21.1 23.0 22.5 22.8 23.0 18.8 21.7 17.9 890

35 to 44 45.3 23.1 30.5 24.7 21.9 25.6 20.4 14.4 23.9 22.8 22.8 25.4 27.2 25.3 28.3 20.2 1,074

45 to 54 33.7 17.2 18.3 23.5 22.3 15.0 15.1 13.5 14.7 13.6 13.0 18.0 19.4 17.4 22.2 20.9 775

55 to 64 20.9 10.7 4.5 9.3 13.1 7.5 6.0 5.7 6.8 6.8 5.1 6.8 7.3 12.1 10.9 12.5 495

65 to 74 19.6 10.0 14.4 5.4 5.4 10.0 2.4 0.0 10.4 4.3 3.7 5.4 5.9 11.0 5.8 9.1 411

75 and older 12.3 6.3 0.3 3.4 7.4 4.6 0.6 0.0 4.4 1.4 2.8 1.9 1.3 6.1 1.2 3.9 332

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4,349

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 7.7 6.8 3.5 6.0 5.2 4.3 8.1 5.2 7.2 5.0 4.6 3.6 7.7 3.0 9.0 296

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 13.5 9.8 9.1 9.5 6.7 7.4 0.0 11.0 11.4 9.0 10.6 10.0 13.4 5.9 11.9 470

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 15.0 6.3 10.9 11.9 11.3 16.6 12.6 15.0 16.5 15.8 12.9 15.6 14.7 8.4 15.9 568

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 16.4 19.5 14.7 18.3 20.9 25.4 18.6 17.6 15.9 15.5 17.3 20.4 17.4 17.4 20.9 586

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 13.2 18.9 14.5 9.9 12.2 14.6 6.4 13.7 14.6 14.7 14.7 14.8 15.0 12.8 10.6 485

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 17.9 22.5 23.4 24.6 25.8 14.1 9.0 18.1 18.6 23.7 18.1 19.3 17.8 19.0 16.9 639

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 8.3 9.9 11.4 11.9 10.8 12.3 40.8 11.8 9.7 9.5 11.5 9.3 7.5 15.5 8.5 324

Over $100,000 15.5 7.9 6.4 12.5 7.9 7.1 5.3 4.6 7.5 6.2 6.9 10.3 6.9 6.6 18.0 6.3 336

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 3,704

Education

Grade school 13.7 7.0 6.7 1.1 0.0 2.2 0.0 0.0 2.2 1.4 1.1 2.8 2.9 3.1 1.5 6.5 175

Some high school 26.9 13.8 6.8 4.8 3.1 2.6 3.1 19.9 13.0 11.7 9.9 10.3 14.4 11.7 9.4 12.6 359

High school graduate 62.0 31.7 21.8 24.2 21.0 21.7 21.0 6.4 32.3 30.7 25.0 25.6 25.0 25.6 25.0 25.6 1,344

Some college 50.3 25.7 28.7 32.4 35.1 35.8 35.1 58.7 31.1 31.6 35.0 31.9 35.0 31.9 35.0 31.9 1,206

College graduate 25.2 12.9 18.9 21.5 16.5 20.0 16.5 6.2 10.6 14.5 14.8 17.8 14.8 17.8 14.8 17.8 730

Graduate school 17.4 8.9 17.1 16.1 24.4 17.6 24.4 8.9 10.8 10.1 14.3 11.6 7.6 8.3 19.8 10.3 586

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 4,400

1 Because a small fraction of survey respondants did not answer particular demographic questions, the total sample for each demogtaphic characteristic (e.g.

sex, race, age) will be slightly less than the total number of survey respondants.
In other arts fields, females vastly outnumbered males in weaving and other textile creations.

Males strongly outnumbered females among jazz participants, but the situation was reversed

for classical music, opera, musical and non-musical plays, drawing, writing, and photography.

Men matched women as participants in other dance.

Hispanics were strongly overrepresented in dancing ballet relative to their proportion in the

population as whole. The same was true of African Americans in playing jazz, acting in musical and non-musical plays, and singing in groups. American Indians participated strongly in

other dance, photography, and pottery; and Asians were overrepresented in performing opera,

ballet, drawing, and writing.

Respondents less than 25 years old constituted more than half of those who danced ballet.

Respondents less than 35 years old constituted more than half of those who acted in non-musical plays, who created visual works of art, and who wrote creatively. Opera, weaving, and

singing in groups had strong participation by people in the 55–64 age bracket. Playing jazz

was the only activity for which the age group 65–74 was overrepresented, and people over age

74 were overrepresented only in singing opera.

The group with household incomes of $50,000 to $75,000 was the largest income group in

the sample and contained almost 18 percent of the respondents. This group was overrepresented in performing jazz, classical music, opera, and musical plays and in writing creatively.

The group with the highest incomes was overrepresented in playing classical music, in creating photographs, and in buying art. The group with incomes of $30,000 to $40,000 was overrepresented in acting in non-musical plays and in singing in groups.

Compared to participants who attend live arts events, participants by doing tended to have

less educational attainment. People with less than a bachelor’s degree form slightly larger fractions of the total participants who perform or create than the fractions for attenders. For most

arts activities participants by doing who have less than a high school education were underrepresented, and those with at least some college were overrepresented.

∫∫∫∫∫

38 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
CHAPTER 4

Socialization

Earlier sppas investigated the respondents’ participation in arts classes and lessons and the educational attainment of their parents. The 1997 sppa continued these investigations and asked

additional questions about their parents’ encouragement of the respondents’ interest in the

arts and the degree to which the respondents encouraged their own children’s interest. These

experiences may influence participation in all forms of arts activities.

PARTICIPATION BY TAKING CLASSES OR LESSONS

In addition to personally performing or creating art, people learn about and participate in the

arts through various classes and lessons. In 1997 a total of 5,467 respondents were asked questions about instruction they received in various branches of the arts (qg1–32). They were asked

if they ever had taken classes or lessons in the following eight activities:

∫ voice training or playing a musical 

instrument

∫ visual arts such as sculpture, painting, print making, photography, or film making

∫ acting or theater

∫ ballet

∫ dance other than ballet such as modern, folk, or tap

∫ creative writing

∫ art appreciation or art history

∫ music appreciation

For each arts field to which the respondent replied affirmatively, he or she was asked whether

any of the classes or lessons were taken during the past year and whether classes were taken

when the respondent was less than 12 years old, 12–17 years old, 18–24 years old, or 25 or older.

If the respondents had taken classes at age 17 or younger, they were asked whether the classes

were offered by the school they were attending, elsewhere, or both.

Table 21 shows the responses to these questions. The first column of data shows that almost

half the respondents had music lessons and about one-quarter had art, creative writing, art appreciation, or music appreciation courses. Only a few had ballet or acting lessons. Of those

who said they had lessons, between one-quarter and one-third had lessons, during the past

year. Music and ballet lessons tended to be taken before the age of 18. Art lessons were received

39
somewhat later. Music, art, acting, and other dance lessons were taken while the respondents

were of high school age, while creative writing and art and music appreciation courses were

received while the respondents were of college age. For those who took lessons when they were

younger than 18, the majority of the lessons were given in school, but ballet and other dance

lessons were predominantly given elsewhere. Music and art lessons frequently were received

both in and out of school.

Table 22 shows the demographic distribution of the 1997 respondents who said they had

ever taken lessons in each art form. More of the students were female than were male, especially in ballet and other dance. Only in acting lessons were fewer than 75 percent of the participants white, and in most activities the white fraction was 80 percent or more. African Americans constituted more than 10 percent of the participants in music, acting, creative writing,

art appreciation, and music appreciation; but only in acting lessons were African Americans

strongly overrepresented. The participation rates of Hispanics were highest in art and in acting lessons, but Hispanics were underrepresented in all kinds of lessons. Asians had a high participation rate and were strongly overrepresented for ballet lessons. Although the questions

concerned lessons taken at any time in the respondent’s life, younger people reported that they

had received lessons or classes at higher rates than older people. The data in Table 22 show

that people under 45 years of age represented about 56 percent of the adult population. However, more than 60 percent of the respondents who had received lessons in each activity were

members of the under-45 age groups. The fraction was more than 70 percent for acting and

creative writing lessons. The exception was lessons in other dance for which this age group accounted for 52 percent of the respondents who had taken lessons.

The fraction of the respondents who reported having taken lessons increased somewhat with

rising household income, but not strikingly so. Without exception respondents who had at

least some college were overrepresented in all kinds of lessons, and those with a high school

diploma or less education were underrepresented.

40 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 21. Participation by Taking Arts Classes or Lessons: 1997

Percent Percent When When When When

Arts Field Who Took Lessons in less than 12 12 to 17 18 to 24 greater than Lessons Lessons 

Lessons Ever Past year years old years old years old 24 years old in School Elsewhere Both

Music 48.5% 26.5% 62.1% 73.0% 23.3% 16.2% 45.9% 34.9% 19.2%

Art 28.7 28.2 20.8 57.0 49.1 41.5 74.3 12.6 13.0

Acting 11.6 26.8 17.5 73.9 39.1 15.0 77.0 13.3 9.7

Ballet 7.6 21.5 81.7 35.7 17.7 10.3 7.0 89.3 3.7

Other dance 19.9 20.0 42.8 41.0 28.8 34.1 23.0 70.8 6.3

Creative Writing 24.4 33.6 13.0 54.4 63.2 32.6 88.9 4.1 7.0

Art Appreciation 24.4 22.1 6.8 36.4 68.0 23.8 86.8 7.4 5.9

Music Appreciation 23.3 22.7 18.3 47.8 58.1 16.1 87.5 7.6 4.9
SOCIALIZATION 41

Table 22. Demographic Distibution of Participants in Arts Classes or Lessons: 1997

U.S. Adult Population Other Creative Art Music

Millions Percentage Music Art Acting Ballet Dance Writing Appreciation Appreciation

Sex

Male 94.2 48.2% 44.8% 48.3% 41.1% 10.6% 26.8% 46.1% 44.1% 44.9%

Female 101.4 51.8 55.2 51.7 58.9 89.4 73.2 53.9 55.9 55.1

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Race

Hispanic 19.1 9.8 4.3 6.1 8.5 5.8 5.7 5.1 5.6 3.8

White 146.1 74.7 81.3 80.4 72.3 81.3 80.8 77.3 80.0 79.7

African American 22.1 11.3 10.7 9.0 15.4 7.5 9.8 12.6 10.8 12.3

American Indian 3.0 1.5 1.6 0.9 1.9 0.8 1.8 1.6 0.9 1.6

Asian 5.3 2.7 2.2 3.6 1.9 4.5 2.0 3.3 2.6 2.6

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Age

18 to 24 23.7 12.1 15.4 19.9 24.0 17.7 11.0 20.5 16.6 16.4

25 to 34 40.1 20.5 21.6 23.2 26.2 23.0 18.4 26.4 21.3 19.6

35 to 44 45.3 23.1 23.8 24.4 22.2 26.3 22.5 26.3 25.7 24.2

45 to 54 33.7 17.2 18.1 16.5 14.7 19.4 20.9 15.1 19.2 18.6

55 to 64 20.9 10.7 9.4 6.7 5.6 5.6 10.7 5.0 7.3 8.8

65 to 74 19.6 10.0 7.0 4.9 5.2 5.4 10.6 4.5 6.1 8.1

75 and older 12.3 6.3 4.8 4.4 2.1 2.7 5.8 2.2 3.8 4.4

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 7.7 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.6 5.6 3.4 2.6 3.1

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 13.5 9.0 9.7 8.3 6.4 7.5 7.8 6.8 6.3

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 15.0 13.2 10.7 14.4 10.4 12.4 11.0 11.9 12.8

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 16.4 15.4 14.8 14.5 13.1 14.1 13.2 11.8 13.9

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 13.2 15.3 14.9 14.1 11.7 14.4 15.2 14.5 14.5

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 17.9 20.5 21.8 20.4 25.1 21.8 24.2 24.2 23.3

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 8.3 11.4 10.9 9.6 13.0 10.9 12.5 13.5 12.9

Over $100,000 15.5 7.9 11.0 13.1 14.5 15.6 13.4 12.6 14.8 13.3

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Education

Grade school 13.7 7.0 1.3 2.1 2.1 1.4 2.0 0.0 0.3 0.7

Some high school 26.9 13.8 7.0 5.6 5.5 4.2 5.6 3.2 2.5 3.2

High school graduate 67.5 34.5 29.7 23.7 19.4 18.5 26.1 16.5 13.8 18.3

Some college 33.6 17.2 23.6 26.5 29.6 25.5 23.3 29.5 24.6 23.6

College graduate 36.5 18.6 24.5 26.2 26.2 30.2 25.7 33.0 35.1 32.3

Graduate school 17.4 8.9 14.0 15.9 17.1 20.2 17.3 17.7 23.8 21.9

Total 195.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
PARENTS’ EDUCATION

All 12,349 respondents were asked about the highest level of education that each of their parents attained (qg11, 12). A total of 9,784 respondents knew and gave the highest grade of regular school their father completed and 10,457 gave this information for their mother.

(Almost all the rest of the respondents did not know.) The results are

shown in Table 23.

Readers should note that there is no pairing of these educational attainments. The data in the table do not show that the respondents’

parents had similar or dissimilar educations. The data apply only as

separate samples of about 10,000 mothers and 10,000 fathers.

ARTS EXPOSURE

About 900 respondents answered four questions about the behavior

of their parents concerning the arts (qg40). The first question was

how often the respondent’s parent or other adults in the home listened to classical music or opera. The other questions asked whether

the respondents’ parents encouraged the respondents’ interest in the

arts. The responses are shown in Table 24.

Approximately one-third of the parents listened to classical music

or opera in the home at least sometimes. Three-quarters of the respondents said their parents encouraged them to read books that were not required reading,

and about half of them gave this encouragement often. Fewer than 10 percent of the parents

often took their children to museums or performances, and fewer than 40 percent ever did so.

There were children 6 to 17 years old in 2,164 respondents’ households (qg34). Half of these

children were taking classes or lessons in some kind of visual arts, music, dance, theater, or

creative writing. The arts exposure that the 229 respondents gave these children (qg37–39) is

shown in Table 25.

One quarter of the respondents who have children take them to art museums and the same

fraction take them to arts performances; but 86 percent encourage their children to read books.

The pattern is similar to that of the exposure provided by the respondents’ parents.

42 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 23. Highest Level of Parents’ Education:

1997

Highest Grade Completed Mother Father

Don’t know 23.7% 17.9%

7th grade or lower 12.1 9.6

8th grade 8.5 7.0

9th to 11th grade 7.1 8.4

12th grade, but no diploma 0.9 1.1

High school diploma /

equivalent 27.4 36.3

Vocational tech program after 

high school 0.8 1.4

Some college, but no degree 4.0 4.6

Associate’s degree 1.9 3.0

Bachelor’s degree 7.9 7.3

Graduate or professional 

school but no degree 0.4 0.3

Master’s degree 2.8 2.4

Doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D.) 1.3 0.4

Professional degree beyond

bachelor’s degree 1.4 0.2

Table 24. Respondents’ Childhood Arts

Exposure: 1997

Parental Action Never Occasionally Often

Parents listened to 

classical music or opera 67.8% 22.3% 9.9%

Child taken to museum 59.6 33.3 7.1

Child taken to performance 62.7 32.2 5.1

Parents encouraged reading 25.5 27.5 47.0

Table 25. Children of Respondents Arts

Exposure: 1997

Arts Percent Providing 

Exposure Arts Exposure

Take child to art museums 26.2%

Take child to arts performances 26.1

Encourage child to read non-required books 86.4
CHAPTER 5

Participation in 

Other Leisure Activities

Since only a very small portion of the respondents to the 1997 sppa participate in the arts as

an occupation, most participate as a recreational or leisure activity. Therefore, the arts compete with other activities for the respondent’s available leisure time. This chapter describes how

the arts compare to other forms of leisure activities.

