National Endowment for the Arts 

The Arts and Civic Engagement: 

Involved in Arts, Involved in Life 
Preface


Photo by Vance Jacobs 

This study may contain the most 

widely useful data of any recent 

NEA report. The Arts and Civic 

Engagement demonstrates—with 

statistically reliable data—that arts 

participation overwhelmingly 

correlates with positive individual 

and civic behaviors. Put simply, Americans who read 

books, visit museums, attend theater, and engage in 

other arts are more active in community life than 

those who do not. 

The results of this study surprised us at the Arts 

Endowment. While we were confident that arts 

participation contributed to civic engagement, we 

were astonished at the huge margins of difference 

between arts participants and non-participants. Arts 

participants, especially readers, engage in positive 

civic and individual activities—from exercise to 

charity work, from hiking to amateur sports league 

attendance—at strikingly higher rates than nonparticip 

It is not necessarily obvious that a novel reader or 

classical music listener would be more likely to 

exercise or play sports; yet the data are 

unambiguously clear that they do. Arts participants 

are measurably different from non-participants—more 

active, more involved, and more socially engaged. 

What accounts for these differences? It is impossible 

to offer explanations with the same statistical 

authority with which we measure the participation 

rates, but I can venture a highly plausible hypothesis. 

Something happens when an individual actively 

engages in the arts—be it reading a novel at home, 

attending a concert at a local church, or seeing a 

dance company perform at a college campus—that 

awakens both a heightened sense of identity and civic 

awareness. We must banish the stereotype that 

reading books or listening to music is passive 

behavior. Art is not escapism but an invitation to 

activism. 

The one alarming note in this study is that arts 

participation is falling among younger adults and with 

it most forms of civic and social engagement. Once 

again we cannot offer any statistically reliable proof of 

causation for these trends, but it is reasonable to 

speculate that the proliferation of electronic 

entertainment options offered to young adults has 

drawn them away from traditional forms of civic and 

social involvement. 

The Arts and Civic Engagement is a study of vital 

importance to every arts organization in America. 

For the first time, artists, arts advocates, and 

educators have the means to communicate—in 

empirical terms—the far-reaching benefits of 

participating in the arts. Healthy communities 

depend on active citizens. The arts play an 

irreplaceable role in producing both those citizens 

and communities. 

Dana Gioia 

Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts 
’

To encourage literature and the arts is a duty


which every good citizen owes to his country.


The following analysis is based on 

data from the 2002 Survey of Public 

Participation in the Arts. The figures 

demonstrate that arts participants are 

active people who volunteer, exercise, 

and go out to movies, concerts, and 

sporting events at higher rates than nonparticipants. This analysis does not 

attempt to show cause and effect 

between arts participation and 

volunteering, or between arts 

participation and the other leisure 

activities captured by the survey. 

–GEORGE WASHINGTON 

Data and Methodology 

This brief describes arts participation, volunteering, 

and other leisure activities reported by the National 

Endowment for the Arts’ Survey of Public Participation 

in the Arts (SPPA). Conducted by the U.S. Census 

Bureau, the 2002 survey supplemented the Current 

Population Survey, and interviewed 17,135 adults, 

ages 18 and older. The SPPA s response rate was 

70%. 

Performing arts attendance pertains to classical or 

jazz concerts, operas, plays, musicals, or ballets. 

“Literary reading” refers to reading one or more short 

stories, novels, plays, or poetry; “non-readers” 

reported not reading in any of those genres. All 

attendance and participation covered by the 2002 

SPPA refers to the 12-month period ending August 

2002. Approximately 31% of survey respondents 

attended performing arts events, 46% read literature 

and 68% listened to classical or jazz radio. There were 

4,732 young adults (ages 18-34) in the sample 

population. 

The research for this brief originated with Bonnie 

Nichols, Arts and Leisure Activities: Evidence from the 

2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 

Research Division Note #89, National Endowment for 

the Arts, June 2005. 
10 Key Findings 

Arts Participation Builds Civic Engagement 

Americans involved in the arts are more likely to partake in a wealth of civic and social activities. 

