introduction 



This report deals with preferences for canned fish and shellfish in United 

 States households. The survey on which it is based was designed to assist the 

 commercial fishing industry in obtaining a better understanding of factors 

 affecting consumption of canned fishery products. Such factors as consumer 

 preferences, buying practices and methods of distribution were studied. This 

 is the first of two reports resulting from the survey which was conducted on 

 the basis of a probability sample of 2,770 households representative of all house- 

 holds in the I'nited States. This report highlights some of the more important 

 findings of the survey. 



The second report, Special Scientific Report: Fisheries Xo. 200, will pro- 

 vide more detailed data as to the information supplied by the households 

 analyzed nationally and regionally, as well as by city size, income classes and 

 by other characteristics. Detailed discussion on the sample design, sampling 

 and non-sampling errors, methods of collection, editing and tabulation will be 

 given in an appendix to that report. 



The survey was conducted in June 1956 by the firm of W. R. Simmons 

 and Associates Research, Inc., of New York City, under contract with the 

 United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 



HOW THE SURVEY WAS PLANNED 



To interview all households in the United States as to their preferences 

 for canned fish and shellfish would be difficult and expensive. Fortunately, 

 modern sampling methods can provide sufficiently accurate information about 

 the responses of these households to various questions on this topic. To deter- 

 mine these preferences the tested and reliable statistical sampling technique 

 known as area probability sampling was chosen. This simply means that every 



