Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 1982-2012 Combined File [United States]

The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts to inform the understanding of how Americans engage in the arts. This combined data file aggregates SPPA data from 1982, 1985, 1992, 2002, 2008, and 2012. The combined data file does not include the 1997 SPPA because the survey design for the 1997 SPPA was quite different from the other six SPPA studies. Respondents were asked a core set of questions about their participation in, and frequency of attending, art performances and events in the following categories: jazz music, classical music, opera, musicals, plays (nonmusical), ballet, other dance, art museums, arts-crafts fairs, and historical park/monument sites. Questions were also asked about their reading preferences. The data file has demographic and geographic variables and information about the housing unit. The combined file was produced to facilitate trend analysis of SPPA estimates over time. Because arts participation rates change over time, the combined file is not recommended as a source to calculate current arts participation. Users should check the NADAC Website for the most current data source for estimating arts participation. The combined file has 97,295 cases and 85 variables.