To: Joshua Heuman
 
No, actually museum attendance is increasing.  According to the Survey of
Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) --which is funded by the NEA, BTW--
the proportion of adults visiting an art museum increased from 22.1 percent
in 1982 to 26.7 percent in 1992, an increase of 4.6 percentage points.
 
         The SPPA data isn't a "sexy" as the Americans and the Arts surveys
you mentioned, however it is some of the most recent stuff out there.
One problem with these surveys is that they seldom age well. You might
search out some more recent information (Americans and the Arts V was
published in 1988).
 
Cheers -- Adam Bickford.
 
Adam Bickford, Smithsonian Institution,
Institutional Studies Office:: [log in to unmask]
(202) 786-2289