sition. Agriculture was least enthusiastic in its endorsement, Finance most enthusiastic. The opinions expressed by all industries on the national interest question are listed here and shown graphically in the histogram for table 116 on page 164.

In the subgroups of exporters and present users of metric equipment/tools, 75 percent said increased usage was in the "best interests" of the U.S.

PREFERABLE COURSE OF ACTION

IN POSSIBLE CONVERSION

Respondents were offered 3 alternatives for a possible national changeover. They selected among them as follows:

Large corporations (70%) were more often favorable toward a mandatory program than were small (57%) or medium (62%) size companies.

CRITIQUE OF STUDY RESULTS

SPOKESMEN. A consistent effort was made to obtain the most knowledgeable spokesman the organization afforded. In 82 percent of the cases this person was a relatively high level manager; in many companies it was the

president himself. The remaining 18 percent of respondents were either technical personnel or technicians turned manager. The problem inherent in questioning largely managerial personnel became apparent in the answers given to the more technical questions-respondents often didn't know such things as whether equipments used in company operations were designed to metric or U.S. engineering standards, or whether imported goods had been made to metric measure or not. They did know about managerial data such as percentages of exports and imports, annual sales volume, etc. This ignorance of technical detail led to unusually large percentages of "don't know" answers for some questions.

KNOWLEDGE OF METRIC SYSTEM. About 25 percent of all company spokesmen were poorly acquainted with the characteristics of metric measurement when first questioned about organization attitudes twoard metrication. Educational materials remedied about 95 percent of this information gap but replies to some questions indicated that not all of these people had done their "homework" thoroughly. The problem then became, "Should all replies be counted anyhow?" The decision was made to count all responses but to point out nonsequiturs as these occurred.

NO EXACT COST FIGURES. Due to the extremely diverse nature of the industries in the nonmanufacturing universe, interview questions had to be phrased in general terms in order to be applicable to all respondents. It was important that only one set of questionnaires be used in order that information accumulated be comparable between industries. Because of the immense difficulty experienced in other efforts of the U.S. Metric Study to encourage firms, associations and other organizations to make special studies of probable costs of changeover to metric measurement, no exact cost figures were requested in the nonmanufacturing survey. Instead, only estimates of possible percentages of increase or decrease in annual operating costs were sought. Figures presented in this report, therefore, often have "ballpark" characteristics they were the result of quick estimations, undoubtedly influenced by general company attitudes toward the whole metrication issue. MUCH NEUTRALITY TOWARDS METRICATION. With an opinion bias influencing replies, the surveyer would normally expect to obtain exaggerated levels of antagonism to, or enthusiasm for, the entire metric issue. Such was not the case. The majority of spokesmen were either favorable or neutral in their expressions about possible national adoption of the metric system, but may have expressed their fears about unknown problems by exaggerating the cost estimates connected with changeover. It is believed that the strength of opinion about national adoption of metric measurement can be accepted at face value.

SECTION III. Questionnaires

OMB NO. 41-S70034

RESPONDENT NUMBER

INITIAL CONTACT INTERVIEW

CLASSIFICATION DATA

SIC 4-Digit Code:

Name of SIC Industrial Group:

(RECORD NAME AND NUMBER OF 4-DIGIT GROUP IN THE
APPROPRIATE SPACE AT THE END OF SECTION I.)

Name of Respondent:

Title of Respondent:

Name of Organization:

City, State, ZIP CODE:

Telephone (Area Code & Number):

Date Initial Contact Interview Completed:

Date Information Mailed:

Date Second Interview Completed:

(DO NOT READ ANSWERS TO RESPONDENT, UNLESS SPECIFIED IN
THE INSTRUCTIONS. THE RESPONSE CATEGORIES WHICH ARE
SUPPLIED ARE ONLY FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE IN RECORDING.
QUESTIONS WHICH ARE PRECEDED BY SHOULD BE ASKED OF
ALL RESPONDENTS.)

NTRODUCTION

This is of the firm of Bickert, Browne, and oddington. We're conducting a survey for the National Bureau of tandards as part of the U.S. Metric Study. I believe you received letter recently from the Department of Commerce explaining the tudy. The purpose of the survey is to try to determine how much he Metric System is being used by industry. We also need to know hether companies foresee any increased use of the Metric System in he future.

The information we collect from this official call is very nportant, since the survey results will be reported to the Secretary f Commerce and the Congress. Therefore, we need to talk to the ighest ranking company spokesman who is available.

(Table 2)

(Table 3)

The interview will be conducted entirely by telephone and has two phases. The first phase, which I would like to complete today if possible, generally lasts 3 to 5 minutes. The second interview should take about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the scope and nature of your company's activities. This second phase will take place during a separate phone call a week to 10 days from now.

I'd like to ask you the few questions of Phase 1 now, if I may.

SECTION 1. ATTITUDES AND LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE

*1. Maybe you've heard talk going around lately that the United States might adopt the metric system of measurement. Have you heard anything about this?

(Table 4)

*3. If one of your friends asked you what the metric system is, what would you tell him?

(Table 6

(IF RESPONDENT CAN GIVE NO ANSWER, OR ASKS FOR A DEFINITION, SAY:)

We will be sending you more information about the Metric System before my next call. Briefly, though, the Metric System is a measurement system based generally on the meter as the unit of length, the kilogram as the unit of mass, the second as the unit of time, the degree celsius as the unit of temperature, and units derived from these. It is the measurement system used in many parts of the world.