DESCRIPTION: The Maryland Poll is a statewide telephone poll conducted bi-annually. The survey collected information on participation in the arts and cultural activities, as well as attitudes about the environment, lottery, speed limit, sports, and advertising.
RESEARCHER AND DATA: Produced by the Survey Research Center at the University of Maryland, College Park.
SAMPLE: A total of 1,011 completed surveys were collected from a sample selected by random-digit-dialing. Responses were collected from adults aged 18 and over living in households with telephones, located in the state of Maryland. The survey was conducted from April 12 - May 17, 1989.
DATA: Demographic variables include gender, education coded in 6 categories, age coded in 7 categories, income coded in 12 categories, and marital status coded in 5 categories. Respondents were asked size of household and number of children in the household. Respondents were asked work status, and residential mobility questions (i.e. how long respondent has lived in Maryland). Race/ethnicity is available coded in 5 categories.
The survey also included reason for non-working, alcohol and drug abuse in the family. The questionnaire also included measures of residential community size, county of residence, and the length of time the respondent had lived in their residence. Residents rated the quality of life in Maryland, and were asked to identify primary concerns about living in Maryland.
The survey had two forms. One form measured arts and culture participation in the past twelve months. The other asked about participation in the same events, but first asked if the respondent had ever participated in the event, and then asked specifically how many times he or she had participated in the past twelve months. Events included jazz performance, classical music performance, opera, musical stage play or operetta (not including grade school or high school performances), a performance of a non-musical stage play (not including grade school or high school performances), ballet, an art gallery or museum, or an art or craft fair or festival. The survey also measured if the respondent had read poetry, or listened to a reading of poetry.
Respondents were also asked several questions about political participation, including voter registration, awareness about the neighborhood polling locations, participation in the last election, and party affiliation. The survey also included a battery of questions about the use of Maryland state parks and attitudes towards the state's environment and natural resources. Other questions tapped participation in and attitudes towards the state lottery, and attitudes towards the use of state money for state college sporting facilities, speed limit enforcement, drugs, and gender and sexuality in television advertising.
COMMENTS: The same arts participation questions were not asked of all residents. Sample sizes for each type of question are only about 25 percent of the total sample.
Like most telephone surveys, this poll was prone to selection
bias. Telephone surveys have a much lower response rate than in-person studies.
In addition, telephone surveys often are prone to a systematic response bias
due to refusals, terminations, unlisted numbers, and persons who are not at
home (AMS 1994, p.47). These systematic exclusions tend to lead to an underrepresentation
of less well educated and low income persons in sample.
FOR TAPE, CODEBOOK AND INFORMATION:
Institute for Research in Social Sciences
Campus Box #3355
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
(919) 962-0517