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2008 Survey of 

Public Participation 

in the Arts

Research Report #49 

National Endowment for the Arts

November 2009
Research Report #49

November 2009

National Endowment for the Arts

1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20506-0001

Telephone: 202-682-5400

Prepared by Kevin Williams and David Keen, BBC Research & Consulting, Denver, CO 

Produced by the NEA Office of Research & Analysis

Sunil Iyengar, Director

Tom Bradshaw, Senior Research Officer

Bonnie Nichols, Research Analyst

Other staff contributors: Sarah Sullivan, Nona Milstead, Kelli Rogowski, and Ellen Grantham

Editorial and publication assistance by Don Ball

Designed by Fletcher Design, Inc./Washington, DC

Front Cover Photo: NEA Jazz Masters Frank Wess and Slide Hampton perform with the 

Bill Charlap Trio at the 2006 Savannah Music Festival. Photo by Ayano Hisa

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

2008 survey of public participation in the arts.

 p. cm. -- (Research report ; 49)

 “November 2009.”

 “Produced by the Office of Research & Analysis, Sunil Iyengar, Director,Tom Bradshaw, Senior 

Research Officer, Bonnie Nichols, Research Analyst”--T.p.verso.

 Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Arts audiences--United States--Statistics. 2. Arts surveys--United States. 3. Arts--

United States--Citizen participation--Statistics. I. Iyengar, Sunil. II. Bradshaw, Tom. III. 

Nichols, Bonnie. IV. National Endowment for the Arts. Research Division. V. Title: Survey of 

public participation in the arts.

 NX220.A166 2009

 700.973’090511--dc22

 2009045908 

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 

Office for AccessAbility at 202-682-5532 to obtain this publication in an alternate format.

This publication is available free of charge at www.arts.gov, the website of the National 

Endowment for the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts iii

preface

Most Americans are probably unaware 

that the federal government collects 

and analyzes information about their 

participation in arts and cultural activities. For 

more than a quarter-century, however, the National 

Endowment for the Arts has conducted a periodic 

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts to track 

adults’ reported levels of arts engagement. The most 

recent survey occurred in May 2008, in partnership 

with the United States Census Bureau. This report 

contains detailed findings from the 2008 survey, 

but it reviews them alongside data from prior 

survey years.

The task of measuring how often Americans 

participate in the arts—and in what sorts of ways—

is neither as simple nor as difficult as may appear. 

The variety of opportunities for arts engagement 

has grown exponentially since the survey 

began in 1982. The role of digital media in those 

interactions has acquired a significance that cultural 

historians—not to mention survey methodologists—

are only beginning to navigate. Even without the 

newer media, there always remained the thorny, 

existential question: what does it mean to have had 

an arts experience?

The 2008 survey, like its predecessors, is pragmatic. 

It opts for a careful mix of questions about 

traditional forms of live arts participation—gallery 

visits or attendance at performing arts events, for 

example—and alternative forms of participation that 

have grown popular in recent years.

The survey’s “core questions” ask large, nationally 

representative samples of the U.S. adult population 

about its attendance at seven types of performing 

arts event: jazz; classical music; opera; musicals; 

non-musical plays; ballet; dance “other” than ballet; 

and Latin, Spanish, or salsa music, a new category 

in 2008. Americans are also asked about their 

reading of literature and their visits to art museums 

or galleries, art and craft fairs, outdoor performing 

festivals, and parks and historic sites. Additional 

questions seek to know whether adults create or 

perform art of their own, whether they take arts 

classes or lessons, and whether they do a wide range 

of other leisure activities not necessarily involving 

the arts.

The 2008 survey results are, at a glance, 

disappointing. As reported in Arts Participation 

2008, a summary brochure of the survey’s findings, 

a smaller segment of the adult population either 

attended arts performances or visited art museums 

or galleries than in any prior survey. 

Nor were bad economic conditions in 2007-2008 the 

only factor at work. From 1982 to 2008, audiences for 

performances in classical music, ballet, non-musical 

theater, and—most conspicuously, jazz—have aged 

faster than the general adult population. Even among 

the most educated, adults are participating less than 

in previous years.

A single survey cannot explain all reasons for the 

nationwide decline. But this report offers many 

possibilities, not only for locating likely causes, but 

also for seeing a way forward. Take one observation: 

since 1982, the share of 18-24-year-olds who report 

having had any music education in their lives (now 

38 percent) has dropped by more than a third. For 

visual arts training, the proportion (now 21 percent) 

has nearly halved. Or another finding: that a gulf 

exists between the participation rates of certain 

geographic areas—notably the Northeastern and 

South Central states—suggesting regional disparities 

in access to arts opportunities of the type captured 
iv National Endowment for the Arts

by the survey. This nuance bears directly on the 

overall reported rates.