1. Literary readers and classical or jazz radio 

listeners attend arts events at higher rates 

than non-readers and non-listeners. 

■ Far from being reclusive, readers and listeners 

visit art museums, watch movies, enjoy plays or 

musicals, and attend concerts. 

■ Three-quarters of readers and listeners go out to 

the movies. 

■ More than a third of readers attend theater––a rate 

3.5 times higher than reported by non-readers. 

2. Literary readers and arts participants engage 

in sports more readily than non-readers and 

non-participants. 

■ Performing arts audiences attend sporting events 

at twice the rate of non-arts participants. 

■ Arts participants are more likely than non-arts 

participants to play sports. 

Visited Art Museums and Movie Theaters 

Art museums Movies 

Attendance Participation Attendance Participation 

rate ratio rate ratio 

Classical or jazz radio listeners 50.0% 3.5 X more likely 75.1% 1.4 X more likely 

Non-listeners 14.4% 51.8% 

Literary readers 43.4% 3.7 X more likely 73.9% 1.6 X more likely 

Non-readers 11.7% 47.2% 

Participated in Sports 

Attended Plays and Concerts 

Sporting events Played sports 

Attendance Participation Participation Participation 

rate ratio rate ratio 

Performing arts attendees 53.8% 2.0 X more likely 44.1% 1.8 X more likely 

Non-attendees 26.4% 24.0% 

Classical or jazz radio listeners 46.4% 1.6 X more likely 40.7% 1.6 X more likely 

Non-listeners 28.9% 24.8% 

Literary readers 44.4% 1.7 X more likely 37.7% 1.6 X more likely 

Non-readers 26.5% 23.6% 

Plays or musicals Classical or jazz concerts 

Attendance Participation Attendance Participation 

rate ratio rate ratio 

Classical or jazz radio listeners 42.4% 3.3 X more likely 40.0% 5.4 X more likely 

Non-listeners 12.8% 7.4% 

Literary readers 36.2% 3.5 X more likely 28.8% 3.3 X more likely 

Non-readers 10.3% 8.6% 
3. By every other measure, arts participants are 

more physically active. 

■ Readers and arts participants exercise at nearly 

twice the rate of non-readers and nonparticipants. 

■ They also engage in outdoor activities, such as 

camping, hiking, or canoeing, at double the rate. 

4. People who read literature, listen to classical 

or jazz radio, or attend performances are 

creative in their own right. 

■ Though it comes as no surprise that many 

readers and arts participants create art, the trend 

reflects a broader pattern of activity and 

engagement. 

5. Readers and arts participants are twice as 

likely to volunteer in their communities. 

■ Half of all performing arts attendees volunteer or 

do charity work, compared with less than 20% of 

non-attendees. 

■ 45% of classical or jazz listeners volunteer, more 

than twice the rate of non-listeners. 

■ For literary readers, the volunteer rate is 43%, or 

2.6 times greater than for non-readers. 

Performed Physical Activities 

Created Photographs, Paintings, or Writings 

Participation Participation 

rate ratio 

Performing arts attendees 35.0% 2.6 X more likely 

Non-attendees 13.7% 

Classical or jazz radio listeners 36.0% 2.8 X more likely 

Non-listeners 12.7% 

Literary readers 31.8% 3.1 X more likely 

Non-readers 10.2% 

Volunteered or Did Charity Work 

Volunteer Participation 

rate ratio 

Performing arts attendees 50.9% 2.7 X more likely 

Non-attendees 19.0% 

Classical or jazz radio listeners 45.2% 2.2 X more likely 

Non-listeners 20.5% 

Literary readers 43.1% 2.6 X more likely 

Non-readers 16.4% 

Outdoor activities Exercised 

Participation Participation Participation Participation 

rate ratio rate ratio 

Performing arts attendees 47.0% 2.0 X more likely 77.4% 1.7 X more likely 

Non-attendees 23.5% 44.7% 

Classical or jazz radio listeners 43.6% 1.8 X more likely 74.9% 1.7 X more likely 