Just over 6,000 respondents were asked how many hours they watched television on an 

average weekday (Monday through Friday) and on an average Saturday or Sunday (qd1). The

average of their responses was three hours per day for both weekdays and weekends. They also

were asked how many times they went out to the movies (qd2,3) or to amateur or professional

sporting events (qd4,5). The average of their responses was nine times per year to the movies

and seven times per year to sporting events. For other leisure activities, the respondents were

asked whether they participated but not how much or how often. The other leisure activities

they were asked about included going to an amusement park or carnival; participating in an

exercise program; playing a sport; engaging in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, or

canoeing; doing volunteer or charity work; making home repairs or improvements; and gardening (qd6–14). The results of these inquiries are shown in Table 26 (page 44) along with

rates of participation in some combinations of arts activities, which are shaded.

Table 26 shows that participation in the arts via the media competed quite well with other

leisure activities for the respondents’ discretionary time. Participation by personally performing or creating art also was very competitive with alternative activities. Attending performing

arts events was slightly more popular than attending a sporting event.

Some additional insight into how the arts compare to other leisure activities can be gained

by examining the degree of control the participant has over the place and the time of participation. The most popular leisure activity, watching television, normally is done at home and

can be scheduled by the participant. The same is true of making home improvements and gardening. It is true of using a computer for hobbies, but this is a relatively new activity that is

not as widespread as the others. Participation in the arts via broadcast and recorded media also

is normally done at home and can be scheduled by the participant. This form of arts participation was very competitive with the other at-home activities.

The least popular leisure activities (except for the special case of using the computer for entertainment) were those over which the participant has the least control over place and time.

Both attending a sporting event and attending a performing arts event require the participant

to go to a designated place at a time chosen by others.

43
Intermediate in popularity were the activities such as exercising and personally participating in the arts, which cover a wide range of forms. Some forms may be done at home at one’s

choice of times, such as lifting weights, jogging on a treadmill, practicing music, or drawing

a picture. Some may require going to a gymnasium or rehearsal hall with others at scheduled

times. Playing a sport, outdoor activities, and volunteer and charity work also mix the degree

of control the participant has over place and time. Going to a theme park and going out to

the movies are done away from home but may be scheduled to fit the participant’s preferences.

The same degrees of control are characteristic of attending the three exhibiting arts activities:

going to art museums, arts/craft shows, or historic parks. These activities were all of intermediate popularity.

When the participant’s control of place and time of participation are considered, the rates

of participation in the various arts activities were quite consistent with alternative uses of discretionary time. The other leisure activities had participation rates comparable to the arts activities.

In 1992 virtually identical questions were asked about participation in other leisure activities, except that the television-watching questions were different, and the computer questions

were not asked. The rank order of the participation rates in the remaining nine activities was the same in 1997 as in 1992 with two

exceptions. Home improvement rose from

fifth place in 1992 to second place in 1997,

and attendance at a sporting event fell from

seventh place to ninth place.

Table 27 shows the distribution of rates of

participation in other leisure activities broken down for demographic groups. As was

the case for arts activities, education and family income were the most important factors

in predicting differences in participation in

these other leisure activities This was also

true in the 1992 sppa, and all the conclusions

(except for those involving race, for which

the categories and form of the questions were

different) drawn in 1992 held true in 1997.

Men and women were about equally represented in attendance at the movies and

amusement parks and in exercise programs.

Women were more likely to do charity work

and gardening. Men participated at higher

rates than women in the remainder of the activities. Asians had the highest participation

rates for attending the movies and having

computer hobbies, while Hispanics had the

44 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 26. Rates of Participation in Leisure Activities: 1997

Leisure-Time Percentage of Respondents 

Activity Who Participated

Watched television on weekdays 96.0%

Watched television on weekend days 91.2

Watched or listened to any arts via media1 78.3

Exercised 75.7

Personally participated in any arts activity 2 66.6

Attended any of 3 exhibiting arts activities 3 66.0

Home improvement 65.9

Went out to the movies 65.5

Gardening 65.4

Went to a theme park 57.0

Played a sport 44.9

Camped, hiked, canoed 44.3

Volunteer or charity work 43.2

Attended any of 7 performing arts activities 4 42.2

Went to a sporting event 41.2

Used a computer for entertainment 40.4

1 Includes 16 combinations of arts activity and broadcast and recorded media (See Chapter 2).

2 Includes 14 forms of performing, creating, or purchasing works of art (See Chapter 3).

3 Includes visiting an art museum, an historical park or monument, or an arts/craft fair.

4 Includes attending a jazz, classical music, opera, musical play, non-musical play, ballet, or

other dance event.
PARTICIPATION IN OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES 45

Table 27. Participation Rates for Other Leisure Activities by Demographic Group: 1997

U.S. Adult Home 

Population Sports Amusement Exercise Playing Outdoor Charity Improvement/ Computer

(Millions) Movies Events Park Program Sports Activities Work Repair Gardening Hobbies

All Adults 195.6 65.5% 41.2% 57.0% 75.7% 44.9% 44.3% 43.2% 65.9% 65.4% 40.4%

Sex

Male 94.2 66.1 49.2 57.7 74.8 56.1 51.0 40.3 71.2 56.7 44.0

Female 101.4 65.0 33.8 56.5 76.5 34.6 38.3 46.0 60.9 73.3 37.2

Race

Hispanic 19.1 59.4 34.8 66.0 68.9 34.9 33.5 31.3 60.6 58.7 24.9

White 146.1 67.5 44.0 56.3 77.7 48.0 50.3 45.1 69.7 69.0 42.8

African American 22.1 59.8 34.8 54.7 73.6 34.0 16.6 44.4 51.2 54.3 37.4

American Indian 3.0 65.4 34.3 59.4 82.9 49.2 51.2 33.6 57.6 64.2 37.1

Asian 5.3 76.1 28.7 58.0 69.5 47.9 45.9 41.4 58.3 51.5 61.6

Age

18 to 24 23.7 88.2 51.0 76.4 84.8 66.7 54.3 35.3 57.3 46.1 67.7

25 to 34 40.1 78.9 50.5 70.1 81.6 62.7 52.5 40.6 62.7 59.6 51.2

35 to 44 45.3 73.3 46.4 68.3 78.5 51.6 54.5 49.6 75.6 71.4 47.1

45 to 54 33.7 65.0 42.3 53.3 76.9 40.0 44.7 46.3 74.6 70.7 39.9

55 to 64 20.9 46.0 32.9 40.2 69.4 19.1 33.0 43.5 70.6 68.8 22.7

65 to 74 19.6 38.4 20.8 28.8 64.9 22.5 23.8 39.9 55.2 75.0 10.6

75 and older 12.3 28.2 16.3 18.4 55.7 12.9 13.8 39.8 44.3 65.2 7.3

Income

$10,000 or less 15.0 36.6 15.0 38.7 55.3 19.0 22.9 31.8 41.7 56.6 18.6

$10,001 to $20,000 26.5 45.5 26.0 50.6 68.9 27.3 31.1 34.1 53.4 58.7 22.3

$20,001 to $30,000 29.4 56.2 27.9 54.8 72.1 40.2 38.0 36.6 60.6 63.5 30.1

$30,001 to $40,000 32.1 70.7 41.7 63.7 77.2 45.5 46.8 46.6 68.3 65.3 40.2

$40,001 to $50,000 25.9 72.7 50.7 66.5 80.3 50.8 51.6 41.9 75.3 70.4 47.1

$50,001 to $75,000 35.0 82.4 53.9 65.4 85.8 59.7 58.4 50.3 79.6 69.5 54.3

$75,001 to $100,000 16.2 81.0 65.7 64.3 86.1 60.9 52.2 51.2 79.2 72.1 64.4

Over $100,000 15.5 86.7 65.4 56.0 90.5 66.1 58.4 59.4 81.4 69.6 68.6

Education

Grade school 13.7 13.9 13.0 34.2 46.3 12.5 20.8 20.0 39.9 59.7 1.4

Some high school 26.9 51.7 24.6 54.0 65.5 30.0 31.8 30.7 58.9 57.6 19.1

High school graduate 62.0 62.4 38.2 57.9 74.4 41.3 42.8 36.2 64.8 66.2 35.0

Some college 50.3 77.6 47.7 64.0 81.3 53.8 49.7 50.2 70.8 65.7 51.8

College graduate 25.2 81.9 59.4 60.7 87.2 60.8 55.3 54.8 76.4 70.4 62.7

Graduate school 17.4 80.5 55.3 52.7 88.0 57.3 56.4 66.7 73.1 70.9 59.1
highest rate for going to amusement parks. American Indians had the highest rates for exercise programs, playing sports, and outdoor activities. However, the sample of American Indians was small, and percentage differences may not be significant.

Age was a major factor in the rates of participation in most of the other leisure activities. Almost without exception, participation declined with age for all the activities except charity

work, home improvement, and gardening. These activities tended to peak in middle age. The

most striking age-dependent activity was computer hobbies, where people under 25 years of

age were almost 10 times as likely to participate as were those over 74. The youngest age group

was more likely than any other age group to go to movies, sporting events, or amusement parks

as well as to exercise, play sports, and engage in outdoor activities. These differences also were

observed in 1992.

For almost all activities, participation tended to increase with increasing household income

and increasing attained level of education. Going to amusement parks was an exception, because the rates of attendance were similar for the middle and upper levels of both income and

education. Rates of going to the movies, participating in exercise programs, playing sports,

and having computer hobbies all increased steadily with increasing income. Participation in

exercise programs, outdoor activities, and charity work increased steadily with increased education. Only the group with graduate school education failed to have higher participation rates

than the next lower education group for almost all of these 10 other leisure activities that did

not involve the arts. The 1992 sppa showed very similar results.

∫∫∫∫∫

46 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
CHAPTER 6

Music Preferences

In both 1992 and 1997 respondents were asked what kinds of music they liked and what kind

of music they liked best. The sample size in 1997 was 4,452. Table 28 shows the fraction of

these respondents who said they liked each of the offered kinds of music and the fraction that

said they liked each kind best (qf1). The entries are arranged according to their rank as favorite

types of music, i.e., those liked best. Although country-western was the favorite (highest percentage “liked best”) kind of music, mood or easy listening was the most popular (highest percentage “liked”) form. Classical music and jazz were about equally well liked, but the former

was the favorite of more respondents than the latter. Both were ranked slightly higher than

show tunes and operettas, and were much more popular than

opera music. These results are generally consistent with the arts attendance information in Chapter 1 which showed substantially

smaller attendance levels for opera than classical music, jazz or musical plays.

The same questions were asked in the 1992 sppa, except that the

barbershop category did not appear in 1992. The rank order of the

responses concerning popularity and favorite music in 1992 and

1997 are shown in Table 29. The popularity of the different kinds

of music showed considerable consistency between the two surveys. The most popular five musical forms were the same in both

years and so were the sixth through tenth most popular. The third

and fourth groups of five also were quite consistent.

The increased popularity of rhythm and blues and the slippage

of big band might be the result of the inclusion of adults born between 1974 and 1979 in the 1997 sample because they were too

young to be in the 1992 sample. Although the Hispanic share of

the total population increased in the period 1992 to 1997, Latin,

Spanish, or Salsa music seemed to have become slightly less popular relative to other types. Although hymns and gospel music were

very popular and although data in Chapter 3 show that singing in

groups was clearly the most popular way of performing art in public, choral or glee club music was close to the bottom in popularity and at the bottom of favorite forms of music.

47

Table 28. Music Preferences: 1997

Liked Liked Best 

Type of Music in 1997 in 1997

Country-Western 64.6% 20.7%

Rock 59.8 18.2

Hymns or gospel 57.6 13.8

No particular type NA 7.7

Classical/chamber music 47.5 6.7

Mood or easy listening 67.1 5.9

Jazz 48.4 4.9

Blues or rhythm & blues 62.7 4.8

Latin, Spanish, salsa 28.9 3.9

Big band 45.0 2.8

Rap music 16.8 1.9

Operetta or show tunes 44.2 1.8

New Age music 30.9 1.5

Soul 40.0 1.4

Contemporary folk music 37.6 1.1

Reggae 31.6 0.8

Ethnic/national tradition. 30.6 0.8

Bluegrass 42.1 0.7

Opera 18.8 0.6

Parade or marching band 32.1 0.2

Barbershop 22.4 0.1

Choral or glee club 26.0 0.1
∫∫∫∫∫

48 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 29. Rank Of Preference For Types Of Music: 1992–1997

Type of Music “Liked” “Liked” “Liked Best” “Liked Best”

Rank in Rank in Rank in Rank in 

1997 1992 1997 1992

Mood or easy listening 1 2 5 4

Country-Western 2 1 1 1

Blues or rhythm & blues 3 4 7 10

Rock 4 3 2 2

Hymns or gospel 5 5 3 3

Jazz 6 7 6 6

Classical/chamber music 7 8 4 5

Big band 8 6 9 7

Operettas or show tunes 9 10 10 12

Bluegrass 10 9 16 17

Soul 11 11 15 11

Contemporary folk music 12 12 18 15

Reggae 13 15 14 15

Parade or marching band 14 16 19 19

New age 15 17 12 12

Ethnic or national tradition 16 13 17 8

Latin, Spanish, or salsa 17 14 8 9

Choral or glee club 18 18 20 20

Opera 19 20 13 17

Rap 20 19 11 14
New England

Massachusetts

Remainder New England1

Mid-Atlantic

New York

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

South Atlantic

Florida

Remainder South Atlantic 2

East North Central

Ohio

Michigan

Illinois

Remainder East North 

Central3

West North Central 4

East South Central5

West South Central

Texas

Remainder West South 

Central 6

Mountain7

Pacific

California

Remainder Pacific 8

CHAPTER 7

Arts Participation by Region,

State, and Metropolitan Area

REGIONS, STATES, AND METROPOLITAN AREAS

The 1997 sppa contains finer geographical detail than was available from prior sppas conducted

by the Bureau of the Census. In addition to overall U.S. totals, arts participation information

was collected for nine regional areas. Some regional groupings were further divided to report

sppa data for individual states. The ten individual states reported in this analysis were selected

because their populations were large enough to render reliable results. For example, the West

South Central Region consists of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Because Texas

is a highly populated state, the 1997 sppa can report information on it separate from the regional totals. However, no individual state information is shown for the Mountain Region because its individual member states have small populations and thus yield too small a sample

from the sppa to report reliable estimates. In addition to regional and selected state data, 1997

sppa data were aggregated into eleven metropolitan areas, but the sample sizes for the Dallas,

Houston, Miami, and Washington, D.C., areas were too small for reliable comparisons. This

summary report excludes information concerning these four metropolitan areas.

sppa 1997 data are reported for the following geographical areas:

49

1 Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire,

Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

2 West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware,

District of Columbia, Virginia, 

North Carolina, South Carolina, and

Georgia.