Other findings map out new beginnings. Compared 

with most other activities, Latin music concerts 

and outdoor performing arts festivals attract larger 

groups of young audiences, including adults at lower 

education and income levels. Similarly, new data 

about arts-going at schools and religious venues 

can yield fresh insights for arts administrators and 

community leaders. 

For example, there is sizeable overlap in populations 

that attend arts events and do other kinds of 

civic and social activities—a link that is largely 

independent of socioeconomic factors (see the 

NEA’s Research Note #98 at www.nea.gov/research/

Notes/98.pdf). In this light, it is instructive that 

young adults, who, as a group, participate less in 

most activities measured by the survey, nevertheless 

show a rise in volunteering. 

Yet even they are not impervious to the arts as 

a contributing factor. After all, relatively large 

percentages of young adults now engage with art 

through electronic media. (The majority of adults 

who go online to view or listen to music, theater, or 

dance performances say they are likely to do so at 

least once a week.) And, in 2008, Americans from 18 

to 24 years old showed the greatest gains of any age 

group in pursuing at least one type of arts activity—

the reading of literature.

Sunil Iyengar

Director, Research & Analysis

National Endowment for the Arts
Table of contents

1. Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

Attending Arts Exhibits and Performances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Other Modes of Arts Participation: Creating, Performing, Listening, and Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

Additional Resources and Analyses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Benchmark Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Data Collection Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Organization of the Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3. Attendance at Arts Performances and Other Arts Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Benchmark Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Performing Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Detailed Demographic Characteristics of Performing Arts Audiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Visual Arts and Historic Sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Predictors of Arts Attendance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

4. Participation via Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Performing Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Programs about Artists, Art Works, and Art Museums. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Programs about Books and Writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Literature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Internet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

5. Arts Creation, Performance, and Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Performing and Creating Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Owning Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Arts Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

6. Personal Preferences and Leisure Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Music Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Reading Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Other Leisure Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

7. Regional Differences in Arts Participation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Arts Attendance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Media Participation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Performing and Creating Art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Arts Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

8. Summary Results by Art Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Art Museums and Galleries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Musical Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 

Non-musical Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Classical Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Jazz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Ballet and Other Dance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 

Latin Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 

Appendices 

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts Background and Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Data Collection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Standard Errors, Hypothesis Testing, and Design Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 1

Executive Summary

Chapter 1

The 2008 Survey of Public Participation in 

the Arts (SPPA) marks the sixth National 

Endowment for the Arts (NEA) survey of arts 

participation in the past 26 years, updating results 

from 2002. Performed by the U.S. Bureau of the 

Census, the 2008 SPPA collected arts participation 

data and other information from more than 18,000 

adults (18 and above) across the United States. 

The SPPA represents the largest, most detailed 

long-term data source for a broad range of arts 

participation in the United States, including:

■■ Attending arts events; 

■■ Experiencing recorded or broadcasted live 

performances; 

■■ Exploring arts through the Internet;

■■ Personally performing or creating art; and

■■ Taking arts-related classes. 

Attending Arts Exhibits 

and Performances

One in three adults attended an art museum or a 

live arts performance in the 12 months ending in 

May 2008.1

■■ About 35 percent of all U.S. adults — or 78 

million Americans — visited an art museum or 

gallery or attended at least one of six types of the 

“benchmark” arts events tracked since 1982.2

■■ About 23 percent of all adults visited an art 

museum or gallery.

■■ Musicals drew 17 percent of all adults, and nonmusical plays drew 9 percent. 

■■ About 9 percent of adults attended classical 

music. Relatively fewer adults attended jazz 

(8 percent), ballet or other dance (7 percent), 

Latin or salsa music (5 percent), and opera 

(2 percent).3

Figure 1-1

Percentage of U.S. adults attending a benchmark 

arts activity at least once in the past 12 months: 

1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

1982 1992 2002 2008

39.0 39.4

34.6

41.0

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Year

Percent of adults

Note: Benchmark activities tracked since 1982 are attendance at jazz, 

classical music, opera, musical plays, non-musical plays, and ballet 

performances, and visits to art museums or art galleries.

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 1-2 shows the number of U.S. adults (in 

millions) attending an arts activity at least once in 

the 12 months ending in May 2008. More than 50 

million adults attended historic sites, art/craft fairs 

and festivals, and art museums or galleries in 2008. 

Outdoor performing arts festivals drew 47 million 

adults attending at least once in 2008. About 7 

million people attended a ballet, and 5 million 

attended an opera performance.

Declining percentage of adults attending arts events.

