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When Going Gets Tough: Barriers and Motivations Affecting Arts Attendance

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When Going Gets Tough: Barriers and Motivations Affecting Arts Attendance When Going Gets Tough: Barriers and Motivations Affecting Arts Attendance When Going Gets Tough: Barriers and Motivations Affecting Arts Attendance NEA Research Report #59 January 2015 January 2015 National Endowment for the Arts 400 7th Street, SW Washington, DC 20506 202-682-5400 arts.gov Published by the NEA Office of Research & Analysis Sunil Iyengar, Director Ellen Grantham, Program Analyst Other staff contributors: Melissa Menzer and Neil Chidester Prepared by Margaret E. Blume-Kohout and Sara R. Leonard of MBK Analytics with Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard of the Cultural Policy Center and NORC, at the University of Chicago Editorial Assistance by Rebecca Gross Designed by Kelli Rogowski Cover Photo: Art lovers visit an exhibition of the artist Don ZanFagna at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, South Carolina. Photo courtesy of Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data When going gets tough : barriers and motivations affecting arts attendance. pages cm. -- (NEA research report ; #57) “Prepared by Margaret E. Blume-Kohout and Sara R. Leonard of MBK Analytics, with Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard of the Cultural Policy Center and NORC, at the University of Chicago.” Includes bibliographical references. 1. Arts--United States--Citizen participation--Statistics. 2. Arts audiences--United States--Statistics. 3. Arts surveys-- United States. I. Blume-Kohout, Margaret E. II. National Endowment for the Arts. NX230.W49 2015 700.973’09051--dc23 2014049647 202-682-5496 Voice/TTY (a device for individuals who are deaf or hearing-impaired) Individuals who do not use conventional print materials may contact the Arts Endowment’s Accessibility Office at 202-682-5532 to obtain this publication in an alternate format. This publication is available free of charge in print or PDF format at arts.gov, the website of the National Endowment for the Arts. Contents Preface �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������vii Summary of Findings .....................................................................................................................................................................................................2 Summary of Implications ..............................................................................................................................................................................................4 Chapter I� Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5 About the General Social Survey (GSS) �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5 Historical Backdrop of Arts Attendance Statistics ..........................................................................................................................................6 About this Report ............................................................................................................................................................................................................6 Chapter II� Motivations and Barriers ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Snapshot of Arts Attendance Among U.S. Adults ...............................................................................................................................................9 Motivations for Arts Attendance................................................................................................................................................................................9 Comparing Motivations for Attendance: Exhibits vs. Performances .....................................................................................................10 Comparing Motivations for Attendance Across Performance Types ....................................................................................................11 Comparing Barriers to Attendance: Exhibits vs. Performances ...............................................................................................................15 Chapter III� Demographic Correlates of Attendance, Motivations, and Barriers ����������������������������������������������������� 17 Socioeconomic Status: Educational Attainment and Income .......................................................................................................................18 Education ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18 Income ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................19 Race and Ethnicity ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������23 Chapter IV� Engaging with the Arts Across Life Stages �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29 Sustaining Social Networks through Arts Participation ..................................................................................................................................29 The Intersections of Geography, Race/Ethnicity, Motivation, and Co-Attendance .........................................................................29 Young Adults and Family Life ...............................................................................................................................................................................31 Parental Education Level and Family Attendance of the Arts ..................................................................................................................33 Parents of School-Aged and Teenage Children ............................................................................................................................................34 The Arts as We Age .......................................................................................................................................................................................................35 Declining Health and Social Isolation ...............................................................................................................................................................37 Chapter V� Personal Values and Arts Attendance ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 39 Personal Value Statements �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������39 Political Party Affiliation .........................................................................................................................................................................................42 Public Expressions of Priorities, Values, and Needs43 Special Focus: Interest in Science, Scientific Occupations, and Arts Attendance .................................................................................44 Implications for Arts Practice ....................................................................................................................................................................................45 Chapter VI� Conclusions ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47 Implications for Research ............................................................................................................................................................................................48 Implications for Policy ..................................................................................................................................................................................................49 References ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51 Tables Table II-1. Percentage of U.S. Adults Who Attended the Visual and/or Performing Arts in the Past 12 Months, by Motivations for Attending the Most Recent Event (2012) .................................................................................................................................10 Table II-2. Percentage of U.S. Adults Who Were Interested in, But Did Not Attend, the Visual and/or Performing Arts in the Past 12 Months, by Barriers Cited (2012) .....................................................................................................................................................15 Figures Figure I-1. Percentage of U.S. Adults Who Attended “Benchmark” Arts Activities in the Past 12 Months, by Year and Event Type (1982-2012) ......................................................................................................................................................................................................7
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