This data collection offers information on Americans' participation in the arts, such as ballet, opera, plays, museums, concerts, and literature, during 1997. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, and conducted by Westat Corporation of Rockville, Maryland, this survey is the fourth edition of the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), with prior SPPA surveys having been conducted in 1982, 1985, and 1992. Respondents were asked about their past-year participation in, and frequency of attending, art performances and events in the following categories: jazz music, classical music, opera, musicals, plays (nonmusical), ballet, other dance, art museums, arts fairs, and historical parks. Participation was tabulated for: (1) live arts events attendance, such as visiting an art museum, (2) participation in arts through broadcast and records media, such as using a personal computer (PC) to listen to/see art, and (3) personal performance or creation of art, such as composing music. Reasons for nonparticipation were also collected. Survey questions also asked about socialization in the arts, as well as about respondents' rates of participation in leisure activities other than the arts. New questions in the 1997 SPPA concerned, for example, respondents' use of a home computer in the creation of and interaction with art. New questions also asked about subscribing to series of performances and about membership at art museums. Due to the considerable differences in survey methodologies, this 1997 survey produced results that are not comparable to the 1982, 1985, 1992, or 2002 SPPA surveys. Background information includes age, sex, race, marital status, language of interview, country of birth, age when first moved to the United States, country of ancestry, education level, education level of parents, income, and general health status.