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v V \ 4 / / v I1 * ; J 1 V J i Endowment National for the Arts 2008 Survey of Public Participation the Arts in Research Report #49 November 2009 ResearchReport#49 November2009 NationalEndowmentfortheArts 1100PennsylvaniaAvenue, NW Washington, 0C20506-0001 Telephone:202-682-5400 Prepared byKevinWilliamsand David Keen, BBCResearch&Consulting, Denver,CO Produced bytheNEAOfficeofResearch&Analysis Sunil Iyengar,Director Tom Bradshaw,SeniorResearchOfficer BonnieNichols,ResearchAnalyst Otherstaffcontributors:SarahSullivan, NonaMilstead,KelliRogowski,and EllenGrantham Editorialand publicationassistancebyDonBall Designed byFletcherDesign, Inc./Washington, DC FrontCoverPhoto:NEAjazzMastersFrankWessandSlideFlamptonperformwiththe Bill CharlapTrioatthe2006Savannah MusicFestival. PhotobyAyanoHisa PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData: 2008surveyofpublicparticipationinthearts. p.cm.-- (Researchreport;49) "November2009." "ProducedbytheOfficeofResearch&Analysis,Sunil Iyengar, Director,TomBradshaw,Senior ResearchOfficer, BonnieNichols,ResearchAnalyst"--T.p.verso. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. 1. Artsaudiences—UnitedStates—Statistics.2. Artssurveys--UnitedStates.3. Arts— UnitedStates—Citizenparticipation- statistics. I. Iyengar,Sunil. II. Bradshaw,Tom.III. Nichols, Bonnie. IV.NationalEndowmentfortheArts. ResearchDivision.V.Title:Surveyof publicparticipationinthearts. NX220.A1662009 700.973’090511--dc22 2009045908 202-682-5496Voice/TTY (adeviceforindividualswhoaredeaforhearing-impaired) IndividualswhodonotuseconventionalprintmaterialsmaycontacttheArtsEndowment's OfficeforAccessAbilityat202-682-5532toobtainthispublicationinanalternateformat. Thispublicationisavailablefreeofchargeatwww.arts.gov,thewebsiteoftheNational EndowmentfortheArts. —— PREFACE M ost Americans are probably unaware andLatin, Spanish, orsalsamusic, anewcategory that the federal government collects in 2008. Americans are also asked abouttheir and analyzes information abouttheir reading ofliterature andtheirvisits to artmuseums participation in arts and cultural activities. For orgalleries, art and craft fairs, outdoor performing morethan aquarter-century, however, the National festivals, and parks and historic sites. Additional Endowment fortheArts has conducted a periodic questions seekto knowwhetheradults create or SurveyofPublic Participation in the Artsto track perform art oftheirown, whethertheytake arts adults’ reportedlevels ofarts engagement. Themost classes orlessons, andwhethertheydo awiderange recent survey occurred in May 2008, in partnership ofotherleisure activities notnecessarily involving withthe United States Census Bureau. This report the arts. contains detailedfindings from the 2008 survey, The 2008 surveyresults are, ataglance, butitreviews them alongside datafrom prior disappointing. As reported inArtsParticipation surveyyears. 2008, a summarybrochure ofthe survey’s findings, Thetaskofmeasuringhow oftenAmericans asmallersegment ofthe adult population either — participate in the arts and inwhat sorts ofways attended arts performances orvisited art museums is neitheras simple noras difficult as may appear. orgalleries than in any prior survey. Thevariety ofopportunities forarts engagement Norwerebad economic conditions in 2007-2008 the hasgrown exponentially sincethe survey only factoratwork. From 1982 to 2008, audiences for began in 1982. The role ofdigital mediainthose performances in classicalmusic, ballet, non-musical interactions has acquired asignificance thatcultural — — — theater, and mostconspicuously, jazz have aged historians notto mention survey methodologists fasterthanthegeneral adult population. Evenamong are onlybeginning to navigate. Even without the the most educated, adults are participating less than newermedia, there alwaysremainedthethorny, in previousyears. existential question: what does itmeanto havehad an arts experience? Asinglesurvey cannot explain all reasons forthe nationwide decline. Butthis report offersmany