Relatively fewer adults attended performing 

arts events in 2008 than in previous years. 

The percentage of adults attending at least one 

benchmark arts activity declined from 39 percent 

in 2002 to less than 35 percent in 2008, as shown 

in Figure 1-1. Analysis of specific art forms are 

provided in Figure 1-3.

■■ The percentage of adults going to classical music, 

non-musical theater, ballet and other dance 

performances continued to decline from levels in 

previous years.

■■ Opera and jazz participation decreased for the 

first time in the survey’s history, with attendance 

rates falling below what they were in 1982.4

■■ Only musical plays saw no statistically 

significant change in participation from 2002 

to 2008.

Attendance at the most popular types of arts 

events — such as museums and craft fairs — also 

saw declines.

■■ After topping 26 percent in 1992 and 2002, 

art museum attendance slipped to 23 percent 

in 2008 — comparable to the 1982 level. For 

the first time in the SPPA, women reduced their 

rate of attendance.5

■■ The proportion of U.S. adults touring parks or 

historical buildings (25 percent) has diminished 

by one-third since 1982. 

Trends in attendance by art form are summarized 

in Figure 1-3. 

Economic conditions affecting arts participation. The 

declines in arts attendance occurred in a weakening 

economic climate and as travel costs were rising.

■■ At the time of the 2008 survey, the U.S. economy 

had been in recession for six months. Consumer 

spending throughout the survey period was 

Figure 1-2

Millions of U.S. adults attending a performing arts 

event or other arts activity at least once in the past 

12 months: 2008

0 20 40 60 80 100

Millions of U.S. Adults

Historic sites 56.0

Art/craft fairs

and festivals 55.1

Art museums/

galleries 51.1

Performing

arts festivals 46.7

Musical

plays 37.6

Non-musical

plays 21.2

Classical

music 20.9

Jazz 17.6

Other

dance 11.6

Latin

music 10.9

Ballet 6.6

Opera 4.8

Note: “Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, 

folk, and tap. 

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 3

Figure 1-3 

U.S. adults attending an activity at least once in past 

12 months: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: * Denotes “benchmark” art activity. 

“NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Questions concerning “Latin music” and 

“performing arts festivals” were asked for the first time in 2008. Questions 

concerning “other dance” were asked for the first time in 1992.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet, including modern, folk 

and tap.

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts. 

Percent of adults attending/

visiting/reading

Millions 

of adults

1982 1992 2002 2008 2008

Performing arts

Music

Jazz* 9.6 % 10.6 % 10.8 % 7.8 % 17.6

Classical music* 13.0 12.5 11.6 9.3 20.9

Opera* 3.0 3.3 3.2 2.1 4.8

Latin music NA NA NA 4.9 10.9

Performing arts 

festivals NA NA NA 20.8 46.7

Plays

Musical plays* 18.6 % 17.4 % 17.1 % 16.7 % 37.6

Non-musical plays* 11.9 13.5 12.3 9.4 21.2

Dance

Ballet* 4.2 % 4.7 % 3.9 % 2.9 % 6.6

Other dance NA 7.1 6.3 5.2 11.7

Visual arts

Art exhibitions

Art museums/

galleries* 22.1 % 26.7 % 26.5 % 22.7 % 51.1

Art/craft fairs 

and festivals 39.0 40.7 33.4 24.5 55.1

Parks and historic sites

Parks/monuments/

historic buildings/

neighborhoods

37.0 % 34.5 % 31.6 % 24.9 % 56.0

Literature 

Plays/poetry/

novels/short stories 56.9 % 54.0 % 46.7 % 50.2 % 112.8

Benchmark arts activities

Benchmark 

arts activities 39.0 % 41.0 % 39.4 % 34.6 % 77.8

weak.6 Consumer spending on performing arts 

admissions tracks closely with trends in the U.S. 

economy.7

■■ For much of the 2008 survey period, average gas 

prices were $3.00 or more per gallon. By contrast, 

the average per-gallon price of gasoline was only 

$1.51 in 2002, the prior year of the survey.8

■■ Participation rates for low-cost, low-travel arts 

opportunities, including literary reading and 

the researching of art over the Internet, were 

relatively high in 2008. That year, 41 percent of 

adults watched, listened, or explored the arts 

through some form of media. Literary reading 

rose from 2002 to 2008 to reach 50 percent of 

adults.9

Changes in attendance patterns by age group. Longterm trends suggest fundamental shifts in the 

relationship between age and arts attendance.10

■■ Performing arts attenders are increasingly older 

than the average U.S. adult. 

