SPPA Final Instrument Nonsubstantive Change Request

Justification for No Material/Nonsubstantive Change (OMB No. 3135-0136)

June 15, 2016

This request for a Nonsubstantive Change is needed for the 2017 SPPA Full Study Instrument to implement minor adjustments to the final instrument based on the results of the Pilot Study. Importantly, the time in survey for the Pilot Study was longer than ideal. Thus, adjustments were done to reduce participant burden and time in survey, but also increase clarity and comprehension of the survey items; these adjustments would not affect the methodology, design, or outcome of the information collection.

Below we outline items that were dropped 1) to reduce overall time in survey due to perceived redundancy, 2) because they did not work as intended, and/or 3) were deemed of lower priority than other items. Across the full survey, slight amendments to the language were implemented to improve clarity and comprehension.

Module: Variable (location in instrument)	2017 Pilot Language	2017 Full Study Edit	Discussion
Core 1: Spouse/proxy items (variables ending in C or D)	…did your spouse/ partner go to…X How many times did your spouse/ partner do…X	Delete (total of 28 questions)	We made this change to reduce respondent burden, reduce time in survey, and improve accuracy of responses. Pilot study deemed spouse/proxy responses to be burdensome and lengthy. Also, NEA determined that the Annual Art Benchmarking Survey (AABS) will be used in lieu of the SPPA for trend analyses. The AABS is a shorter survey, is administered more regularly, and retains the spouse/proxy responses.
Core 2: C2Q2G	…how often did you go to any other kind of live performance?	Delete	We deleted this item since it would be difficult to interpret a frequency question focused on an unidentified “other” category.
Core 2: C2Q3 series, Module B, MBQ3 series, Module C, MCQ3 series	…did you go to any at a (INSERT)?	Delete item for “healthcare facility”	We deleted these items due to low frequency during pilot. These items would now be included in catch all “some other location” item within each core/module series
Core 2: C2Q3 series	…did you go to any at a (INSERT)?	Delete item for “private home”	We deleted this item due to low frequency during pilot. This item would now be included in catch all “some other location” item.
Core 2: C2Q4 series	…did you go to {this activity/these activities} for any of the following reasons?	Delete item “for health reasons”	We deleted this item due to low frequency during pilot. This item would now be included in catch all “some other reason” item.
Core 2: C2Q4 series	…did you go to {this activity/these activities} for any of the following reasons?	Delete item “it was low cost”	We deleted this item since “low cost” is a practical reason, whereas all other reasons in this series focus on perceptual reasons. This item was out of place and also of less importance. 
Module A: MAQ2 series and MAQ3B	How often do you…X	Edit responses to omit “daily” option	We made this change to reduce respondent burden and time in survey. This change also makes these questions more easily comparable to similar questions in other Modules.
Module B: Singing and Dancing items	Did you perform or practice singing? Did you perform or practice any dancing?	Delete	We made this change to reduce respondent burden, time in survey, and also respondent confusion. Items retained in survey are “did you do any singing?” and “did you do any dancing”.
Module B: Singing and Instrument Playing with others	How often did you sing with others? How often did you play a musical instrument with others?	Delete	We made this change to reduce respondent burden and time in survey. We also felt that knowing the frequency of singing and playing instruments with others was less of a priority then knowing the frequency of singing and playing instruments in general.
Module B: MBQ3 series, Module C: MCQ3 series,	Did you do this at a (INSERT)?	Consolidate: 1) “college or university campus”, 2) “elementary, middle, or high school”, and 3) “community center or public library” into one item: “School, public library, or community center”	We consolidated these three items due to low frequency during pilot.
Module B: MBQ3 series	did you do this at a (INSERT)?	Delete “museum or gallery”	We deleted this item due to low frequency during pilot. This item would now be included in catch all “some other location” item.
Module B: MBQ4 series; Module C: MCQ4 series Module C: MCQ9		Consolidate 1) “To gain knowledge and learn something new?” and 2) “To try or experience something new?” into one item: “to learn or experience something new”	We consolidated these two items to reduce respondent burden and the two items appear to be measuring a similar if not identical construct.
Module B: MCQ3 series	did you do this at a (INSERT)?	Delete “theater, concert hall, or auditorium”	We deleted this item due to low frequency during pilot. This item would now be included in catch all “some other location” item.
Module D: MDQ2 series	How often did you…X?	Delete select non-arts related items, such as “go to sports”, “exercise”, “hunting”, “outdoors”, and “gardening”	We made this change to reduce respondent burden and time in survey. Frequency for these items were deemed lower priority.
Module D: MDQ5 and MDQ6 series	Do you own any pieces of art, such as paintings, drawings, sculpture, pottery, or other visual art? Did you purchase or acquire any of these pieces during the last 12 months?	Consolidate both questions into one: “In the last 12 months, did you purchase or acquire any pieces of art, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery, or other visual art?	We consolidated these two items to reduce respondent burden and knowing whether someone purchased/acquired a piece of art in the last 12 months was deemed more important than knowing if a person owned any artwork
Module F: MFQ4 and MFQ5	It is easy for me to get the most… There are plenty of opportunities for me to meet…	Delete	We made this change to reduce respondent burden and time in survey.
Module F: MFQ1, MFQ2, MFQ3	There are many different kinds of… There are plenty of opportunities for me to take part in… It is easy for me to find…	Drop from Module F and move to end of Module E. In the Pilot Study, Module F was given to all respondents, now they will only be given to respondents who also receive Module E.	We made this change to reduce respondent burden and time in survey.