Non-listeners 24.2% 44.5% 

Literary readers 41.0% 1.9 X more likely 72.3% 1.8 X more likely 

Non-readers 21.8% 39.5% 

Arts participants and readers contribute substantial social capital to their communities through high levels of 

charity work and participation in sports and outdoor activities. By every measure captured by the Survey of 

Public Participation in the Arts, literary readers lead more robust lifestyles than non-readers. These findings 

contradict commonly held assumptions that readers and arts participants are passive, isolated, or selfabsorbed. 

Nevertheless, the degree to which young adults will continue this dual involvement –– arts participation and 

community engagement –– should be a matter for public concern, as the following data suggest. 
Young Adult Participation: A 20-Year Decline 

Across most categories of artistic, athletic, and civic life, young adults are less involved. 

6. Performing arts attendance by young adults 

is waning. 

■ Nearly 16% of young adults attended a jazz 

concert in 1982, but by 2002 this rate dropped 

to less than 11%. 

■ Ballet attendance grew slightly from 1982 to 

1992, but declined substantially by 2002. 

Classical concert and musical theater attendance 

remained steady from 1992 to 2002, but well 

below 1982 attendance rates. 

■ Opera alone has maintained its young adult 

attendance rate for 20 years. 

7. Young adult literary reading has dropped 

dramatically. 

■ 18-34-year-olds had the highest literary reading 

rate across all adult age categories in 1982. 

Twenty years later, they had the lowest rate 

among adults under age 65. 

■ Between 1982 and 2002 the young adult literary 

reading rate sustained the largest percentage 

point decrease of all art categories. 

8. There is even a decline in the rate of young 

adults listening to classical or jazz radio. 

■ Young adults listened to jazz radio at a lower rate 

than in previous years of the survey. 

■ This finding shows that even via low-cost, easily 

accessible media, young adult participation is in 

retreat. 

9. Young adults are less involved in sports and 

less physically active. 

■ Over a similar time period, obesity among young 

adults grew by 8 percentage points for young 

men, and 10 points for young women.1 

Performing Arts Attendance (Ages 18-34) 

Attendance trends 

1982 1992 2002 1982-2002 1992-2002 

Percent who attended: 

Jazz concert 15.7% 12.7% 10.6% -5.1 pp -2.1 pp 

Classical concert 12.2% 10.2% 8.5% -3.7 pp -1.7 pp* 

Opera 2.4% 2.7% 2.6% 0.2 pp* -0.1 pp* 

Musical 18.5% 15.9% 15.1% -3.4 pp -0.8 pp* 

Play 11.5% 12.5% 10.9% -0.6 pp* -1.6 pp* 

Ballet 4.4% 5.0% 3.1% -1.3 pp -1.9 pp 

Percentage points (pp) 

* No statistically significant change 

Literary Reading (Ages 18-34) 

Reading trends 

1982 1992 2002 1982-2002 1992-2002 

Percent who read 61.1% 53.5% 45.2% -15.9 pp -8.3 pp 

Percentage points (pp) 

Classical or Jazz Radio Listening (Ages 18–34) 

Listening trends 

1982 1992 2002 1982-2002 1992-2002 

Percent who listened: 

Classical radio 17.9% 26.1% 17.9% 0 pp -8.2 pp 

Jazz radio 25.5% 32.1% 20.4% -5.1 pp -11.7 pp 

Percentage points (pp) 

Sports and Physical Activities (Ages 18-34) 

Participation trends 

1982 1992 2002 1982-2002 1992-2002 

Percent who: 

Attended sporting event 62.3% 48.4% 43.2% -19.1 pp -5.2 pp 

Played sports 59.7% 55.0% 43.4% -16.3 pp -11.6 pp 

Did outdoor activities 49.5% 42.0% 38.0% -11.5 pp -4.0 pp 

Exercised 66.7% 66.6% 60.2% -6.5 pp -6.4 pp 

Percentage points (pp) 
10. Volunteerism by young adults has 

declined slightly. 