3 Wisconsin and Indiana

4 North Dakota, South Dakota, 

Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas,

and Missouri.

5 Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and

Alabama.

6 Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana

7 Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada,

Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New

Mexico.

8 Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and 

Washington.
Metropolitan Areas

∫ Boston, Worchester, Lawrence

∫ Chicago, Gary, Kenosha

∫ Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint

∫ Los Angeles

∫ New York, Northern New Jersey, Long Island

∫ Philadelphia, Wilmington, Atlantic City

∫ San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF PARTICIPANTS AND RATES OF

PARTICIPATION

Readers of this summary report should note that the data collected in the 1997 sppa (and all

previous sppas) associate the arts participation of each respondent with his or her place 

of residence. The 1997 sppa questionnaire asked no questions about where the respondent

participated in the arts. The answers to questions about taking lessons/classes and about socialization include many previous years and thus may include experiences far from the respondent’s present home. In addition, people attend arts activities while on business and recreational trips, and sometimes make special trips to attend or to participate personally in

particular arts opportunities. Traveling to New York City for Broadway shows or to the major cities to visit art museums are common examples. The geographical data in the sppa assign all the answers to questions about arts activities to the residence location of the respondent.

The data in the tables in this chapter also must be used with care because of the sample sizes

in the various geographic areas. The sample sizes are shown in each of the tables. All 12,439

people were asked the questions about attendance at live arts events, and the rates of positive

response permit meaningful comparisons among the regions and states.

Because the questions about participation via media and about personal participation were

asked of fewer respondents, the sample sizes frequently were too small for comparisons. Therefore, the tables for participation via media report data only for entire regions and not for individual states. The sample size for New England, East South Central, and Mountain regions

are particularly small and caution should be used in making comparisons. Among the metropolitan areas only the sample sizes for New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay area

were large enough to make comparisons.

For personal participation, the small sample size is complicated by the small number of positive responses for some arts activities. The extreme case is ballet for which there were 24 personal participants across all the regions. No tables have been included that show the personal

participation statistics broken down by geographic area.

Table 30 shows the rates of participation at live arts events by region and state. New England, especially Massachusetts, and New York had the highest rates for almost every arts ac50 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
ARTS PARTICIPATION BY REGIONS, STATES, AND METROPOLITAN AREAS 51

Table 30. Attendance Rates for Arts Activities by State and Region: 1997

Sample Classical Musical Non-Musical Other Art Historic Arts/Crafts Read

State and Region Size Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Museum Park Fair Literature

New England 689 15.9% 18.9% 4.8% 30.1% 23.0% 8.2% 14.3% 42.4% 53.0% 52.3% 69.7%

Massachusetts 459 14.6 24.3 4.9 30.6 21.2 9.4 14.8 48.1 58.7 45.4 69.8

Remainder New England1 230 17.0 14.6 4.7 29.7 24.4 7.2 13.9 38.0 48.5 57.8 69.7

Mid-Atlantic 2,246 12.7 17.5 6.2 30.5 17.9 7.3 12.6 38.7 48.3 46.8 63.3

New York 782 13.8 18.9 7.2 33.1 18.7 9.0 14.4 41.5 46.7 45.2 62.8

Pennsylvania 974 10.5 15.5 5.0 25.6 14.5 6.0 9.9 34.0 49.1 50.4 60.7

New Jersey 490 13.7 17.8 5.7 32.9 22.2 5.3 13.2 40.3 50.6 43.9 69.5

South Atlantic 1,435 10.8 14.4 3.8 20.4 15.8 4.8 10.8 30.5 49.0 43.1 61.0

Florida 628 15.4 16.7 3.7 22.4 17.4 6.8 13.1 35.5 47.8 49.2 63.2

Remainder S. Atlantic2 807 9.2 13.5 3.8 19.6 15.2 4.0 10.0 28.6 49.5 40.9 60.1

East North Central 2,123 12.1 16.0 5.3 26.9 14.5 5.5 12.4 33.0 45.0 53.7 61.0

Ohio 460 13.6 17.1 5.1 24.8 11.6 7.0 10.7 30.4 42.8 54.8 61.5

Michigan 712 14.6 18.6 5.6 30.2 15.4 5.8 11.6 35.3 40.7 56.7 64.1

Illinois 709 12.5 16.4 4.9 27.2 17.7 4.8 16.0 37.5 49.7 51.0 62.3

Remainder E. N. Cntrl.3 242 8.2 12.4 5.6 26.1 13.6 4.5 11.4 29.5 46.2 52.8 56.7

West North Central4 695 11.1 15.9 3.8 24.3 17.9 3.5 11.1 36.2 50.6 51.9 62.8

East South Central5 651 8.1 10.4 2.1 18.8 12.1 4.7 8.0 24.8 41.3 39.1 59.2

West South Central 1,106 10.4 14.3 2.4 19.3 13.1 6.7 13.3 31.7 43.7 46.5 61.3

Texas 818 11.2 15.6 3.2 21.5 15.9 7.9 13.2 34.9 45.3 46.4 63.9

Remainder W. S. Cntrl.6 288 9.2 12.0 1.1 15.6 8.6 4.8 13.6 26.5 41.1 46.6 57.2

Mountain7 571 10.9 14.0 6.1 24.7 11.9 6.0 14.7 40.0 48.2 47.1 66.6

Pacific 2,833 14.1 17.2 5.9 25.4 16.4 6.3 14.1 39.7 45.1 47.6 66.9

California 2,574 13.7 15.9 6.4 25.6 16.8 5.5 15.2 39.5 44.5 46.9 66.1

Remainder Pacific8 259 15.3 21.0 4.5 24.9 15.2 8.7 11.0 40.3 46.7 49.6 69.2

1 Includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island

2 Includes Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware

3 Includes Wisconsin and Indiana

4 Includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas amd Missouri

5 Includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama

6 Includes Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana

7 Includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico

8 Includes Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington
tivity. Illinois had the highest rate for other dance. Florida had a high rate for jazz, the mountain states had a high rate for opera, and Illinois had a high rate for musical plays. The relationship between the supply and consumption of offerings in the arts was demonstrated by

the high participation rates for musical plays in New York and New Jersey, for non-musical

plays in New Jersey, and for ballet in New York. Although the Mountain Region had high participation rates in some activities, in general the areas with low participation rates were those

with few large population centers and few prominent arts organizations.

Table 31 shows the rates of attendance at live arts events for the seven largest metropolitan

areas. Typically these rates are higher than the national rates because of the concentration of

arts activities available in these areas. The San Francisco and Boston areas had the highest rates

for eight of the arts activities. The New York area had the highest rate for musical and nonmusical plays. The Detroit area had the highest rate for arts/crafts fairs. The Chicago area had

the lowest rate for opera and ballet, and the Detroit area had the lowest rates for visiting art

museums and reading literature. The Philadelphia area had the lowest rate for other dance,

and the Los Angeles area had the lowest rate for the other six arts activities

Table 32 shows the distribution of attenders (respondents who went at least once) at live arts

events for these regions and states. The numbers in this table are analogous to the numbers of

members or subscribers to an activity. The Remainder South Atlantic area, containing seven

states and the District of Columbia, has a total population comparable to California’s, and these

52 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 31. Attendance Rates for Arts Activities by Metropolitan Area: 1997

Metropolitan Sample Classical Musical Non-Musical Other Art Historic Arts/Crafts Read

Areas Size Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Museum Park Fair Literature

Boston

Worchester

Lawrence 378 15.6% 23.2% 6.0% 32.3% 20.6% 10.0% 14.1% 47.9% 57.6% 47.9% 71.0%

Chicago

Gary

Kenosha 458 14.0 16.8 5.0 30.5 19.3 4.8 17.9 42.9 50.6 53.2 62.7

Detroit

Ann Arbor

Flint 380 16.9 22.7 7.3 35.4 17.2 6.4 11.6 37.7 40.4 59.6 61.7

Los Angeles 804 12.5 14.4 5.7 24.4 15.7 6.0 15.1 38.9 39.4 40.5 64.7

New York

Northern New Jersey

Long Island 915 14.4 19.5 7.6 36.0 21.4 9.0 16.4 44.2 48.0 42.3 66.9

Philadelphia

Wilmington

Atlantic City 387 15.1 14.9 6.1 29.2 16.0 5.1 10.5 40.1 53.6 47.8 62.5

San Francisco

Oakland

San Jose 763 17.3 22.0 10.0 32.3 20.8 7.1 19.4 47.8 51.2 58.2 70.4
ARTS PARTICIPATION BY REGIONS, STATES, AND METROPOLITAN AREAS 53

Table 32. Number of Attenders at Arts Events by State and Region: 1997

(in thousands)

Sample Classical Musical Non-Musical Other Art Historic Arts/Crafts Read

State and Region Size Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Museum Park Fair Literature

New England 689 1,665 1,970 502 3,145 2,400 854 1,490 4,422 5,530 5,460 7,283

Massachusetts 459 672 1,117 226 1,404 973 431 677 2,199 2,694 2,079 3,206

Remainder New England1 230 993 853 276 1,740 1,427 424 813 2,223 2,836 3,380 4,078

Mid-Atlantic 2,246 3,722 5,145 1,819 8,957 5,257 2,136 3,707 11,378 14,182 13,734 18,614

New York 782 1,917 2,613 998 4,577 2,581 1,241 1,990 5,745 6,474 6,264 8,696

Pennsylvania 974 1,053 1,560 509 2,581 1,465 603 994 3,430 4,939 5,072 6,113

New Jersey 490 752 972 312 1,799 1,211 292 722 2,203 2,769 2,399 3,805

South Atlantic 1,435 4,008 5,310 1,387 7,514 5,824 1,757 3,997 11,248 18,102 15,927 22,528

Florida 628 1,536 1,668 369 2,243 1,737 678 1,311 3,536 4,763 4,901 6,318

Remainder S. Atlantic2 807 2,472 3,641 1,018 5,270 4,087 1,079 2,686 7,711 13,339 11,026 16,210

East North Central 2,123 3,845 5,080 1,684 8,559 4,605 1,764 3,956 10,500 14,298 17,056 19,377

Ohio 460 1,135 1,426 426 2,070 967 588 891 2,545 3,583 4,562 5,142

Michigan 712 1,013 1,284 388 2,085 1,063 404 806 2,442 2,816 3,914 4,435

Illinois 709 1,005 1,315 393 2,185 1,419 388 1,287 3,006 3,971 4,090 4,983

Remainder E. N. Cntrl.3 242 693 1,054 477 2,219 1,156 384 972 2,507 3,928 4,489 4,818

West North Central4 695 1,564 2,239 533 3,423 2,522 489 1,565 5,104 7,141 7,318 8,852

East South Central5 651 1,014 1,297 266 2,343 1,514 587 994 3,089 5,149 4,875 7,382

West South Central 1,106 2,043 2,796 473 3,777 2,571 1,317 2,618 6,187 8,566 9,108 12,023

Texas 818 1,351 1,892 390 2,603 1,925 953 1,596 4,194 5,476 5,616 7,727

Remainder W. S. Cntrl.6 288 692 904 84 1,175 646 364 1,021 1,994 3,090 3,492 4,296

Mountain7 571 1,268 1,629 709 2,878 1,386 697 1,721 4,680 5,622 5,508 7,788

Pacific 2,833 4,112 5,007 1,725 7,390 4,762 1,836 4,106 11,550 13,068 13,833 19,474

California 2,574 2,975 3,448 1,388 5,547 3,638 1,193 3,295 8,564 9,619 10,159 14,344

Remainder Pacific8 259 1,137 1,559 337 1,843 1,124 642 812 2,986 3,449 3,674 5,129

1 Includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island

2 Includes Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware

3 Includes Wisconsin and Indiana

4 Includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas amd Missouri

5 Includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama

6 Includes Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana

7 Includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico

8 Includes Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington
54 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table 33. Total Attendance at Arts Events by State and Region: 1997

(in thousands)

Arts/

Sample Classical Musical Non-Musical Other Art Historic Crafts 

State and Region Size Jazz Music Opera Play Play Ballet Dance Museum Park Fair

New England 689 5,576 6,650 666 7,562 6,257 1,251 2,942 16,903 31,577 17,269

Massachusetts 459 1,830 4,142 376 3,157 2,750 753 1,606 8,975 18,091 6,909

Remainder New England1 230 3,747 2,508 291 4,405 3,507 498 1,336 7,928 13,486 10,359

Mid-Atlantic 2,246 10,302 15,542 3,769 19,269 12,224 3,926 8,240 41,292 52,088 37,528

New York 782 5,351 8,526 2,362 10,029 6,095 2,462 4,413 24,979 25,848 16,939

Pennsylvania 974 2,866 4,601 749 5,213 3,317 989 2,137 9,377 16,904 13,431

New Jersey 490 2,085 2,414 658 4,027 2,812 475 1,690 6,936 9,336 7,158

South Atlantic 1,435 12,931 14,493 2,786 17,910 17,085 2,881 12,947 36,554 75,680 38,331

Florida 628 5,647 6,088 986 7,331 4,578 1,209 5,138 11,718 20,167 13,451

Remainder S. Atlantic 2 807 7,284 8,405 1,800 10,579 12,507 1,671 7,809 24,836 55,513 24,880

East North Central 2,123 10,951 13,765 2,675 17,229 10,365 2,532 9,444 30,582 50,462 46,282

Ohio 460 2,814 4,361 655 3,663 1,884 758 1,700 8,294 12,517 13,006

Michigan 712 2,803 3,179 671 4,137 2,516 658 1,915 9,504 10,220 11,566

Illinois 709 2,704 3,541 755 4,755 2,813 459 2,601 7,239 13,304 10,808

Remainder E. N. Central 3 242 2,631 2,684 594 4,674 3,153 657 3,228 5,544 14,422 10,903

West North Central 4 695 3,979 6,709 1,090 8,620 5,788 537 3,471 13,740 30,039 18,147

East South Central 5 651 4,743 5,238 419 5,296 3,322 1,842 2,847 7,442 26,206 11,184

West South Central 1,106 6,468 6,700 765 7,879 5,607 1,846 8,874 21,559 31,386 21,481

Texas 818 4,713 4,981 676 5,566 4,578 1,246 4,775 12,833 22,758 12,785

Remainder W. S. Central 6 288 1,755 1,720 90 2,313 1,028 600 4,099 8,726 8,629 8,696

Mountain7 571 4,529 5,489 1,449 5,736 4,031 1,251 3,257 17,638 21,717 13,650

Pacific 2,833 12,677 13,904 2,927 15,928 12,582 3,221 11,039 39,564 56,964 37,694

California 2,574 10,328 10,399 2,562 12,785 9,801 2,318 9,566 30,696 45,934 28,127

Remainder Pacific 8 259 2,349 3,505 365 3,143 2,781 903 1,473 8,869 11,031 9,567

1 Includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island

2 Includes Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware

3 Includes Wisconsin and Indiana

4 Includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas amd Missouri

5 Includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama

6 Includes Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana

7 Includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico

8 Includes Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington
two areas had the largest number of individual attenders for all arts activities except ballet.

