Arts Participants

Domain B: Arts Participation describes participants in the arts, including the type of activities they pursue and their time use and spending habits. This domain includes indicators on people who attend arts events (consumption) and those who personally create or perform artworks.

For more information on Domain B, view our infographic and access short papers and data for each indicator below. New indicators and updated statistics for current indicators will be released as data become available.

Explore the Indicators

B.1 Who attends arts events in person?

This indicator highlights demographic characteristics of people attending or visiting events or venues in person. However, the focus is on the attendance at arts events and activities, in contrast to “creation,” which is captured in Indicator B.3. (See B.1 Tables for related data).

B.2 How often do people attend and/or consume arts?

This indicator builds on the analysis in Indicator B.1 on in-person arts participation by detailing the frequency of participation and device use for consuming artistic content. (See B.2 Tables  for related data).

B.3 Who is personally creating or performing art?

This indicator explores the general population's pursuit of artistic and creative behavior, as a complement to Indicator B.1. (See B.3 Tables for related data).

B.4 How much time do Americans spend participating in arts activities?

This indicator explores the percentage of people involved in arts activities and the amount of time (participation on a typical day and number of minutes participating) they spend on these activities. (See B.4 Tables for related data). This indicator is annually updated in November.

B.5 What does consumer spending in the arts look like?

This indicator analyzes household expenditures in arts- and culture-related spending categories, including trends over time and comparisons with other household spending categories. (See B.5 Tables  for related data). This indicator is annually updated in November.

Additional Resources

• 50 States of Arts Participation: 2022 – A geographical analysis of results from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts: This report reveals state-level findings from the NEA’s flagship survey, which the Census Bureau administers every five years to track arts participation habits.
• Arts Participation Patterns in 2022: Highlights from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts: This report presents key findings from the NEA’s flagship survey, which the Census Bureau administers every five years to track arts participation habits.
• Online Audiences for Arts Programming: A Survey of Virtual Participation Amid COVID-19: This research brief examines data from the Arts Module of the 2022 General Social Survey, focusing on digital arts activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Art of Reopening: A Guide to Current Practices Among Arts Organizations During COVID-19: NEA research staff surveyed national service organizations in the arts and interviewed arts organizations and consultants about reopening practices of organizations that have resumed in-person programming in 2020, during the pandemic.
• Arts Data Profile (ADP) tool: The 2020 Arts Basic Survey
• ADP tool: The 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts
• ADP tool: Creating, Practicing, and Performing Art in the U.S.: Demographic and Rural/Urban Differences
• Paths to Participation: Understanding How Art Forms and Activities Intersect: Based on findings from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, the brief discusses in particular the positive association between consuming the arts digitally and attending in-person arts events.
• Why We Engage: Attending, Creating, and Performing Art: This report analyzes data from the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts and the 2016 General Social Survey to identify common motivations and barriers for adults in deciding whether to participate in arts activities.
• How Do We Read? Let's Count the Ways: This report uses data from the 2017 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts to characterize and compare adults who read books in print only, who read books electronically, and who listen to audiobooks.
• Datasets at the National Archive of Data on Arts & Culture (NADAC):
   
   
  • The University of Michigan Arts Engagement Project, 2010-2015 (ICPSR 38842)
  • Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), United States, 2022 (ICPSR 38936)
  • American Time Use Survey (ATUS): Arts Activities, [United States], 2003-2021 (ICPSR 36268)
  • Civic Engagement and Volunteering Supplement 2019, 2021 (ICPSR 38866)
  • General Social Survey with Arts Module, United States, 2022 (ICPSR 38859)
  • Arts Basic Survey State-Level Data Tables, United States, 2020 (ICPSR 38524)

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