The 2008 survey, like its predecessors, is pragmatic. possibilities, not only forlocating likely causes, hut It opts foracarefulmix ofquestions about— also forseeingawayforward. Take one observation: traditional forms oflive arts participation gallery since 1982, the share of18-24-year-oldswhoreport visits orattendanceat performingarts events, for — havinghad anymusic education intheirlives (now example and alternative forms ofparticipationthat 38 percent) has dropped bymore thana third. For havegrown popularinrecentyears. visual arts training, the proportion (now 21 percent) The survey’s “core questions” asklarge, nationally hasnearlyhalved. Oranotherfinding: that agulf representative samples ofthe U.S. adultpopulation existsbetweenthe participationrates ofcertain — about its attendanceat seventypes ofperforming geographic areas notablytheNortheasternand — arts event: jazz; classical music; opera; musicals; SouthCentralstates suggestingregional disparities non-musical plays; ballet; dance “other” thanballet; in accessto arts opportunities ofthetype captured 2008SurveyofPublicParticipation intheArts iii — bythe survey. This nuancebears directly onthe overall reportedrates. Otherfindings map outnewbeginnings. Compared with most otheractivities, Latin music concerts and outdoorperforming arts festivals attract larger groups ofyoungaudiences, includingadults at lower education and income levels. Similarly, new data about arts-going at schools andreligious venues canyield fresh insights forarts administrators and communityleaders. Forexample, thereis sizeable overlap in populations that attend arts events and do otherkinds of — civic and social activities a link that is largely independent ofsocioeconomic factors (see the NEA’s Research Note #98 at www.nea.gov/research/ Notes/98.pdf). In this light, it is instructivethat youngadults, who, as agroup, participate less in most activities measuredbythe survey, nevertheless show arise involunteering. Yet even theyare not impervious to the arts as a contributing factor. Afterall, relatively large percentages ofyoungadults now engagewith art through electronic media. (The majority ofadults whogo onlineto view or listen to music, theater, or dance performances say they are likelyto do so at least once a week.) And, in 2008, Americans from 18 to 24 years old showed thegreatestgains ofany age group in pursuingat least onetype ofarts activity the readingofliterature. Sunil Iyengar Director, Research& Analysis National Endowment forthe Arts IV National EndowmentfortheArts TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 1 AttendingArts Exhibitsand Performances 1 OtherModesofArts Participation: Creating, Performing, Listening, and Learning 4 Additional Resources and Analyses 6 2. Introduction 9 BenchmarkActivities 9 Data Collection Methodology 9 Organization ofthe Report 11 3. Attendance at Arts Performances and OtherArts Events 13 BenchmarkActivities 13 PerformingArts 16 Detailed Demographic Characteristics ofPerformingArtsAudiences 18 Visual Artsand Historic Sites 25 PredictorsofArtsAttendance 28 Literature 29 4. Participation via Media 35 PerformingArts 35 Programs aboutArtists, ArtWorks, andArt Museums 39 Programs about BooksandWriters 40 Literature 40 Internet 40 5. Arts Creation, Performance, and Learning 43 Performingand CreatingArt 43 OwningArt 49 Writing 49 Arts Learning 50 6. Personal Preferences and Leisure Activities 57 Music Preferences 57 Reading Preferences 59 OtherLeisureActivities 59 7. Regional Differences in Arts Participation 67 ArtsAttendance 67 Media Participation 72 Performing and CreatingArt 72 Arts Learning 73 8. Summary Results byArt Form 75 ArtMuseumsand Galleries 76 Musical Plays 77 Non-musical Plays 78 Classical Music 79 Jazz 80 Balletand OtherDance 81 Latin Music 82 Opera 83 Appendices SurveyofPublic Participation intheArts Background and Methodology 85 Data Collection 87 Standard Errors, HypothesisTesting, and Design Effect 88 2008 SurveyofPublic Participation intheArts (SPPA) 89 Digitized by the Internet Archive 2015 in