New York had the largest number of attenders for ballet.

Table 33 shows the number of attendances (the number of attenders times the average frequency for each arts activity) at live arts events for the regions and states. The numbers in this

table are analogous to the number of tickets that were sold/distributed to residents of each area

for each type of arts event. The patterns are very similar to those for total attenders.

Table 34 shows rates of participation in arts activities via the broadcast and recorded media

for each of the nine geographical regions. The samples were too small to report this information for individual states. For 15 of the 16 forms of media participation, the highest rate of participation was in either New England or the Pacific region; and for 15 of the 16, the lowest rate

of participation was in either the East South Central or the Mountain region. Although recordings are available nationwide, broadcasts of arts programs are not evenly distributed. Because

the number of times respondents watched or listened was not collected, there is no table equivalent to the total attendance table for live events.

ARTS PARTICIPATION BY REGIONS, STATES, AND METROPOLITAN AREAS 55

Table 34. Participation Rates Via Broadcast and Recorded Media by Region: 1997

Musical Non-Musical

Sample Jazz Classical Opera Play Play Dance Art

Region Size1 TV Radio Rec. TV Radio Rec. TV Radio Rec TV Radio Rec TV Radio TV TV

New England2 280 34.0% 44.5% 33.6% 34.9% 53.5% 47.4% 19.5% 15.0% 17.3% 29.9% 5.2% 18.0% 22.3% 5.5% 43.9% 48.0%

Mid-Atlantic 3 942 30.3 41.4 29.8 34.1 41.6 36.3 19.1 13.5 14.4 26.2 5.3 15.2 25.4 4.1 38.3 43.2

South Atlantic 4 627 31.2 40.7 30.5 33.6 40.8 32.5 14.1 10.5 8.8 22.6 5.8 10.0 23.7 7.1 39.3 45.7

East North Central 5 881 29.4 37.7 27.8 30.4 38.9 32.7 11.7 9.2 9.2 23.6 3.0 12.2 21.2 5.1 39.8 45.9

West North Central 6 302 22.3 33.0 21.2 28.4 37.7 30.3 8.9 8.2 8.5 26.8 3.4 8.0 26.5 6.8 32.3 46.7

East South Central 7 266 28.8 26.9 21.0 23.4 29.0 21.7 9.6 7.3 4.1 21.8 2.4 4.1 22.1 2.1 34.0 36.5

West South Central 8 459 29.9 37.0 25.6 29.6 37.6 30.6 11.6 10.0 8.0 25.4 3.7 8.9 22.1 5.9 35.5 44.4

Mountain 9 235 26.1 39.1 27.4 23.5 38.4 33.9 12.2 4.3 8.3 18.0 3.3 9.5 20.7 6.0 32.0 40.1

Pacific 10 2,078 35.4 43.2 33.4 37.3 46.1 39.3 19.8 13.5 13.8 27.8 6.7 13.4 24.3 7.7 46.0 47.7

1 The reader should exercise caution in making inferences based on estimates derived from small samples.

2 Includes Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island

3 Includes New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey

4 Includes Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland and Delaware

5 Includes Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana

6 Includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas amd Missouri

7 Includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama

8 Includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana

9 Includes Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico

10 Includes Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and California
CHAPTER 8

Summary and Conclusions

The 1997 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (sppa) was sponsored by the Research Division of the National Endowment for the Arts. It was conducted by Westat Corporation of

Rockville, Maryland, as an independent, nationwide, stand-alone survey. Previous sppas had

been add-on questions to the National Crime Survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census.

While the 1997 sppa offered substantial advantages in additional questions, sample size and geographical detail, the differences in the conduct of the previous surveys make them difficult

to compare with the 1997 results.

The 1997 sppa clearly demonstrates that the arts are very popular in the United States. Fifty

percent of Americans 18 years of age or older reported that they attended a performance of

jazz, classical music, opera, musical play, non-musical play, ballet or other dance, or visited an

art museum or gallery at least once during the previous 12 months. Thirty-five percent of adult

Americans visited an art museum, and they did so an average of 3.3 times. Other types of arts

activities were also very well attended.

Information was collected on the gender, age, race, household income, and educational attainment of each respondent; and the rates of participation, total attenders, and total participation were calculated for each component of each demographic group for each field of the

arts. The results permit comparisons of participation among demographic groups in different

arts activities and within each demographic group among arts activities. Tabulated data show

underrepresentation and overrepresentation in comparison with each group’s fraction of the

U.S. population. As was the case in earlier sppas, higher rates of participation in the arts were

closely related to higher levels of household income and educational attainment.

An important finding of the analysis of the 1997 sppa demographic data was that the participants in the arts via media were more evenly distributed by race, age, income, and educational level than the participants who attended live arts events. The media brought the arts to

many people who might not have participated at all. The 1997 sppa indicates that tens of millions of Americans did participate in the arts in these ways. Although dance and visual art were

seen primarily via television and video recordings, the other arts forms attracted very large

numbers of listeners on radio and recordings. An estimated 75 million different people reported that they listened to jazz or classical music on the radio alone.

The 1997 sppa shows that large numbers (almost two-thirds) of Americans personally performed and created works of art. It was estimated that more than 130 million adults played

classical music, sang, danced, painted or drew, created art photographs, or wrote creatively, at

least for their own enjoyment, and many of them performed or exhibited in public. Twenty

million adult Americans (more than ten percent of the adult population) reported that they

sang in groups before the public. A demographic analysis of these rates of participation by do56
ing shows that all groups participated in this way and that for most arts activities the highest

rates were for minority groups. For example, the rate of playing jazz was highest for African

Americans and second highest for Hispanics. American Indians had the highest rates of personal participation in other dance and photography, and Asians had the highest participation

rates in opera, musical plays, ballet, drawing, and creative writing.

The 1997 sppa included many new questions concerning sources of information about arts

events, the place of performance, the respondents’ companions, their desire to attend arts

events more often, the barriers to this participation, and the amounts respondents paid for

tickets to performances or admission to museums. The results show that word of mouth and

newspapers were the chief sources of information about live arts events and that, although

most companions were family members, friends and dates accompanied the respondents more

than 40 percent of the time. Lack of time, lack of a companion, lack of events, and inaccessibility were the chief deterrents to more frequent attendance at live arts events.

Several questions were asked about socialization in the arts, including questions about classes

and lessons in the arts, arts environment in the home while growing up, and exposure of their

children to the arts. The responses indicate that respondents exposed their children to the arts

at about the same rate as they had been exposed as children. 

Music preferences and favorite types of music, in terms of both “liked” and “liked best”,

were nearly the same for 1992 and 1997. Respondents were asked about the rates at which they

participated in other leisure activities. Both these activities and arts activities were grouped according to the degree of flexibility the respondent had in choosing the time and place of participation. When similar groups were compared, the participation rates were very similar.

More detailed geographical information is available from the 1997 sppa than in prior sppas.

The data were reported for seven metropolitan areas, ten individual states, and nine regions

that include all 50 states, although small samples in a few activities made comparisons

di≈cult.

For the first time the 1997 sppa investigated the use of personal computers in the arts. The

data show that about eight percent of the respondents used a computer to find out about arts

events, and about an equal number used the computer to participate, usually in visual art. The

survey was conducted during a period of explosive growth in the use of the Internet, and the

frequency of usage of computers in the arts may be very different in future surveys.

∫∫∫∫∫

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 57
APPENDIX A

Background and History

Planning for the 1997 sppa began in 1994. Two studies were sponsored by the Arts Endowment’s Research Division: one to investigate the questions that should be asked, and a second

to investigate the alternatives to the U.S. Bureau of the Census conducting the sppa as an addon to the National Crime Survey, as was the procedure in 1982, 1985, and 1992. The major considerations in these investigations were the following:

∫ The population that was sampled should be the same as in previous sppas, i.e., U.S. resident

noninstitutionalized population 18 years of age and older.

∫ The number of responses should be more than 12,000; there were 12,736 responses in 1992,

and the earlier surveys had larger samples

∫ Basic demographic information should be collected about the respondents: gender, race, age,

educational attainment, household income, and geographic location.

∫ Telephone interviews, possibly supplemented by face-to-face interviews of those unreachable

by telephone, should be the method of data collection.

∫ The sppa data constituted a time series from which trends could be inferred, so the stability of

the questions and the data collection process should be preserved as much as possible.

∫ Questions should determine whether respondents participated by attending live arts performances or exhibitions, by listening or watching arts via broadcast or recorded media, by personally performing or creating art, and by owning art objects.

∫ Questions should be asked about participation in at least eight arts disciplines: jazz, classical

music, opera, non-musical theater, musical theater, ballet, dance other than ballet, and art exhibited in museums and galleries.

∫ Questions previously asked about participation in these eight disciplines should be repeated

to allow comparisons over time.

∫ Questions should include advances in technology such as compact disks, cable television, and

personal computers.

nea convened a meeting of arts researchers to gather opinions about the usefulness of the

information collected by and presented from the previous sppas. The first contractor also conducted a mail survey with the same objective. A major finding was that the total participation

information appeared to be the most useful product of the survey. Some users wanted more

coverage of arts and crafts and ethnic arts. Many people wanted additional information about

classes and training in the arts. Several users wanted religious affiliation and national origin

58 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
included in the demographic data and others wanted data on respondent’s employment and

occupation. Many users wanted to know about ticket prices and whether subscriptions to a

series or membership in an organization increased attendance. A frequently-stated complaint

was that the geographical information available from prior sppas too limited to be useful. In

1992 the Census Bureau only furnished information broken down into the four major regions

of the country, and three metropolitan areas.

In July 1995 the first study, conducted by Communication Research, resulted in a final report recommending that most of the questions be retained. The findings of this study strongly

influenced the design of the questionnaire that was used in the 1997 sppa.

The second study, conducted by Jack Fawcett Associates, examined the conduct of the 1997

sppa and evaluated several alternatives to conducting the sppa as an add-on to the National

Crime Survey (ncs). The ncs is a national survey conducted monthly throughout the year.

The demographic and geographic information available was determined by the Department

of Justice, which sponsors the ncs.

The ncs is a household survey: that is, households are the sampled unit and all members of

the household are questioned, using multiple visits or phone calls if necessary. A rotating sample of households are questioned every six months for three years. The sppa was added to the

sixth (and exit) rotation of the sample, after the respondents were accustomed to the ncs questions and methods. The sppa questions were asked every month for a year. In 1992 the sppa

was conducted by telephone for about 75 percent of the households and the others were visited. By 1995 the Census Bureau was using the telephone interview for almost all the households in the ncs.

The ncs was the baseline case. It had several advantages. The greatest advantage was that its

use gave the greatest assurance of comparability of the 1997 sppa data with the data from previous sppas. Surveys conducted by Census tend to have high response rates. The response rate

in the 1992 sppa was about 85 percent at the beginning of 1992 and dropped to just over 70

percent at the end of the year, still a respectable response rate. Any survey which is an add-on

should offer economies, because this method saves the cost of designing the sample,

selecting the sample, establishing contact, and asking the demographic questions. Because

Census had conducted the survey three times before, nea’s risks were relatively low if Census

conducted the sppa.

The major alternatives to the ncs were the following:

1. Addition of the sppa to another nationwide Census survey, such as the Current Population Survey or the National Health Interview Survey or to a Federal survey not conducted by Census.

2. Inclusion of the sppa in a new survey funded jointly by nea and other Federal agencies interested in Americans’ use of their discretionary time.

3. A separate, stand-alone survey conducted by Census or by a private survey organization under contract.

The investigations included a discussion with Census of the full list of periodic data collections. The investigators agreed that the National Crime Survey was the most suitable vehicle

available from Census for an add-on survey. Several alternatives, including the cps, were reAPPENDIX A: BACKGROUND HISTORY 59
jected because the only respondent was a non-random “informant” within the household who

was asked to provide information about other members of the household. Using such a vehicle would have resulted in relatively more elderly people and females in the sample because

they are more likely to be at home than the other demographic groups. The ncs is one of the

few Census data collections in which all household members provide responses.

No other current Federal survey was found that was as good a vehicle as ncs. However, one

alternative given serious consideration was to modify procedures in the cps to allow either random selection of an individual within a cps household or to allow interviews with all members of the household. The modification would have applied only to the sppa add-on. Although

modification of the cps procedures had distinct advantages, Census warned that additional

training and operational procedures might be costly and introduce errors.

Contacts with other Federal organizations that might wish to join in a new survey revealed

that several agencies already were participating in a one-time National Survey of Recreation

and the Environment. This survey was in the data collection stage and concentrated on outdoor leisure-time activities.

The only strong contender to the ncs was a new, stand-alone survey conducted by Census

or by a private survey firm. The contractor surveyed 85 survey organizations in the private sector and obtained cost quotations from 14 of them. The contractor, assisted by an advisory

board of experts, evaluated the experience and response rates of these firms and concluded that

at least three and perhaps as many as six firms could conduct the sppa at costs comparable to

or lower than the cost of adding the sppa to the ncs in 1997.

In August 1995 the contractor, Jack Faucett Associates, submitted a final report on the study.

The report concluded that the most satisfactory alternative available through the Census Bureau was a modification of the cps in which all members of the household are interviewed.

The most cost-effective survey alternative was to contract with a private-sector firm, academic

or commercial, to conduct the 1997 sppa with the desired response rate and quality of reporting.

In 1996 the Research Division of nea decided to contract with a private-sector organization

to conduct the 1997 sppa as a stand-alone survey sponsored by nea alone. In August 1996 Westat, Inc. of Rockville, MD was awarded the contract through the competitive bidding process.

nea chose to use a stand-alone survey conducted by a private organization for several reasons.

1. The contractor could obtain a response from only one individual, randomly selected, in each

household, thus increasing the effective sample size by eliminating the household clustering

errors inherent in the ncs, or any household survey in which all members of the household

are interviewed.

2. The demographic categories could be chosen by nea.

3. The geographic information about the respondents could be reported in greater detail than in

Census surveys.

4.The interviewers could be thoroughly trained and motivated to encourage complete and accurate responses about arts interests and participation from the interviewees.

60 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
5. The respondents would be less fatigued because there was no prior questionnaire lasting 20-

minutes (approximate time to administer the ncs questionnaire in 1992).

6.Interviewers could be required to follow up respondents who initially refused to be interviewed

or who were not available for the initial telephone call.

7.The survey could be designed to permit multiple sets of questions, including experimental

questions, to be asked of parts of the sample population.

8. The results of the survey could be made available more quickly and in a more user-friendly

format (e.g., cd-rom) than the results of a Census survey.

9.The cost of the stand-alone telephone survey was less than the cost of an add-on to the ncs.

∫∫∫∫∫

APPENDIX A: BACKGROUND HISTORY 61
APPENDIX B

Changes in Survey Procedures and 

Their Potential E∑ects on 

Estimates of Arts Participation

Laura Loomis and Mary Collins*

The purpose of this appendix is to explore the comparability of arts participation estimates

based on the 1997 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (sppa) and on earlier sppa studies

in 1982, 1985, and 1992. The 1997 sppa arts participation rates are higher than those observed

in previous sppas. The extent to which these higher rates are due to changes in American adults’

behavior and to the changes in the methodologies of conducting the 1997 sppa is not known.

