A Decade of Arts Engagement: Detailed Findings From the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 2002-2012

Released by the NEA in tandem with Arts Data Profile #4, A Decade of Arts Engagement provides a comprehensive trend analysis of U.S. arts participation between  2002-2012. Topics covered by the report include trends in the percentage of adults attending the performing arts, such as theater, music, and dance attendance, and the share of people attending visual arts events, including visiting art museums or arts fairs and craft festivals.

This report also features the demographics of arts attendance, as well as chapters discussing arts participation through media and personal creation of art.

Supplementary Materials Related to the 2012 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

This page provides access to the 2012 SPPA dataset, as well as a variety of documents useful to SPPA users. The 2012 SPPA Data User's Guide, for instance, outlines the survey's modular design, and directs users to the correct usage of SPPA weights.

This page also supplies the 2012 SPPA instrument and an accompanying data dictionary.

An Average Day in the Arts: State Participation Patterns from the American Time Use Survey for 2006-2010

Unlike the SPPA, which measures U.S. arts participation over a 12-month period, the American Time Use Survey (ACS) can be used to estimate arts participation on an average day. This NEA Research Note reports state-level arts participation using the ACS. Topics covered include performing arts and museum attendance, listening to/playing music, and arts and crafts engagement.

Arts and Heritage in Canada: Access and Availability Survey 2012

Prepared for the Department of Canadian Heritage, this report summarizes a survey of Canadian adults on behaviors and values associated with the arts and heritage. Like the U.S. SPPA, this survey captures arts participation such as attendance at performing arts events and arts festivals, as well as personal arts participation such as the creation of photographs and movies. This report also outlines participation for Canada's regions, including Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Statistical Groupings of States and Counties

Published by the U.S. Census Bureau as a geographic reference, Statistical Groupings of States is an interesting narrative on the history of U.S. regional delineations. For example, the states composing "New England," a division still in use today, were originally grouped by the British government in the 18th century.