FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS

RESEARCH REPORT #52

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

HTTP://WWW.NEA.GOV/RESEARCH/

Arts Education in America:What the Declines Mean for Arts

Participation

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

Nation’s largest general pop. survey of arts participation trends Asks about behavior, not attitudes

Conducted 5 times by the NEA since 1982 in partnership with the United States Census Bureau  1982, 1985, 1992, 2002, 2008 

82% response rate, for a total of 18,444 adults interviewed

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

• Measures self-reported rates of participation over the past 12 months Art museum or gallery visits; tours of parks

or historical buildings; arts/craft fair attendance

Performing arts attendance: jazz; classical music; opera; musicals; non-musical plays; ballet; other dance; Latin music performances; outdoor performing arts festivals

Literary reading: poetry, plays, novels and short stories

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

Measures other arts activities, including: Taking classes or lessons Performing or creating Participating through media

Other measures included for: Non-arts leisure activities Music and reading preferences

Major SPPA Findings

• 35% of all adults (or 78 million Americans) attended a benchmark arts activity in the 2008 survey period

Nearly 40% did so in 1982, 1992, and 2002

Proportionately fewer adults attend benchmark arts activities

1982 1992 2002 2008

Jazz 9.6% 10.6% 10.8% 7.8%

Classical music 13.0% 12.5% 11.6% 9.3%

Opera 3.0% 3.3% 3.2% 2.1%

Musical plays 18.6% 17.4% 17.1% 16.7%

Non-musical plays 11.9% 13.5% 12.3% 9.4%

Ballet 4.2% 4.7% 3.9% 2.9%

Art museums 22.1% 26.7% 26.5% 22.7%

The NEA commissioned the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to conduct further analyses on arts education data collected through the SPPA

Data on arts education in SPPA are limited, especially with regard to childhood arts education

Study background

Our research questions:

How have arts education rates fared over time?

Have the trends been consistent for all groups of Americans?

What do the findings mean for arts participation and personal creativity?

How have arts education rates fared over time?

Reports of childhood arts education declined from 1982 to 2008

Declines were substantial in childhood music, visual arts, and creative writing, while dance and theater increased

slightly

Childhood arts education rose across most of the 20th century before declining in its final decades

Have the trends been consistent

for all groups of Americans?

Childhood arts education has not been equally distributed by SES or race

What do the findings mean for arts participation and personal

creativity?

1992 SPPA

“Arts education was the strongest predictor of almost all types of arts participation. Those with the most arts education were also the highest consumers and creators of various forms of visual arts, music, drama, dance, or literature.”

Bergonzi, L. and Smith, J. (1996). The effects of arts education on participation in the arts, NEA Report #36. Santa Ana, CA: Seven Locks Press

Arts education has a powerful effect on likelihood of arts attendance

Other variables with positive correlations

to attendance:

• Age• Race/ethnicity• Socio-economic status• Educational attainment• Parental education• Gender

Arts education has similar effects on likelihood of personal arts creation and performance

… and participation in the arts through media

Conclusion

Childhood arts-education rates have declined in recent decades, especially in visual arts and music.

The burden of the decline has been borne disproportionately by non-white, low SES children.

Arts education is a strong predictor of benchmark arts participation and personal creativity in adulthood.