This report is based on a telephone survey of 510 adults aged 18 years or older
who reside in Pennsylvania. It complements a national telephone survey of 1,015 adults.
The interviews with Pennsylvania residents were conducted in January 2000 and
averaged 28 minutes in length. The interviews were conducted using a random sample
of households in Pennsylvania and a standard, random-digit-dialing technology whereby
every household in the region covered had an equal chance of being contacted, including
those with unlisted numbers. The margin of error for the 510 randomly selected Pennsylvania
adults is +/— 4 percentage points.
The questionnaire was designed by Public Agenda, and all interpretation of the
data reflected in this report was done by Public Agenda. As in all surveys, question
order effects and other non-sampling sources of error can sometimes affect results.
Steps were taken to minimize these, including extensively pre-testing the survey
instrument and randomizing the order in which some questions were asked.