More than 17,000 respondents from a representative sample of the population were interviewed by the Bureau of the Census during 1982 about their participation in arts activities. Separate national samples were collected during each month of the year. Ten major areas were addressed: (1) the size of the audience for the arts; (2) the relationship between attendance at live performances and recorded performances; (3) geographical variation; (4) demographic variation; (5) the impact of family background on participation; (6) the association between arts and non-arts activities; (7) the extent and nature of unmet needs; (8) reasons for not attending arts activities; (9) the relationship between amateur performance and attendance; and (10) the relationship between early introduction to the arts and later participation. Chapter 1 provides an introduction and background information. Chapter 2 details interview procedures and methodology. Chapter 3 examines the questions asked about participation at live performances of jazz, classical music, opera, musicals, plays, ballets, art galleries, and museums, as well as questions about reading habits. Chapter 4 examines the methodology and gives a more detailed analysis of the questions considered in Chapter 3. Chapters 5 through 9 deal with the non-core survey questions. Chapter 10 is an overview of the project. Extensive appendices dealing with documentation, methodology, and a comparison with an earlier Harris poll survey are also included. (IS)