Table 18.

Comparison of Major Program Categories for Work Proposed
by Applicants and Grantees, Office of Consumers' Education,
Fiscal Year 1976.

*Many of the applicants and grantees included more than one
major program category.

Specific Topics. On pages 12 and 13 of this report is a discussion of the single subjects selected for study in the 839 proposals and a rationale for their choice. Table 7 (page 14) summarizes information regarding these topics by agency type. Table 19 (page 25) reports the same information for the funded projects. Table 20 (page 26) reports the comparative data.

While the same conclusions can be drawn regarding the funded program as pertained to the applicants (1.e., that credit and savings and legal rights, redress, and consumer law appear with the greatest frequency; that the next ranking topics are food and housing), other subjects appear to move into relatively more prominent positions. The consumer role in protection equals interest in improving buying practices for housing; and budgeting equals improving buying practices for food. These relationships may be a function of the orientations and competencies of the types of agencies funded, especially in the case of the budgeting-food similarity. Without statistical treatment of the data, however, this can only be reported as a "hunch."

Additionally, health services (including medicare/medicaid), transportation, and the consumer issue of advertising and promotion appear with proportionately greater frequency in the grantee program. Of a smaller dimension is the suggestion that the funded program places greater importance on energy consumption and conservation and utilities. Some of the single topics that commanded only minor attention among the applicants moved to stronger positions in the funded program.

Product Safety, Health Hazards, Pollution

Legal Rights, Redress, Consumer Law

Consumer Role in Protection

The factual information and generalizations appearing in this report were developed through analysis of the 1976 grant applications received by the Office of Consumers' Education, Office of Education. This compilation sets forth the data and some insights regarding program interests, but is not a complete interpretation of all information collected. From time to time additional interpretive statements are contemplated, with priority going to the special programming needs of selected target groups and emerging consumer issues.

For further information, contact:

Office of Consumers' Education

Office of Education

Regional Office Building 3, Room 5624
7th & D Streets, SW

Washington, D.C. 20202

Telephone: Area Code 202/245-0636

Due to restraints of time, we were not able
to pursue all the questions we have for the
Administration witnesses at the Subcommittee hearings
on adult education, miscellaneous programs, and the
Special Projects Act. Therefore, I am submitting
a list of additional questions on these programs
to be answered for the record, and would appreciate
if you could forward these questions to the
directors of the programs to which they pertain.

We would like to have the responses no later
than August 12th, so that we can include them in
our printed hearing record. The questions are
attached to the letter.

Thank you very much.

CDP: jk

Sincerely,

Carl D. Perkins
Chairman