The National Endowment for the Arts sponsored comprehensive surveys of Americans' interest and participation in art-related activities in 1982, 1985, and 1992. Carried out by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the studies contain a wealth of data on which numerous analyses of participation and the factors influencing it have been based. John Robinson's report presents the initial analysis of results from the 1992 nationwide Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA). The 1992 version includes comparisons with previous studies and expands the coverage of arts participation. A representative sample of 12,736 adults was asked about their participation in the arts either by attending events or using broadcast and recorded media. A subset of 5,701 individuals answered questions about their production of art either by performance or creation. Because of their design, the SPPA surveys have provided a more systematic and definitive collection of arts participation data; one that can be both generalized to the American population with suitable confidence and also replicated regularly to track trends in participation.