This request is for clearance to conduct the 2018 and 2020 Arts Basic Survey (ABS) (formally titled Annual Arts Benchmarking Survey, and Annual Arts Basic Survey). This survey will be conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau as a supplement to the Bureau of Labor Statisticâs Current Population Survey. The ABS will be conducted in February 2018 and February 2020 and is expected to be conducted again in 2025, which corresponds to once between each National Endowment for the Artsâ (NEA) Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), starting with the 2022 SPPA. To date, the ABS has been conducted annually from 2013 to 2018, with the exception of 2017, when the SPPA was administered. One of the strengths of the ABS is that it will complement and supplement the information collected in the SPPA. The SPPA is the fieldâs premiere repeated cross-sectional survey of individual attendance and involvement in arts and cultural activities, and is conducted approximately every five years. The ABS is much shorter than the SPPA, consisting of 12 to 14 questions per module that will be used to track arts participation over time.
As with the SPPA, the ABS data will be circulated to interested researchers and will be the basis for a range of NEA reports and independent research publications. Reports on these data will be made publicly available on the NEAâs website or NEA-designated websites. The ABS will provide primary knowledge on the extent and nature of participation in the arts in the United States. These data will also be used by the NEA as a contextual measure for one of the strategic goals identified in its FY 2014-2018 Strategic Plan.
US Code:
20 USC 954
Name of Law: National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.