■ In 2002, young adults had the lowest volunteer


rate under age 75.


■ Factors thought to drive the higher volunteerism 

rates among older age groups include having Percentage points (pp) 

children of school-going age and belonging to a * No statistically significant change 

Volunteer or Charity Work (Ages 18-34) 

Volunteer trends 

1982 1992 2002 1982-2002 1992-2002 

Percent who volunteered 26.1% 28.9% 25.5% -0.6 pp* -3.4 pp 

religious institution.2 

Conclusion 

Americans who experience art or read literature are demonstrably more 

active in their communities than non-readers and non-participants. Their 

lifestyles reflect the same level of vigor and social commitment as those of 

sports enthusiasts. (According to separate findings from the survey, arts 

participants volunteer, exercise, and do outdoor activities at rates 

comparable to those of sports event attendees.)3 Thus, literary reading and 

arts participation rates can be regarded as sound indicators of civic and 

community health. 

Shifting the focus to young adults, the analysis finds that more than a quarter 

remain committed to charity work. Relatively stable, if small, percentages 

continue to engage in plays, musicals, and opera. For other performing arts, 

young adult attendance has declined, sometimes precipitously. 

Young adults also show diminished interest in reading, exercise, and sports 

events. Moreover, in no activities—arts or non-arts-related—did young adults 

in 2002 surpass the participation rates reported by young people in 1982 or 

1992. (The increase in opera attendance between 1982 and 2002 is 

statistically insignificant.) 

These declines merit attention because they are the first signals of arts 

participation patterns by Generation Y, the second largest generation in U.S. 

history. With 68 million people born between 1977 and 1994, this cohort’s 

current and future engagement levels will determine the viability of our arts 

and our communities. 

NOTES 

1 National Center for Health Statistics, Health United States, 2004. 

2 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Volunteering in the United States, 2005. 

3 More than half of performing arts attendees (50.9%) volunteered, 77.4% exercised, and 47% did 

outdoor activities, compared with non-attendees, whose rates were 19%, 44.7% and 23.5%, 

respectively. For sports attendees and non-attendees, the contrast was similar: 44.1% of attendees 

volunteered, 77.9% exercised, and 50.3% did outdoor activities, compared with non-attendees, 

whose respective rates were 20.6%, 42.2% and 20.2%. 

This report confirms what state, 

regional, and local arts agency and 

organization leaders know intuitively 

from their day-to-day transactions 

with artists, educators, and the 

broader public. Literature and arts 

participation are hallmarks of civic 

awareness. They play a part in 

revitalizing the communities in which we live and our 

sense of community at every level. 

To participate fully in our democratic society, every one 

of us must be prepared to imagine and make choices 

about the world as it could be, to express our ideas and 

interests precisely, and to empathize with the viewpoints 

of others. The arts offer bracing encounters with image 

and idea, with rhythm and melody; these engagements 

illuminate and animate the relationships we maintain in 

civic life. A red flag in this report is that many younger 

Americans are surrendering these valuable 

engagements. It will be the job of everyone, not just the 

arts sector, to win them back to the arts, back to 

education, and back to civic activity. 

––Jonathan Katz, CEO 

National Assembly of State Arts Agencies 

References 

National Endowment for the Arts. (March 2004). 2002 

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, Research 

Division Report #45. Washington, D.C. 

www.arts.gov/pub/NEASurvey2004.pdf 

National Endowment for the Arts. (June 2004). Reading 

at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, 

Research Division Report #46. Washington, D.C. 

www.arts.gov/pub/ReadingAtRisk.pdf 
A Great Nation Deserves Great Art.


NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS


1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.


Washington, D.C. 20506-0001


(202) 682-5400


www.arts.gov