Public awareness of the problem of child abuse and public willingness to participate in solving the problem have grown in recent years. To further the success of advocacy efforts, volunteer recruitment, fund-raising, and implementing programs for child abuse prevention and treatment, an understanding of both non-professionals' and professionals' attitudes concerning child abuse is needed. The Opinions About Child Abuse Survey was completed by 132 persons attending the Governor's and Attorney General's Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect held in September, 1984, in Austin, Texas. Respondents included mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, judicial system professionals, and individuals involved in the direct care of children. The survey identified respondents' perceptions regarding the causes, conditions of, and desired response to the problem of child abuse and assessed the individual's level of direct and indirect experience with child abuse. Those surveyed agreed that treatment and prevention were priorities for community support and that the state is ultimately responsible for dealing with the problem of child abuse. While the majority of professionals noted that removing a child from the home should be a last resort, they did not agree on the actual allocation of funds for intervention programs. (Three tables of response statistics are included and the survey instrument is appended.) (Author/ABB)