The 1997 sppa was the first to be conducted as a “stand-alone” survey by Westat, rather than

as a supplementary interview to the National Crime Victimization Survey (ncvs) conducted

by the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition, the methods used to select households and adults to

be interviewed for the study differed between the 1997 sppa and earlier sppas. In particular, the

1997 sppa used a random sample of telephone numbers to select households, while past sppas

used samples of both telephone and nontelephone households. Also, a single adult from each

household was selected for the 1997 sppa interview by using what is called the “birthday

method,” instead of using the past method of interviewing all adults in the household. These

differences in methodologies, and their potential implications for introducing differences in

arts participation estimates, are discussed in this report.

Another factor that is important to consider when comparing the 1997 sppa estimates to previous estimates are the differing rates of response to the studies. The response rate for the 1997

sppa was quite a bit lower than those obtained before. The 1997 response rate was 55 percent,

compared to rates which ranged from a low of 75 percent in 1992 to a high of 89 percent in

1982. Thus, the potential effects of nonresponse on differences in arts participation rates are

also discussed.

Before discussing the methodological and response rate differences between the 1997 sppa

and the 1982–1992 sppas, arts participation estimates from each of these studies are presented.

Also shown are recent estimates related to arts participation which are available from the General Social Survey (gss)1

, in order to provide another independent source of arts participation

data from which to evaluate the reasonableness of the 1997 sppa estimates.

62 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

* Laura Loomis and Mary Collins served as Westat’s project director and technical advisor, respectively, for the 1997 sppa.
COMPARISON OF 1997 SPPA ESTIMATES

Tables b1–b6 (see pages 64–68) show some estimates from the 1997 sppa along with comparable estimates from the 1982–1992 sppas to illustrate the extent of the differences. Included

are tables showing rates of attending live arts events (Table b1), taking part in other types of

leisure activities (Table b2), expressing interest in attending live arts events more often (Table

b3), using broadcast and recorded media for viewing or listening to arts performances (Table

b4), preferences for specific music types (Table b5), and participation in lessons or classes in

the arts (Table b6). The data from 1982 through 1992 shown in these tables were taken from

the nea Research Division Report #27, Arts Participation in America: 1982–1992 (Jack Faucett

Associates & Robinson, 1993).

The data in all six tables suggest that the 1997 sppa estimates of arts-related behaviors are consistently higher than estimates obtained in earlier sppas. In Table b1, which shows estimates for

benchmark arts and other arts activities, most differences are relatively modest, with some exceptions. These include the relatively large increases from 1992 to 1997 in estimates of attendance at musical plays, other dance performances, historic places, and reading literature. Estimates of participation in other types of leisure activities, such as exercising, working on home

improvements, gardening, and outdoor activities, are also relatively high in the 1997 sppa (Table

b2). Percentages of adults expressing interest in attending live arts performances more often are

also higher in 1997, particularly for plays, dance, and art museums (Table b3). In Table b4, there

appear to be increases in the 1997 rates of using media to experience jazz and classical music

within each media type, as well as in rates of watching musicals, dance, and visual arts programs on television. Many of the 1997 music preference estimates are also high compared to

1992, across all types of music, from classical and jazz, to blues, rock, easy listening, and gospel

(Table b5). Estimates of ever taking classes or lessons in the arts are also uniformly higher in

1997, but not dramatically so. The largest 1992–1997 difference is for classes in visual arts; however the 1997 rate is similar to those from the 1982 and 1985 sppas. It is also worth noting that

the rank order of different types of participation was very similar in the 1997 sppa and the earlier surveys, even though participation rates were generally higher.

To provide another point of comparison for the 1997 sppa estimates, some estimates from the

1993 General Social Survey are shown in Table b7 (page 69). While the range of data on arts-related behaviors is somewhat limited in the gss, those shown in Table b7 indicate that the 1997

sppa estimates are closely comparable to those obtained by an in-person household survey of a

probability sample of the U.S. adult population. The percentages of adults reporting they like

various types of music are very similar between the two studies, as are the percentages who reported having attended a classical music or opera performance and having played a musical 

instrument in the last year. This comparison suggests that rather than the 1997 sppa estimates

being unusually high, estimates from earlier sppas may have been unduly low.

Thus, the 1997 sppa data seem to provide reasonable estimates of adults’ arts participation;

however, it is important for those analyzing these data to be aware of the methodological differences between the 1997 sppa and previous sppas. The extent to which these methodological

differences contributed to higher estimates in 1997 is difficult to quantify, or even estimate.

Nevertheless, we examine the relevant methodological issues below, discussing the potential

effects each may have had.

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 63
64 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table B1. 1982–1997 SPPA Estimates of Attendance Rates at Arts Events

Percent Attending in the Last 12 Months

Arts Activity 1982 1985 1992 1997

Attended

Jazz performance 9.6% 9.5% 10.6% 11.9%

Classical music 13.0 12.7 12.5 15.6

Opera performance 3.0 2.6 3.3 4.7

Musical play 18.6 16.6 17.4 24.5

Non-musical play 11.9 11.6 13.5 15.8

Ballet 4.2 4.3 4.7 5.8

Other Dance NA NA 7.1 12.4

Visited

Art museums 22.1 21.9 26.7 34.9

Art/craft fair 39.0 40.0 40.7 47.5

Historic park 37.0 36.0 34.5 46.9

Reading literature* 56.9 56.1 54.0 63.1

*The questions on reading literature differed across years. In 1992 and 1997, separate questions were asked about reading

plays, poetry, or novels and short stories. A positive response to any of these questions was considered as “reading literature.”

In 1982 and 1985 only one question was asked about all four types of literature.

NA: Data not collected in that year.

Table B2. 1982–1997 SPPA Estimates of Participation in Leisure Activities

Percent Participating in Last 12 Months

Leisure Activity 1982 1985 1992 1997

Exercise 51% 57% 60% 76%

Movies 63 59 59 65

Gardening 60 55 55 65

Amusement Parks 49 45 50 57

Home Improvements* 60 58 48 66

Active Sports 39 41 39 45

Sports Events* 48 50 37 41

Outdoor Activities 36 37 34 44

Volunteer/Charity Work 28 30 33 43

TV Watching (Average number of hrs/day)* 3.0 2.8 3.0 3.0

*Questions asked in 1982 and 1985 were different from questions in 1992 and 1997.
POTENTIAL EXPLANATIONS FOR HIGHER ARTS PARTICIPATION RATES

OBSERVED IN THE 1997 SPPA

There are several possible reasons for why the 1997 sppa may have generated higher arts participation rates compared to previous sppas, above and beyond any changes American adults

may have made in their arts participation behaviors. The reasons explored below are all related

to the different methods of administering the survey that were undertaken in 1997 and the

lower response rates that were obtained compared to previous sppas. The different methodologies used in the 1997 sppa included the sample selection methods, and the conduct of the

study as a “stand-alone” survey rather than as a supplement to another main interview.

The higher estimates of arts participation rates observed in the 1997 sppa are not entirely

surprising, given Westat’s recent experience with conducting a survey about American adults’

participation in educational activities. This study was conducted by Westat for the U.S. Department of Education in 1991 and 1995, and is called the National Household Education Survey (nhes). Prior to the existence of the nhes, the primary source of nationally-representative

data on participation in adult education came from interviews conducted by the U.S. Census

Bureau as supplements to the Current Population Survey (cps). The cps is a monthly survey

of the civilian, noninstitutionalized adult population of the United States, with the main purpose of obtaining estimates of employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the

labor force. The cps periodically includes supplements to its main survey to gather information on different topics, such as education.

The estimates of participation in adult educational activities generated by the nhes are significantly higher than those obtained from the cps supplement interviews. Because of this, research was undertaken by Westat to help explain these differences, and findings are published

in a U.S. Department of Education report entitled Measuring Participation in Adult Education

(Collins, Brick, Kim, & Stowe, 1997). In that research, several of the methodological differences between the nhes and the cps supplementary interviews are explored for their potential

contribution to differences in estimates of adult education participation.

Table B3. 1982–1997 SPPA Estimates of Interest in Attending Arts Events More Often

Percent Interested in Attending More Often

Arts Event 1982 1985 1992 1997

Jazz performances 18% 19% 25% 35%

Classical music 18 16 25 38

Operas 7 8 11 18

Musical plays 33 29 36 54

Non-musical plays 25 23 34 54

Ballet performances 12 12 18 27

Other dance performances NA NA 24 50

Art museums or galleries 31 31 38 67

NA: Data not collected in that year.

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 65
66 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table B4. 1982–1997 SPPA Estimates of Arts Participation Via Broadcast and Recorded Media

Percent Using Media in the Last 12 Months

Art Form 1982 1985 1992 1997

Jazz

Television/ VCR* 18% 17% 21% 31%

Radio 18 18 28 39

Recording 20 19 21 29

Classical music

Television/ VCR* 25 24 25 32

Radio 20 21 31 41

Recording 22 21 24 34

Opera

Television/ VCR* 12 12 12 15

Radio 7 7 9 11

Recording 8 7 7 11

Musical play

Television/ VCR* 21 18 15 25

Radio 4545

Recording 8 7 6 12

Non-musical play

Television/ VCR* 26 21 17 23

Radio 4436

Ballet

Television 16 15 NA NA

Dance

Television/ VCR* NA NA 19 39

Visual Arts

Television/ VCR* 23 25 32 45

* VCR usage was added in 1992 and 1997.

NA: Data not collected in that year.
Because of the parallels between Westat’s experience with the nhes and the 1997 sppa, it is

appropriate to examine many of the same issues that were addressed in Measuring Participation in Adult Education. For instance, many of the methodological differences between the

1997 sppa and earlier sppas parallel those between the nhes Adult Education component and

the cps supplementary interviews. Also, in both circumstances higher estimates of participation were obtained in the “stand-alone” surveys done by Westat versus the supplementary interviews conducted by the Census Bureau. And finally, in both cases the response rates obtained in the Westat studies were lower than those obtained by the Census Bureau. Thus, the

issues examined below parallel those in the Measuring Participation in Adult Education report.

Household Selection Methods and Coverage Bias

In 1982, 1985, and 1992, the sppa was administered as a supplementary interview to the ncvs,

and thus, those sppas were based on the ncvs samples of respondents. In very general terms,

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 67

Table B5. 1982–1997 SPPA Estimates of Music Preferences

Percent Liking Each Type of Music

Music Type 1982 1985 1992 1997 

Classical/Chamber 28% 30% 33% 48%

Opera 10 10 12 19

Show Tunes/Operettas 23 24 28 44

Jazz 26 30 34 48

Reggae NA NA 19 32

Rap NA NA 12 17

Soul1 26 33 24 40

Blues/R&B1 40 63

Latin/Salsa NA NA 20 29

Big Band 33 32 35 45

Parade/Marching Band NA NA 18 32

Country-Western 58 53 52 65

Bluegrass 25 24 29 42

Rock 35 42 44 60

Ethnic/National NA NA 22 31

Folk (Contemporary)2 25 25 23 38

Mood/Easy 48 52 49 67

New Age NA NA 15 31

Choral Glee Club NA NA 14 26

Hymns/Gospel 36 40 38 58

1 In 1982 and 1985, Soul, Blues, and R&B were grouped together in a single category.

2 The wording of the question was changed between 1985 and 1992.

NA: Data not collected in that year.
the sampling procedures for the ncvs involved systematically selecting addresses of households

from defined geographic areas. These household selection procedures were informed by data

collected by the Census Bureau in the decennial census and supplemental data on the construction of new housing units.

In contrast, the 1997 sppa sampled households by using randomly selected telephone numbers, using a method called list-assisted random digit dialing (rdd). The list-assisted rdd

method involves randomly selecting telephone numbers from “100-banks,” which are groups

of phone numbers with the same first 8 digits of the 10-digit telephone number. The method

is called “list-assisted” because each 100-bank included in the sample frame must include at

least one number that is listed in the residential White Page telephone directory (this is called

the listed stratum). Thus, the 100-banks in the frame include both listed and unlisted numbers (and both types of numbers are selected for the sample), but 100-banks that include only

unlisted or nonresidental numbers (called the zero listed stratum) are never included in the

frame. Consequently, numbers in the unlisted stratum can never be selected for the sample.

Thus, the 1997 sppa sample included only households with telephones, and furthermore only

telephone households in the listed stratum, while the 1982–1992 sppa samples were drawn irrespective of whether or not households even had telephones. This raises the possibility that

the higher 1997 arts participation estimates may at least in part be related to the exclusion of

nontelephone households and of telephone households in the zero listed stratum. However,

there is good reason to believe that these exclusions would not lead to significant coverage biases in estimates for the sppa, as illustrated below.

The term “coverage bias” as used here refers to bias introduced into sample estimates because all households did not have the chance to be selected for the sample. Bias is the expected

difference between an estimate obtained from the sample and the actual value in the population. For any potential coverage biases in sppa estimates to be problematic, two conditions

must be true. First, there must be relatively large differences between the characteristics of people in the “covered” population and those in the “uncovered” population. For example, if the

percentage of adults who read literature in the last 12 months is very different between the cov68 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT

Table B6. 1982–1997 SPPA Estimates of Participation in Arts Classes or Lessons

Class/Lesson Percent Ever Participating

1982 1985 1992 1997

Music 47% 47% 40% 49%

Visual Arts 24 25 18 29

Acting/Theater 9 10 7 12

Ballet 7878

Modern/Other Dance NA NA 16 20

Creative Writing 18 18 16 25

Art Appreciation 20 19 23 24

Music Appreciation 20 20 18 23

NA: Data not collected in that year.
ered and uncovered populations, there could be important coverage biases in this estimate. If

the percentages are similar, coverage bias would be negligible. The second condition that must

hold for significant coverage biases to be present is that the proportion of the population not

covered in the sample must be relatively large compared to the size of the estimates. Coverage

bias will be minimal if this is not true, for example, if only 5 percent of the population is not

covered and estimates include 20 percent of the population.

Note that both of these conditions have to hold for there to be significant coverage biases

in the estimates. In the following discussion, we explain that these two conditions do not hold

for the populations of concern here: telephone vs. nontelephone households, and the telephone households in the listed vs. zero-listed strata.

TELEPHONE VS. NONTELEPHONE HOUSEHOLDS

There is certainly research to suggest that there are some important

differences between persons living in telephone and nontelephone

households. In general, such studies have found that persons living in

telephone households tend to be of higher socioeconomic status than

those in nontelephone households. For example, having a telephone

has been found to be significantly related to educational attainment

(Collins, Brick, Kim, and Stowe 1997), socioeconomic status and

lifestyle (e.g., Smith 1990), and also health (e.g., Thornberry and

Massey 1988).

This suggests that arts participation rates are also likely to vary significantly between telephone and nontelephone households, given the

positive relationship between arts participation and elements of socioeconomic status, such as education level. However, this would only

result in coverage biases in arts participation estimates if the second

conditions holds, that is, if the percentage of the population not covered in the sppa sample (i.e., adults living in nontelephone households)

is large. Since only about 6 percent of adults live in households without telephones, there is little potential for introducing substantial coverage bias.

