DESCRIPTION: The 1973 Americans and the Arts study was the first in a series
of studies measuring participation in and attitudes about the arts and arts
in education. This study surveyed 3005 respondents selected from the U.S. population
16 years and over. Using face-to-face interviews, the researchers measured childhood
arts exposure, current arts participation, leisure activities, and attitudes
regarding arts and arts funding.
RESEARCHER AND DATA: Conducted by the National Research Center for the Arts,
an affiliate of Louis Harris and Associates, Inc.
SAMPLE: The researchers used a random multi-stage cluster sampling design
to obtain a cross-section sample of the U.S. population, 16 years and over.
Data were collected by questionnaire in face-to-face interviews conducted in
January, 1973.
DATA: Demographic indicators include gender, education (7 categories), age
(9 categories), income coded in 9 categories, and marital status coded in 5
categories. Respondents were asked number of children under 18 and number of
adults over 16 which leads to an overestimate of the number of persons in the
household if there are people between the ages of 16 and 18 in the household.
Respondents were asked if they were working and occupations are coded in 9 categories.
Respondents were also asked their religious preference and their race/ethnicity.
This survey measured leisure activities, cultural attitudes and preferences, and community opportunities in the arts. Respondents were asked in-depth questions about their childhood exposure to the arts, cultural background, and current attitudes regarding music, theater, movies, ballet, opera, museums, and visual arts.
The survey included items regarding about quality of life, historical preservation,
and community resources, as well as questions about attitudes towards the cost
of the arts, price supports for the arts, and views on government and business
support of arts and cultural opportunities. Questions on participation in and
attitudes towards sporting events, and vacation leisure activities were also
included.
PUBLICATIONS:
National Research Center of the Arts, 1973. Americans and the Arts.
New York: Associated Councils of the Arts.
Reed, J.S. and Marsden, P.V., 1980. Leisure Time Use in the South: A Secondary
Analysis. National Endowment for the Arts. (ERIC No. ED221435)
Orend, Richard, 1984. The Arts Public in the South, National Endowment
for the Arts Research Division Report #17.
FOR TAPE, CODEBOOK AND INFORMATION:
Institute for Research in Social Sciences
Louis Harris Data Center
Campus Box #3355
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
(919) 962-0517