Museum Program Survey 1979 [United States]

Produced By: Macro Systems, Inc., 1979, Silver Spring, Maryland

Funding Agency/Sponsor: National Center for Education Statistics, Learning Resources Branch

Author: National Center for Education Statistics, Learning Resources Branch

Abstract (CPANDA): This survey collected data from 1,373 nonprofit museums in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The sample was drawn from a universe of museums developed in a 1978 NCES museum universe study. The purpose of the study was to estimate the characteristics and educational roles of the nonprofit museum universe. For the purpose of this survey, a museum was defined as an institution organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes, which utilizes a staff, owns or uses tangible objects whether animate or inanimate, cares for these objects, and exhibits them to the public on a regular basis.

Methodology (CPANDA) : The study was conducted for the National Center for Education Statistics by Macro Systems, Inc. A stratified, random sample was drawn from a sampling frame of 4,408 museums identified by the 1978 Museum Universe Survey. The sample was stratified by museum type, type of control (nonprofit, public, academic, etc.), size (as defined by operating expenditures), and geographic region. The survey instrument was mailed to museum directors on December 12, 1979. Non-respondent follow-ups included a reminder letter, telephone follow-up and a second survey mail-out, followed by a final telephone follow-up. A 94 percent response rate was achieved. All surveys went through extensive manual and machine edit checks to detect and correct logic and consistency errors. All errors in the submitted data were resolved with museum directors by telephone; an average of three calls per museum were made. Non-critical data items still missing following a reasonable number of follow-up attempts were imputed based on responses of peer museums. Each responding museum was appropriately weighted to represent the 1978 universe of nonprofit museums.