As an illustration, in the Measuring Participation in Adult Education

report, it was found that even when adults in telephone households

were twice as likely as those in nontelephone households to have participated in an adult education activity in the last 12 months (25 versus 12 percent), the coverage bias was less than 1 percent, because the

proportion of nontelephone households is so low. That report used

cps data on participation in adult education to examine several estimates among adults in telephone and nontelephone households, and

found that almost all of the coverage biases were less than 0.5 percent.

Doing such an analysis is out of the scope of this report; however, some

hypothetical examples illustrate that telephone coverage bias is not a significant concern for

the 1997 sppa.

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 69

Table B7. Selected 1993 General Social Survey

(GSS) and 1997 SPPA Estimates

Percent Liking Each Music Type

Music Type 1993 GSS1 1997 SPPA

Classical 47% 48%

Jazz 49 48

Rap 13 17

Blues/Rhythm & Blues 54 63

Big Band 52 45

Country-Western 61 65

Rock2 55 60

Gospel 57 58

Percent attending classical 

music or opera 

performances in last year 16 18

Percent visiting art 

museums or galleries 

in the last year 41 35

Percent playing a musical 

instrument in the last year 24 22

1 In the 1993 GSS, respondents were asked to respond to

each music type within the following categories: like it very

much, like it, have mixed feelings, dislike it, dislike it very

much, or don’t know much about it. Responses of “like it

very much” and “like it” were grouped together for this

comparison with the 1997 sppa.

2 In the 1993 GSS, this category was called Contemporary

pop/rock.
The mathematical equation for calculating telephone coverage bias is

Bias (Et) = Pn (Et–En)

where Et is the estimate based on telephone households only, En is the estimate based on nontelephone households only, and Pn is the proportion of nontelephone households. Using this

equation, let’s say that the percentage of adults visiting art museums during the last 12 months

is 41 percent for telephone households only (this is the unweighted percentage estimate from

the 1997 sppa) and the percentage visiting art museums among nontelephone households is

only half as high, at 20 percent. In this example, the bias would be only about 1.3 percent (.06

* (41-20)). In other words, in this scenario the telephone household sample yields an estimate

of 41 percent, but a sample also including nontelephone households would have yielded an estimate of about 40 percent (41-1.3). Similarly, if the percentage of adults attending opera in

the last 12 months is 6 percent among telephone households (this is the unweighted 1997 sppa

estimate) and 0 percent among nontelephone households, the telephone coverage bias would

be about 0.4 percent.

Even these biases are overstated, because the weights developed for the 1997 sppa help to

compensate for undercoverage of nontelephone households. The weights were calibrated to

known population totals that contain both adults in telephone and nontelephone households.

For instance, the unweighted estimates for art museum visits (41 percent) and opera performance attendance (6 percent) are reduced to 35 percent for art museums and 5 percent for operas when the weights are applied. All this suggests that telephone coverage biases, especially

when using the adjusted weights, would contribute very little to differences between the 1997

sppa estimates and estimates from earlier sppas.

TELEPHONE HOUSEHOLDS IN THE LISTED VS. ZERO LISTED STRATA

The extent of potential bias associated with excluding telephone households whose numbers

are in the zero listed stratum is even smaller than that for excluding nontelephone households.

This is because neither of the two conditions described above hold for the listed versus zero

listed groups (Brick, Waksberg, Kulp, and Starer 1995). That is, the characteristics of households in the listed stratum and zero listed stratum are similar, and importantly, economic characteristics are similar. Thus, there is no reason to believe that the arts participation rates between these two types of households would be significantly different. Even if households in

the zero-listed stratum were found to be different, the potential for introducing bias is negligible because the percentage of telephone households in the zero listed stratum is only 3 to 4

percent. Consequently, the use of the list-assisted method of sampling telephone numbers

would play a very small role in any differences in 1997 sppa estimates of arts participation.

Respondent Selection Methods

The procedures for selecting respondents within households for the 1997 sppa differed quite a

bit from the procedures used in previous sppas. As a supplement to the ncvs, the sppa followed

within-household sampling procedures that selected all adults age 18 and older in sampled

households. This approach for selecting adults had a clustering effect that resulted in a loss of

70 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
effective sample size due to intracluster (i.e., within-household) correlations of the respondents’ characteristics, and possibly the arts-related behaviors of household members (Jack

Faucett Associates and Robinson 1993). To avoid this clustering effect in the 1997 sppa, only

one adult per sampled household was selected to respond to the 1997 sppa study. The procedure used for selecting adults is called the “birthday method.” With this method, the interviewer asks an adult household member to identify the adult in the household who had the

most recent birthday. The birthday method has some advantages over and above that of not

introducing clustering in the sample. These include the time and resource efficiencies of not

enumerating household members, and the nonthreatening nature of this method for respondents.

There is no apparent reason to believe that the use of the birthday method has the potential to significantly inflate estimates of arts participation over those obtained in previous years.

Certainly, a disadvantage of using the birthday method is that sometimes the household informant identifies the incorrect person for the interview, that is, someone other than the one

with the most recent birthday. Of particular concern is that some informants select themselves

at a higher rate than would be expected by chance (Romuald & Haggard 1994). However, researchers have not consistently found any significant differences between correctly and incorrectly identified respondents, as far as demographic characteristics and responses to the substantive topics of the surveys studied (Lavrakas, Bauman, & Merkle 1993; Romuald & Haggard

1994; O’Rourke & Blair 1983, Salmon and Nichols 1983). While this same issue cannot be directly studied with the 1997 sppa data, the existing research on the birthday method gives no

basis to expect that this sampling approach would generate artificially high arts participation

rates.

SPPA as an Independent Study Versus a Supplemental Interview

As mentioned above, from 1982 to 1992 the sppa was conducted by the Census Bureau as a

supplement to another main interview called the National Crime Victimization Survey (ncvs).

Thus, the context of these interviews was very different from the 1997 sppa, which was conducted independently as its own main survey. Respondents for the 1982–1992 sppas were contacted in person by interviewers and asked to respond to a survey regarding crime victimization, which was then followed by the sppa supplement interview. In contrast, 1997 sppa

respondents were approached by interviewers over the telephone and at the outset told they

would be taking part in a study focusing on adults’ participation in arts and leisure activities.

There is no methodological research on the issue of how estimates may differ between “standalone” surveys and survey supplements. However, we can speculate about some circumstances

surrounding the context of previous sppas and the 1997 sppa that could potentially impact data

quality, and in turn, result in differing estimates.

One factor may be that supplemental interviews are viewed as being of secondary importance by both interviewers and respondents. Just by virtue of being a supplement, interviewers may place less importance on that portion of the study, and in turn, be somewhat less diligent about carefully administering the questions and gathering responses (e.g., do less probing

to obtain accurate responses). As an example, Census interviewers were instructed that followup contacts were not necessary if the ncvs was completed but the sppa was not, which may

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 71
have conveyed a message to interviewers that sppa data were of less importance. Respondents

may also put forward less effort in responding to supplement questions, if they are perceived

as being of secondary importance. This could have been a factor for the 1982–1992 sppas, if

interviewers had that impression and relayed it to respondents. Another possibility is that this

message was implied given the very different subject matter between the main survey on criminal victimization and the supplement on participation in arts and leisure activities. If previous sppas were viewed this way, it may be that relatively less effort was put forth by both respondents and interviewers to recall and record accurate data, resulting in underestimates of

arts participation.

Another potential factor is simply respondent fatigue after a 20 minute survey on crime

victimization. From the respondent’s perspective, recalling arts participation in activities over

a 12 month period is a relatively demanding cognitive task. Respondents may be less willing

to put forth great effort to recall their participation in arts activities after already going

through a 20 minute interview which, given its topic, could very well have been cognitively

and emotionally taxing for them. If respondents were fatigued, it is also possible that some

may have deliberately underreported participation in arts activities in order to avoid followup questions. The fact that all adults in households were selected for the study may have encouraged underreporting, if household members in some way informed each other about the

content of the survey, that is, that reporting participation would lead to follow-up questions.

Differences in interviewer training may also have played a role in the higher 1997 estimates.

The 1997 sppa interviewers received about 10 hours of project-specific training to administer

the study. This training included instruction on the purpose and importance of the study,

practice interviews illustrating definitions of terminology in the survey and how to probe for

accurate answers from respondents, and “role-play” interviews in which trainees paired up to

practice interviews with one playing the respondent and one playing the interviewer. All of

this instruction took place under the supervision of the sppa trainer and other telephone center supervisors. In contrast, Census interviewers received minimal training for the sppa supplement interviews, which consisted primarily of home-study materials they were required to

read. It is feasible that the more extensive interviewer training for the 1997 sppa could have

contributed to the higher estimates for two reasons. First, it may have better prepared interviewers to carefully administer the survey questions. Second, it could have sent a stronger message to interviewers as to the importance of collecting the most accurate data possible than

would a more limited training program.

Survey Nonresponse

The final issue considered in this report is the extent to which differences in survey response

rates may have contributed to differences in arts participation rates between 1997 and previous years. As mentioned earlier, the response rate for the 1997 sppa was quite a bit lower than

those obtained in previous sppas. The 1997 response rate was 55 percent, compared to 75 percent in 1992, 85 percent in 1985, and 89 percent in 1982. The concern arising from lower response rates is similar to that for the telephone coverage issue discussed above. In this case, the

concern is that households and persons who were sampled but did not complete sppa inter72 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
views (i.e., nonrespondents) are somehow systematically different than those who did complete interviews (i.e., respondents).

There are several reasons for nonresponse, including the inability to reach any household

member after repeated calls, difficulties converting respondents who have refused to take part

in the study, and the inability to complete interviews in the time allotted in the data collection period. Among these types of nonresponse, of greatest concern are the refusals to cooperate with the study. This is because the refusal group tends to be the largest component of all

nonrespondents in household surveys, and the characteristics of people who refuse are potentially different from those of respondents who willingly completed interviews. That is, it is

reasonable to expect that the arts participation rates of people who refuse would be lower on

average than the arts participation rates of those who willingly cooperate, if interest in the arts

is related to interest in responding to the sppa. However, this expectation is impossible to evaluate, given the lack of data for nonrespondents.

Nevertheless, this issue was explored as part of a separate report for the nea (Loomis, Rizzo,

and Krawchuk, 1998). In that report, it was proposed that persons who first refused but then

cooperated with the 1997 sppa (i.e., “reluctant” respondents) may have much in common with

the final nonrespondents. Working under this assumption, the arts participation rates among

the reluctant respondents were compared to those of willing respondents (i.e., those who never

refused). Overall rates of arts participation and rates within other variables known to be related to arts participation (e.g., gender, age, education level, race and ethnicity) were examined, and no consistent evidence was found of significant differences in arts participation between reluctant and willing respondents. This analysis provided some assurances that

nonresponse biases in the 1997 sppa data may not be substantial.

However, if one is interested in estimating the potential for nonresponse bias, the bias formula outlined above can be used. Using the examples similar to those used earlier, let’s say that

41 percent of respondents and 20 percent of nonrespondents visited art museums in the last

12 months. In this scenario, the nonresponse bias would be about 9.5 percent (.45 * (41-20)),

implying that the “true” estimate of art museum attendance is closer to about 32 percent (41-

9.5). Similarly, if 6 percent of respondents and 0 percent of nonrespondents attended opera

performances in the last 12 months, the nonresponse bias would be 2.7 percent (.45 * (6-0)).

It is evident in these scenarios that the potential for nonresponse bias is larger than for telephone coverage bias, because of the higher percentage of the “uncovered” population. However, these are probably extreme examples and potential nonresponse bias should account for

a smaller portion of the difference in arts participation rates between 1997 and previous years.

It is also important to remember that the weights developed for the 1997 sppa data help to adjust for potential nonresponse biases by “weighting up” population subgroups with lower response rates2. (See Loomis, Rizzo, and Krawchuk, 1998 report for more details on 1997 sppa

weighting procedures.) Thus, any nonresponse biases present in the 1997 sppa data are somewhat alleviated by applying the weights to analyses.

Summary

The rates of arts participation found in the 1997 sppa are consistently higher than those produced from previous sppa studies, raising the question of whether this reflects actual differences

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 73
in adults’ behaviors or also changes that were made in the methodological procedures for conducting the studies. Comparisons with the 1993 General Social Survey suggest that the 1997

sppa estimates are reasonable, so that the changes in methodologies did not result in artificially

high estimates. Nevertheless, one of the goals of the sppa is to produce estimates of arts participation over time, so it is necessary to consider elements of the 1997 sppa study design that

may influence the results of over-time analyses. While it is not possible to definitively quantify the influence of the methodological changes on the 1997 estimates, this report discussed

the relevant issues and speculated on the possible effects.

The changes in procedures for administering the 1997 sppa included the use of the list-assisted rdd method for sampling households, the birthday method for sampling adults within

selected households, and a “stand-alone” survey instrument rather than a supplementary interview. Another methodological issue discussed was the lower response rate obtained in the

1997 sppa. Across these issues, it can be said that bias in estimates resulting from the use of the

list-assisted rdd method which excludes nontelephone households is probably quite negligible. The same is probably true regarding bias from the use of the birthday method for sampling adults. Of greater influence may be potential nonresponse biases, although the weights

developed for the study help to adjust for this. It is impossible to estimate the effect of the

move to a “stand-alone” sppa interview; however, this may have also played a relatively important role, as far as influencing interviewer and respondent perceptions about the importance of gathering quality data. Even though the magnitude of the effects of all these factors

is uncertain, analysts using the 1997 sppa data should be confident in using the data, but keep

these issues in mind when making inferences in their time series analyses.

REFERENCES

Brick, J.M., Waksberg, J., Kulp, D., and Starer, A. (1995). Bias in list-assisted telephone samples. Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol 59.

Collins, M.A., Brick, J.M., Kim, K., and Stowe, P. (1997). Measuring Participation in Adult

Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (nces 97–341).

Jack Faucett Associates & Robinson, J. (1993). Arts Participation in America: 1982-1992. National Endowment for the Arts, Research Division Report #27.

Lavrakas, P.J., Bauman, S.L., and Merkle, D.M. (1993). The last-birthday selection method

and within-unit coverage problems. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association Section

on Survey Research Methods. Arlington, VA: American Statistical Association. Pp. 1107-1112.

Loomis, L., Rizzo, L. and Krawchuk, S. (1998). 1997 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

(sppa): Report on Data Collection Experiences, Response Rates, and Weighting Procedures. Unpublished report available from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Research Division.

O’Rourke, D., and Blair, J. (1983). Improving random respondent selection in telephone surveys. Journal of Marketing Research. 20: 428-432.

Romuald, K.S., and Haggard, L.M. (1994). The Effect of Amount and Type of Information

on Respondent Self-Selection in rdd Telephone Surveys. Paper presented at May 1994 conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

74 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
Smith, T.W. (1990). Phone Home? An Analysis of Household Telephone Ownership. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 2(4).

Thornberry, O.T., and Massey, J.T. (1988). Trends in United States Telephone Coverage Across

Time and Subgroups, In R.M. Groves, et al. (Eds). Telephone Survey Methodology. New York:

John Wiley and Sons.

1 The gss is a recurring study of American adults age 18 and older sponsored by the National Science Foundation and conducted by

the National Opinion Research Center (norc) at the University of Chicago. Since 1972, the gss has gathered data on social indicators covering a wide range of topics. The gss is based on a multistage probability sample of adults, in which a single adult was selected from each sampled household. Addresses of households were sampled from within defined geographic areas. gss interviews

were conducted in-person. In 1993, the gss sample size was 1,606 adults and the response rate was 82%.

