DESCRIPTION: The South Carolina State Omnibus Survey is a statewide telephone survey measuring attendance at and support of art events, and attitudes about the environment and oil drilling.
RESEARCHER AND DATA: Conducted by the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.
SAMPLE: A total of 1,686 completed surveys were collected from a random telephone sample of South Carolina residents. The survey was conducted April 9 - 27, 1991.
DATA: Demographic variables include gender, education coded by year, age coded by year, and income coded in 13 categories. Respondents reported number of children in the household, however they were asked number of school-aged children so exact ages can not be determined. Respondents reported residential mobility(i.e. time living in current residence), and race/ethnicity which was coded in 6 categories.
Respondents were asked about participation in an aggregated measure of art events and exhibits, and also about reasons for non-participation. Questions addressed the importance of quality arts events in the community, attitudes about state and local government funding of arts activities, the importance of arts education in the schools, state funding of arts in the schools, donation of money or time to arts or cultural activities, and if the respondent had purchased any original art in the past year.
Another battery of questions dealt with attitudes toward the environment.
COMMENTS: 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