https://archive.org/details/2008surveyofpubl00iyen CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY EXECUTIVE T he 2008 SurveyofPublic Participation in FIGURE1-1 the Arts (SPPA) marksthe sixthNational Percentage ofU.S. adults attending a benchmark Endowment fortheArts (NEA) survey ofarts arts activity at least once in the past12 months: 1982,1992, 2002, and 2008 participation inthe past 26 years, updatingresults from 2002. Performedbythe U.S. Bureau ofthe Census, the 2008 SPPA collected arts participation data and otherinformation from more than 18,000 adults (18 and above] acrossthe United States. The SPPArepresents the largest, most detailed long-term data source forabroadrange ofarts participation in theUnited States, including: Attendingarts events; Experiencingrecorded orbroadcasted live performances; Exploringarts through theInternet; Personally performing orcreatingart; and Takingarts-related classes. Attending Arts Exhibits and Performances One in three adults attended an art museum ora Year live arts performancein the 12 months ending in May 2008.1 Note:Benchmarkactivitiestrackedsince1982areattendanceatjazz, classicalmusic,opera,musicalplays,non-musicalplays,andballet — performances,andvisitstoartmuseumsorartgalleries. About 35 percent ofall U.S. adults or 78 — Source:1982,1992,2002and2008SurveysofPublicParticipationintheArts, million Americans visited an art museum or gallery orattended at least one ofsixtypes ofthe “benchmark” arts events tracked since 1982.2 About 23 percent ofall adults visited an art museum orgallery. Musicals drew 17 percent ofall adults, and non- musical plays drew 9 percent. About 9 percent ofadults attended classical music. Relativelyfeweradults attended jazz (8 percent],ballet orother dance (7 percent), Latin orsalsamusic (5 percent), andopera (2 percent).3 2008SurveyofPublicParticipation intheArts 1 Figure 1-2 showsthe numberofU.S. adults (in FIGURE1-2 millions) attending an arts activityat least once in Millions of U.S. adults attending a performing arts the 12 months ending in May 2008. More than 50 event orotherarts activity at least once in the past 12 months: 2008 million adults attended historic sites, art/craft fairs and festivals, and art museums orgalleries in 2008. Outdoorperformingarts festivals drew47 million adults attendingat least oncein 2008. About 7 million people attended aballet, and 5 million attendedan operaperformance. Decliningpercentageofadultsattendingartsevents. Relatively feweradults attended performing arts events in 2008 than in previous years. Thepercentage ofadults attendingat leastone benchmarkarts activity declined from 39percent in 2002 to less than 35 percent in 2008, as shown in Figure 1-1. Analysis ofspecific artforms are provided in Figure 1-3. The percentage ofadults goingto classical music, non-musical theater,balletand other dance performances continued to declinefrom levels in previousyears. MillionsofU.S.Adults Operaand jazz participation decreased forthe first time in the survey’s history, with attendance Note:“Otherdance"referstodanceotherthanballet.Itincludesmodern, folk,andtap. rates fallingbelowwhattheywerein 1982.4 Source:2008SurveyofPublicParticipationintheArts. Onlymusical plays sawno statistically significantchange inparticipationfrom 2002 to 2008. Attendance atthe most populartypes ofarts — — events such as museums and craft fairs also saw declines. Aftertopping 26 percent in 1992 and 2002, artmuseum attendance slipped to 23 percent — in 2008 comparable to the 1982 level. For the firsttime in the SPPA, womenreduced their rate ofattendance.5 The proportion ofU.S. adults touring parks or historical buildings (25 percent) has diminished by one-third since 1982. Trends in attendanceby art form are summarized in Figure 1-3. Economicconditionsaffectingartsparticipation. The declines in arts attendance occurred inaweakening economic climateandastravel costswererising. At thetime ofthe 2008 survey, the U.S. economy had been in recession forsix months. Consumer spending throughoutthe surveyperiodwas 2 National EndowmentfortheArts