2 For instance, the unweighted 1997 sppa data suggest that the educational attainment levels of respondents are higher on average

than would be expected based on Census Bureau data. Because of the positive relationship between educational attainment and arts

participation, it is possible that the overrepresentation of adults with higher education levels played a role in the higher 1997 sppa

participation rates. However, the weighting procedures for the 1997 sppa data helped to adjust for this possibility by weighting up

respondents with relatively low educational attainment levels.

∫∫∫∫∫

APPENDIX B: CHANGES IN SURVEY PROCEDURES AND THEIR POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON ESTIMATES OF ARTS PARTICIPATION 75
APPENDIX C

Data Collection Experiences, Response

Rates, and Weighting Procedures

This appendix presents a much-simplified summary of a Westat report prepared for the 1997

sppa by Laura Loomis, Lou Rizzo, and Sheila Krawchuk: Report on Data Collection Experiences,

Response Rates, and Weighting Procedures dated January 1998. Readers may learn the details of

the selection of the respondents and of the weights that were assigned to their responses from

this report, which may be obtained from the Research Division of the nea.

Telephone numbers in the United States can be grouped into “100-banks,” or sets of 100

telephone numbers with the same area code and five-digit prefix (e.g.,301-555-67). Westat drew

a random sample of telephone numbers from all banks that contained at least one residential

number. This sample was purged of nonworking and nonresidential numbers that could be

identified before data collection started. Each remaining telephone number was called to identify and screen households as sources of potential respondents using a screening interview.

The field test in April 1997 suggested that there might be response rate difficulties for the

main data collection effort. Therefore, advance letters were sent to the households for which

mailing addresses could be obtained. The response rate to the household screening interview

was higher for those sent letters than for other households. Many of the screening telephone

calls were not answered or were answered by a machine. These households were called again

many times. The vast majority of numbers that were abandoned had been called at least 13

times over a period of several weeks. Some households that answered refused to be interviewed.

Letters were sent by Federal Express to encourage these households to cooperate. This procedure significantly increased the rate of conversion from nonparticipation to participation in

the survey. Reasons for not completing the screening included failures ever to reach an answering person, language or illness difficulties, and outright refusal to participate.

The adult member of the household with the most recent birthday was selected as the respondent for that household. A significant fraction of the selected respondents could not be

reached or did not complete the full questionnaire. Nationwide 12,349 respondents, 55 percent

of those selected, completed the interview. The range was from 42 percent in New Jersey to

65 percent in the region consisting of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri.

Weights were developed for the data. The weights took into account the probabilities (a) of

each telephone number’s being selected from the 100-banks in defined geographic areas, (b)

of households being sampled through one or more-than-one residential telephone number,

and (c) of adults being selected within their households. The weights were adjusted for survey nonresponse to help reduce potential nonresponse bias in the survey estimates. Nonresponse bias is a concern if the characteristics of respondents and nonrespondents are signifi76
cantly different., particularly with respect to their participation in the arts. Westat did an analysis to try to assess the extent to which nonresponse bias may exist over and above the weighting adjustments that were made, termed “nonignorable nonresponse.” Because data from nonrespondents are, by definition, not available, the analysis compared the arts participation rates

of willing participants in the survey to those of “reluctant ” survey participants, i.e., individuals who initially refused to participate but later were persuaded to do so. The results showed

that there were not significant differences between the two groups, suggesting that nonignorable nonresponse is not a significant issue for the data. The weights were also calibrated to

population totals from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.

∫∫∫∫∫

APPENDIX C: DATA COLLECTION, RESPONSE RATES, AND WEIGHTING PROCEDURES 77
The 1997 sppa survey instrument and sample had a more complex design than prior sppa’s for

two reasons: First, the need to address the variety of interests in new data on arts participation that was identified in the Arts Endowment’s planning study referred to in Appendix A,

Background and History; second, because the 1997 sppa was being conducted as a stand alone

survey by a private contractor, it was possible to be more flexible in both the survey instrument and sample design.

An advisory panel of experienced arts researchers was convened in 1996 to assist in designing the 1997 questionnaire. The objectives used to guide the design were (1) retention of as

much as possible of the previous sppa questionnaires, (2) inclusion of as many as possible of

the desired changes (identified in the planning study), and (3) limit the duration of the interview to no more than an average of 15 minutes. The design matrix shown on the next page is

the product of the compromise between these competing objectives. Most of the questions in

the 1992 sppa were retained exactly as they were asked previously. The questions about attendance at live arts performances and exhibitions (module a) were asked of all the respondents

in just the way they were asked in 1992. Almost the same questions were asked about participation through listening or watching arts activities through the broadcast and recorded media, including cd recordings (module b). However these questions were asked of only about

half of the respondents. The questions about personal participation by performing or creating works of art (module e) were asked of about 4,500 respondents.

Questions about interest in increased participation in arts activities (module c) were asked

of about 7,000 respondents. Most of these people were not asked questions about personal

arts participation (module e), about music preferences (module f), or about arts socialization

(module g). However every module overlaps with every other module, so researchers can look

for unions in the sample sets, although the number of responses may be small.

The number of responses to some questions is small because the questions were asked only

of those respondents who gave affirmative answers to a previous question. For example, only

the people who said they had attended an opera or had visited a museum were asked how many

times they did so. In order to maximize the amount of information collected and minimize

the respondent burden, many of the questions were asked of only a relatively small number of

interviewees. A complete list of questions from the survey instrument is presented in Appendix F.

APPENDIX D

1997 sppa Survey Design

78
APPENDIX D: 1997 SPPA SURVEY DESIGN 79

1997 SPAA Survey Design Matrix

Completed Sub-Sample Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Interviews 

Completed interviews per sample 3,057 1,484 1,529 1,449 1,522 1,519 892 897 per module

Module (Questions included; survey time)

A Participation in Art X X X X X X X 11,452

Activities (A1–A23; 

3 minutes)

TM-1 Participation in Art X 897

Activities with last month 

frequency (A2a–A22a; 

3 minutes)

TM-2 Participation Follow-up X 892

(A24–A40; 3 minutes)

B Participation Through X X X 6,070

Media (B1–B25; 

3 minutes)

C Interest in Increased X X X X 6,920

Participation (C1, C2; 

1 minute)

TM-3 Barriers to Participation X X 3,949

(C3; 1 minute)

D Participation in Other X X X 6,028

Leisure Activities 

(D1–D14; 2 minutes)

E Personal Arts Participation X X X 4,452

(E1–E30; 2 minutes)

F Music Preferences X X X 4,452

(F1, F2; 1 minute)

G Arts Socialization X X X X 5,467

(G1–G35; 4 minutes)

TM-4 Additional Arts X 897

Socialization Items 

(G36–G39; 1 minute)

H Personal Background X X X X X X X X 12,349

and Household 

Characteristics

(H1–H27; 5 minutes)

Total Survey Time 15 14 15 14 15 15 13 13

* Includes additional cases supported by the University of San Francisco.

TM = Test Module
80

APPENDIX E

Estimating Variance for 

1997 sppa Data Items

Because the 1997 sppa used a complex sample design, direct estimation of variance assuming

a simple random sample will tend to underestimate the variability in the estimates. Using replicate weights is one way to compute sampling errors to reflect the complex sample design.

In general, the replication method involves splitting the full sample into smaller groups, or

replicate samples, each one constructed to “mirror” the composition of the full sample. Each

replicate consists of almost the full sample, but with some respondents removed. The variation in the estimates computed from the replicate samples is used to estimate the sampling errors of survey estimates from the full sample.

For the 1997 sppa, 50 replicate weights (fwgt1- fwgt50) were developed and reflect 50 replicate samples that were created. These weights, adjusted for nonresponse and calibrated to add

up to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (cps) control totals, are needed and were

used to calculate the variance (or standard error) of survey estimates.

The computation of sampling errors using replicate weights can be done using the WesVarPC Windows-based software. The WesVarP software and documentation can be obtained

free of charge through the Internet (http://www.westat.com) or by sending an e-mail message

to wesvar@westat.com. Note that there are several replication methods available in the WesVarPC software. When using WesVarPC for analyzing the 1997 sppa data, the “JK1” option

should be used.1

Table e.1 shows variance estimates for a variety of the sppa questions. The first column presents the estimated participation rates. Columns two through four present the standard error

and the associated 95% confidence levels. Coe≈cients of variation (cv), which are simply the

standard errors translated into percentages of the actual estimate, are shown in column five.

The final column displays the effect that the survey design has on the variance of the estimate.

It is computed as the estimated variance (calculated using the replicate method) divided by the

theoretical variance that would be obtained for a simple random sample with the same sample

size.

On average, leisure activities have the lowest coefficient of variation while personal participation items have the highest. Also, media participation items show relatively more variation

than shown by the live attendance. In terms of design effect, the live attendance were the least

e∑ected on average while the media items were the most e∑ected. Nonetheless, the design effect for the media items is still lower than most of the design effects seen in 1992.

Much of this material was drawn from “1997 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts: List of Administrative, Derived, and Weighting Variables”, an unpublished document prepared by Westat for the nea.

1 For more information on how the replicate weights were developed and how WesVarPC computes variance estimates using replicate weights, see Westat’s technical memorandum of January 1998: Report on 1997 sppa Data Collection Experiences, Response

Weights, and Weighting Procedures (available through the nea’s Research Division).
APPENDIX E: ESTIMATING VARIANCE FOR 1997 SPPA DATA ITEMS 81

Table E1. Variance Calculations: 1997 SPPA Data

Standard 95% Confidence Interval Coefficient Design

Estimate Error Lower Upper of Variation Effect

Live Attendance

Jazz 11.9% 0.317 11.3% 12.5% 2.7 1.18

Classical 15.6 0.366 14.9 16.3 2.4 1.26

Opera 4.7 0.199 4.3 5.1 4.3 1.10

Musicals 24.5 0.355 23.8 25.2 1.4 0.84

Plays 15.8 0.345 15.1 16.5 2.2 1.11

Ballet 5.8 0.238 5.3 6.3 4.1 1.27

Other Dance 12.4 0.334 11.7 13.1 2.7 1.27

Art Museums 34.9 0.495 33.9 35.9 1.4 1.33

Historic Parks 46.9 0.475 46.0 47.8 1.0 1.12

Art/ Craft Fairs 47.5 0.477 46.6 48.4 1.0 1.13

Read Books 63.1 0.576 62.0 64.2 0.9 1.83

Media

Video Jazz 30.7 0.761 29.2 32.2 2.5 1.65

Radio Jazz 39.3 0.798 37.7 40.9 2.0 1.62

CD Jazz 29.0 0.741 27.5 30.5 2.6 1.62

Video Classical 32.2 0.817 30.6 33.8 2.5 1.85

Radio Classical 41.0 0.948 39.1 42.9 2.3 2.26

CD Classical 34.3 0.796 32.7 35.9 2.3 1.71

Video Opera 15.0 0.632 13.8 16.2 4.2 1.90

Radio Opera 10.8 0.537 9.7 11.9 5.0 1.81

CD Opera 10.7 0.538 9.6 11.8 5.0 1.84

Video Musical 25.0 0.840 23.4 26.6 3.4 2.28

Radio Musical 4.8 0.361 4.1 5.5 7.5 1.73

CD Musical 11.5 0.550 10.4 12.6 4.8 1.80

Video Play 23.4 0.755 21.9 24.9 3.2 1.92

Radio Play 6.0 0.323 5.4 6.6 5.4 1.12

Video Dance 39.4 0.920 37.6 41.2 2.3 2.15

Video Visual Art 45.1 0.955 43.2 47.0 2.1 2.23

Leisure Activities

Movies 65.5 0.747 64.0 67.0 1.1 1.49

Sports Events 41.2 0.812 39.6 42.8 2.0 1.64

Amusement Park 57.0 0.799 55.4 58.6 1.4 1.57

Exercise 75.7 0.607 74.5 76.9 0.8 1.21

Sports Activity 44.9 0.855 43.2 46.6 1.9 1.78

Outdoor Activity 44.3 0.791 42.7 45.9 1.8 1.53

Volunteer Work 43.2 0.943 41.4 45.0 2.2 2.18

Home Improvements 65.9 0.817 64.3 67.5 1.2 1.79

Gardening 65.4 0.715 64.0 66.8 1.1 1.36

Personal Computing 40.4 0.848 38.7 42.1 2.1 1.80

Personal Participation

Craft 15.1 0.706 13.7 16.5 4.7 1.73

Sew 27.6 0.814 26.0 29.2 3.0 1.48

Photography 16.6 0.715 15.2 18.0 4.2 1.62

Draw 15.9 0.658 14.6 17.2 4.1 1.44

Write 12.1 0.490 11.1 13.1 4.0 1.00

Composed Music 3.7 0.407 2.9 4.4 11.2 2.10

Played Instrument 21.8 0.820 20.2 23.4 3.8 1.75

Jazz 2.2 0.297 1.6 2.8 13.5 1.83

Classical 11.0 0.594 9.8 12.2 5.4 1.60

Sang Opera 1.8 0.184 1.4 2.2 10.0 0.84

Sang Musical 7.7 0.545 6.6 8.8 7.1 1.86

Dance Ballet 0.5 0.134 0.2 0.8 25.9 1.55

Dance Other 12.6 0.590 11.4 13.8 4.7 1.41
APPENDIX F

1997 Survey Questions

Participation in Arts Activities

A1. With the exception of elementary, middle, or high school performances, did you go to a live jazz

performance during the last 12 months?

A2a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A2b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A3. [With the exception of elementary, middle, or high school performances,] Did you go to a live classical music performance such as symphony, chamber, or choral music during the last 12 months?

A4a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A4b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A5. [With the exception of . . . ] Did you go to a live opera during the last 12 months?

A6a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A6b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A7. [With the exception of . . . ] Did you go to a live musical stage play or an operetta during the last

12 months?

A8a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A8b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A9. [With the exception of . . . ] Did you go to a live performance of a non-musical stage play during

the last 12 months?

A10a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A10b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A11. [With the exception of . . . ] Did you go to a live ballet performance during the last 12 months?

A12a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A12b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A13. [With the exception of ... ] Did you go to a live dance performance other than ballet, such as modern, folk, or tap during the last 12 months?

A14a. How many times did you do this last month?

82
or

A14b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A15. [During the last 12 months,] Did you visit an art museum or gallery?

A16a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A16b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A17. [During the last 12 months,] Did you visit an art fair or festival, or a craft fair or festival?

A18a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A18b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A19. [During the last 12 months,] Did you visit an historic park or monument, or tour buildings or

neighborhoods for their historic or design value?

A20a. How many times did you do this last month?

or

A20b. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

A21. With the exception of books required for work or school, did you read any books during the last

12 months?

A22a. How many books did you read last month?

or

A22b. About how many books did you read during the last 12 months?

A23. [During the last 12 months,] Did you read any . . .

a. Plays? b. Poetry? c. Novels or short stories?

Participation Follow-up Questions

Introduction. You said that in the last 12 months you attended [event]. I’d like to ask you a few questions about the last time you went to this type of performance.

A24. First, what was the name of the performance or the performer[s]?

A25. In what type of place was the [event] held?

A26. How did you find out about this [event]?

A27. Was the [event] free, or was there an admission fee?

A28. Was your ticket bought as part of a subscription?

A29. About how much did your ticket (or subscription) cost?

A30. Did you attend this [event] alone, or did at least one other person go with you?

A31. Who went with you to this performance? For example, your spouse or partner, your friend or a

date, your parent, child, brother or sister, or someone else?

Introduction. You said that in the last 12 months you visited an art museum or gallery. I’d like to ask

you just a few questions about the last time you went to an art museum or gallery.

A32. First, was the art displayed for viewing only, or was it also there for sale?

APPENDIX F: 1997 SURVEY QUESTIONS 83
A33. Were you a member of this art museum or gallery at the time you visited?

A34. Did the art museum or gallery have an admission fee?

A35. What was the cost of your admission ticket?

(If free)Was your admission to the art museum or gallery free because you were a member?

A36. What type of art or exhibit did you go to see at this museum or gallery?

Introduction. You said that in the last 12 months you read [plays, poetry, novels or short stories]. I’d

like to ask you just one or two questions about the types of things you read..

A37. What was the name of one of the plays you read, or the name of the playwright?

A38. What was the name of a poem you read, or the name of a poet?

A39. What was the name of one of the novels or short stories you read, or the name of the author?

A40. What type of novel or short story (was that/did you read by that author)? For example, was it a

mystery, science fiction, or romance novel, or something else?

Participation Through Media

B1. During the last 12 months, did you read any critical reviews of artistic works, such as reviews of

art museum or gallery exhibits, plays, books, or musical performances?

B2. [During the last 12 months,] Did you listen to . ..

a. A reding of poetry, either live or recorded?

b A reading of novels or books either live or recorded?

B3. [During . .. ] Did you watch a jazz performance on television or a video (vcr) tape?

B4. [During . .. ] Did you listen to jazz on radio?

B5. Did you listen . ..

Almost every day,

3–5 days a week,

1–2 days a week, or

Less often?

B6. [During . .. ] Did you listen to jazz records, tapes, or compact discs?

B7. Did you listen . ..

Almost every day,

3–5 days a week,

1–2 days a week, or

Less often?

B8. [During . .. ] Did you watch a classical music performance on television or a video (vcr) tape?

B9. [During . .. ] Did you listen to classical music on radio?

B10. Did you listen . ..

Almost every day,

3–5 days a week,

1–2 days a week, or

Less often?

84 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
B11. [During . .. ] Did you listen to classical music records, tapes or compact discs?

B12. Did you listen . ..

Almost every day,

3–5 days a week,

1–2 days a week, or

Less often?

B13. [During . .. ] Did you watch an opera on television or a video (vcr) tape?

B14. [During . .. ] Did you listen to opera music on radio?

B15. [During . .. ] Did you listen to opera music records, tapes, or compact discs?

B16. With the exception of movies, did you watch a musical stage play or an operetta on television or a

video (vcr) tape during the last 12 months?

B17. [During . .. ] Did you listen to a musical stage play or an operetta on radio?

B18. [During . .. ] Did you listen to a musical stage play or an operetta on records, tapes, or compact

discs?

B19. With the exception of movies, situation comedies, or tv series, did you watch a non-musical stage

play on television or a video (vcr) tape during the last 12 months?

B20. [During . .. ] Did you listen to a radio performance of a non-musical stage play?

B21. With the exception of music videos, did you watch on television or video (vcr) tape dance such as

ballet, modern, folk, or tap during the last 12 months?

B22. [During .. . ] Did you watch a program about artists, art works, or art museums on television or a

video (vcr) tape?

B23. During the last 12 months, did you use a personal computer to listen to or watch any type of performance or artistic work?

B24. Please tell me which of the following you watched or listened to on a personal computer. How

about . ..

a. Paintings, sculpture, or other works of visual art, such as copies of those displayed in a museum or

gallery?

b. Musical performances, such as classical, jazz, opera, or musical plays?

c. Any other type of performance or artistic work?

B25. During the last 12 months, did you use a personal computer to find out about art shows or live

performances of music, dance, operas, musicals, or plays, or to order tickets for such performances?

Interest in Increased Participation

C1. Now I’m going to read a list of events that some people like to attend. If you could go to any of

these events as often as you wanted, which ones would you go to more often than you do now?

How about . . .

1. Jazz music performances

2. Classical music performances

3. Operas

4 Musical plays or operettas

5. Non-musical plays

APPENDIX F: 1997 SURVEY QUESTIONS 85
6 Ballet performances

7. Dance performances other than ballet

8. Art museums or galleries

C2. Of the events you just mentioned, which would you like to do most?

Barriers to Participation

C3. There are many reasons why people do not go to performances or art museums as often as they

would like. I’m going to read a list of some reasons, please tell me (which ones have kept you from attending [event*] more often)(which ones are true for you). How about . . .

a. Tickets sell out before you have a chance to buy them?

b. Tickets are too expensive?

c. There are not many (performances held/art museums or galleries) in your area?

d. You think you may feel uncomfortable or out of place?

e. There is no one who would go with you?

f. Child care responsibilities, or it is too difficult to get a babysitter?

g. A health problem or disability?

h. The location is usually not convenient?

i. The location is usually not in a safe area?

j. The quality of the (performances/exhibits) is poor?

k. It is difficult to make time to go out?

* the event reported in question C2

Participation in Other Leisure Activities

Introduction. These next questions are about your participation in other leisure activities.

D1a . About how many hours of television do you watch on an average weekday, that is, Monday through

Friday?

D1b . And about how many hours do you watch on an average day during the weekend, that is on Saturday and Sunday?

D2 . During the last 12 months, did you go out to the movies?

D3. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

D4. With the exception of youth sports, did you go to any amateur or professional sports events during the last 12 months?

D5. About how many times did you do this during the last 12 months?

D6. During the last 12 months, did you go to an amusement or theme park, a carnival, or a similar

place of entertainment?

D7. During the last 12 months, did you jog, lift weights, walk, or participate in any other exercise program?

D8. During the last 12 months, did you participate in any sports activity, such as softball, basketball,

golf, bowling, skiing, or tennis?

D9. Did you participate in any outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, or canoeing during the last

12 months?

D10. Did you do volunteer or charity work during the last 12 months?

86 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
D11. Did you make repairs or improvements on your own home during the last 12 months?

D12. Did you work with indoor plants or do any gardening for pleasure during the last 12 months?

D13. Not counting using a computer at work or at school, did you use a personal computer for hobbies

or enjoyment, such as playing games or “surfing” the Internet, during the last 12 months?

D14. About how many hours did you do this in an average week?

Personal Arts Participation

Introduction. The following questions are about other types of activities you may do.

E1. During the last 12 months, did you work with pottery, ceramics, jewelry, or do any leatherwork

or metalwork?

E2. Did you publicly display any of your works?

E3. [During the last 12 months,] did you do any weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlepoint, or sewing?

E4. Did you publicly display any of your works?

E5. [During the last 12 months,] Did you make photographs, movies, or video tapes as an artistic 

activity?

E6. Did you publicly display any of your works?

E7. [During the last 12 months,] Did you do any painting, drawing, sculpture, or printmaking activities?

E8. Did you publicly display any of your works?

E9. With the exception of work or school, did you do any creative writing such as stories, poems, or

plays during the last 12 months?

E10. Were any of your writings published?

E11. Did you write or compose any music during the last 12 months?

E12. Was your musical composition played in a public performance or rehearsed for a public performance?

E13. During the last 12 months, did you play a musical instrument for your own pleasure?

E14. Can you play music well enough to perform for other musicians or with other musicians?

E15. Do you own any original pieces of art, such as paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints, or lithographs?

E16. Did you purchase or acquire any of these pieces during the last 12 months?

E17. [During the last 12 months,] did you perform or rehearse any jazz music?

E18. Did you play any jazz in a public performance or rehearse for a public performance?

E19. [During the last 12 months,] did you play any classical music?

E20. Did you play classical music in a public performance or rehearse for a public performance?

E21. [During the last 12 months,] did you sing any music from an opera?

E22. Did you sing in a public opera performance or rehearse for a public performance?

E23. [During the last 12 months,] did you sing music from a musical play or operetta?

APPENDIX F: 1997 SURVEY QUESTIONS 87
E24. Did you sing in a public performance of a musical play or operetta or rehearse for a public performance?

E25. [During the last 12 months,] did you sing in a public performance with a chorale, choir, or glee

club or other type of vocal group, or rehearse for a public performance?

E26. [During the last 12 months,] Did you act in a public performance of a non-musical play or rehearse for a public performance?

E27. [During the last 12 months,] Did you dance any ballet?

E28. Did you dance ballet in a public performance or rehearse for a public performance?

E29. [During the last 12 months,] Did you do any dancing other than ballet such as modern, folk, or tap?

E30. Did you dance modern, folk, or tap in a public performance?

Music Preferences

F1. Now I’m going to read a list of some types of music. As I read the list, tell me which of these types

of music you like to listen to. How about . . .

1. Classical or Chamber music

2. Opera

3. Operetta, Broadway musicals, or Show tunes

4. Jazz

5. Reggae

6. Rap music

7. Soul

8. Blues or Rhythm and blues

9. Latin, Spanish, or Salsa

10. Big band

11. Parade or Marching band

12. Country-western

13. Bluegrass

14. Rock

15. Music of a particular Ethnic or National tradition

16. Contemporary folk music

17. Mood or Easy listening

18. New age music

19. Barbershop

20. Choral or Glee club

21. Hymns or Gospel

F2. Of the music types you mentioned liking, which one do you like best?

88 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
Arts Socialization

Introduction. These next questions are about lessons or classes you may have taken.

G1. First, have you ever taken lessons or classes in music— either voice training or playing an instrument?

G2. Did you take these lessons or classes when you were . . .

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G3. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in the past year?

G4. Were the lessons or classes you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior high, or high school you were attending or did you take these lessons elsewhere?

G5. [Have you ever taken lessons or classes] in visual arts such as sculpture, painting, print making,

photography, or film making?

G6. Did you take these lessons or classes when you were . . .

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G7. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in the past year?

G8. Were the lessons or classes you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior

high, or high school you were attending or did you take these lessons elsewhere?

G9. [Have you ever taken lessons or classes] in acting or theater?

G10. Did you take these lessons or classes when you were . . .

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G11. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in the past year?

G12. Were the lessons or classes you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior high, or high school you were attending or did you take these lessons elsewhere?

G13. [Have you ever taken lessons or classes] in ballet?

G14. Did you take these lessons or classes when you were . . .

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G15. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in the past year?

G16. Were the lessons or classes you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior high, or high school you were attending or did you take these lessons elsewhere?

G17. [Have you ever taken lessons or classes] in dance, other than ballet such as modern, folk or tap?

APPENDIX F: 1997 SURVEY QUESTIONS 89
G18. Did you take these lessons or classes when you were . . .

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G19. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in the past year?

G20. Were the lessons or classes you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior

high, or high school you were attending or did you take these lessons elsewhere?

G21. [Have you ever taken lessons or classes] in creative writing?

G22. Did you take these lessons or classes when you were . . .

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G23. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in the past year?

G24. Were the lessons or classes you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior

high, or high school you were attending or did you take these lessons elsewhere?

G25. [Have you ever taken a class] in art appreciation or art history?

G26. Did you take this class when you were . ..

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G27. Did you take this class in the past year?

G28. Was the class you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior high, or high

school you were attending or did you take this class elsewhere?

G29. [Have you ever taken a class] in music appreciation?

G30. Did you take this class when you were . ..

a. Less than 12 years old?

b. 12–17 years old?

c. 18–24 years old?

d. 25 or older?

G31. Did you take this class in the past year?

G32. Was the class you took at age 17 or younger offered by the elementary, middle, junior high, or high

school you were attending or did you take this class elsewhere?

G33. Have you ever used a personal computer on your own to learn something about music, visual arts,

theater, dance, or creative writing, or to teach yourself an artistic, musical, or literary skill?

G34. I recorded earlier that there are children under age 18 living in your household. Are any of these

children age 6 to 17 years old?

G35. Are any of these 6 to 17-year-old children taking lessons or classes in any type of visual arts, music,

theater, dance, or creative writing?

90 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT
Additional Arts Socialization Items

G36. Are you the parent or guardian of any of these 6 to 17 year old children?

G37. In the last 12 months, did you take any of these children to art museums or galleries?

G38. In the last 12 months, did you take any of these children to any plays, musical plays, operas, dance,

or classical music performances? Please do not include elementary, middle, or high school performances.

G39. In the last 12 months, did you encourage any of these children to read books that were not required

for school or religious studies?

Introduction. These next few questions are about activities in your home when you were growing up.

G40. Did your parents or other adult members of your household . . .

a. Listen to classical music or opera often, occasionally, or never?

b. Take you to art museums or galleries often, occasionally, or never?

c. Take you to plays, dance, or classical music performances [often, 

occasionally, or never]?

d. Encourage you to read books that were not required for school or 

religious studies [often, occasionally, or never]?

Personal Background and Household Characteristics

Introduction. Finally, I have a few questions about your background and your household.

H1. First, in what month and year were you born?

H2. Are you . . .

Hispanic,

White, but not of Hispanic origin,

Black, but not of Hispanic origin,

American Indian or Alaskan Native, or

Asian or Pacific Islander?

H3. In what country were you born?

H4. How old were you when you first moved to the United States?

H5. From what countries or parts of the world did your ancestors come?

H6. Which, if any, of these countries do you feel closest to?

H7. What is your marital status?

H8a. During the last 12 months, were you enrolled in a high school, college, or university?

H8b. Were you enrolled in school as a full-time or part-time student?

H9. What is the highest grade or year of regular school that you completed?

H10. Do you have a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a ged?

H11. What is the highest grade or year of regular school your father completed?

H12. What is the highest grade or year of regular school your mother completed?

H13. Did you work at a job or business at any time during the past 12 months?

APPENDIX F: 1997 SURVEY QUESTIONS 91
H14. For how many months did you work at a job or business in the past 12 months?

H15. (So,) last week, (you did/did you do any) work for either pay or profit?

H16. Were you on leave or vacation from work during the past week?

H17. About how many total hours per week do you usually work, counting all jobs or businesses?

H18. Now, thinking about your main job, what type of business or industry is that?

H19. What is your job title and what are your usual activities or duties?

H20. What best describes your situation at this time? Are you . . .

Retired from a job or business,

Looking for work,

In school,

Taking care of house or family,

Disabled or ill, or

Something else?

What is that?

H21. Now I have a few questions about your health. Would you say that your health in general is . ..

Excellent,

Very good,

Good,

Fair, or

Poor?

H22. Do you have any trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses?

H23. Do you have any trouble hearing, even when wearing a hearing aid?

H24. Do you have any trouble walking a quarter of a mile--about 3 city blocks?

H25. Do you . . .

Own your home,

Rent your home, or

Have some other arrangement?

H26. In studies like this, households are sometimes grouped according to income. What was the total

income of all persons in your household over the past year, including salaries or other earnings, interest, retirement, and so on for all household members?

H27. So that we can group households geographically, may I have your ZIP code?

92 SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS: SUMMARY REPORT