■■ Jazz concert-goers are no longer the youngest 

group of arts participants. Since 1982, young 

adult (18-24 years old) attendance rates for jazz 

and classical music have declined the most, 

relative to other art forms. 

■■ From 2002 to 2008, 45-54-year-olds — historically 

a large component of arts audiences — showed 

the steepest declines in attendance for arts events 

including classical music concerts, ballet and 

theater performances, and art museum visits. 

Sharp drops in attendance among the most educated 

adults. Arts activity still rises with education level,11

but even the most educated groups of Americans 

were participating less in 2008 than in 2002 

and 1982.12

■■ College-educated adults (including those with 

graduate or professional degrees) curbed their 

attendance in nearly all art forms.

■■ Ballet attendance for adults with a college degree 

declined at the sharpest rate — down by nearly 

one-half since 1982.
4 National Endowment for the Arts

Other Modes of Arts Participation: 

Creating, Performing, Listening, 

and Learning 

Creating and performing. Adults were generally 

creating or performing at lower rates in 2008 — 

despite opportunities for sharing their work online. 

Figure 1-6 shows these trends.

■■ Only photography/movie-making increased from 

1992 to 2008 — likely due to the advent of digital 

media, enhanced sharing/viewing opportunities 

through the Internet, and increased affordability 

of advanced equipment.

■■ The proportion of U.S. adults participating in 

creative writing has held at around 7 percent.

■■ The proportion of adults performing classical 

music slipped from 1992 to 2002, and then grew 

by 2008.

■■ Even though the adult participation rate for 

weaving, quilting, or sewing dropped by about 

one-half between 1992 and 2008, these activities 

remain among the most popular forms of arts 

creation.

Internet use. Many Americans use the Internet to 

engage with artworks or performances, and those 

who participate via the Internet do so frequently.

■■ Four in ten U.S. adults who used the Internet did 

so to view, listen to, download, or post artworks 

or performances in 2008.

■■ Of all Internet-users who downloaded, 

watched, or listened to music, theater, or dance 

performances online (30 percent), most did those 

activities at least once a week.

■■ Also typically once a week, 20 percent of 

all Internet-using adults viewed paintings, 

sculpture, or photography online. 

Other media use. As in prior years, more Americans 

listened to or watched recordings or broadcasts of 

performing arts events than attended them live.

■■ The sole exception is live theater, which still 

attracts higher percentages of adults than 

broadcasts or recordings of plays or musicals.

■■ Classical music broadcasts or recordings 

attracted the greatest number of adult listeners 

in 2008, followed by Latin or salsa music (see 

Figure 1-7).

Figure 1-4

Percentage of U.S. adults attending at least one 

benchmark activity in the past 12 months, by age 

group: 2002 and 2008

Figure 1-5

Percentage of U.S. adults attending at least one 

benchmark activity in the past 12 months, by 

educational level: 2002 and 2008

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75 and over

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Age

Percent of adults

33

36 36

42

37

46

36

41

37 35 33

23 21

40

2002 2008

Grade 

school

Some high

school

High school

graduate

Some

college

College

graduate

Graduate

school

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Education Level

Percent of adults

2002 2008

7 6

14 15

25

19

45

38

64

57

76

67

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts. 

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 5

Figure 1-6

U.S. adults performing or creating art at least once in 

past 12 months: 1992, 2002, and 2008

■■ About 34 million Americans listened to or 

watched recordings or programs about books 

(not including audio books). 

Adult arts lessons or classes. The 2008 SPPA asked 

adults about their exposure to arts and music 

lessons. 

■■ About 2.1 percent of adults took a visual arts 

class, 1.7 percent took a music lesson, and 1.4 

percent took a creative writing class at least once 

in the 12 months ending May 2008.

■■ Lifetime participation in arts learning activities 

was similar to the 2002 rate of participation for 

visual arts and music classes, but it declined for 

acting, writing, and music and art appreciation 

classes.

■■ Participation by young adults in arts learning 

activities has declined substantially since 1982 

across all art forms.

Performances in schools and religious institutions.

Schools and religious institutions engage sizeable 

percentages of Americans in arts events.

■■ One in four adults attended an elementary, 

middle, or high school music, theater, or dance 

performance in 2008.

■■ About 19 percent of all adults attended a live arts 

performance at a church, synagogue, or other 

religious institution.

Arts attendance and arts learning patterns for children 

of parents surveyed in the SPPA. The 2008 SPPA also 

collected information on arts attendance and art 

learning for children aged 5 to 17.

■■ One in three parents said their child had 

attended a music, theater, or dance performance 

outside of school.

■■ About 8 percent of parents with school-age 

children said their child had taken private arts 

lessons in the past year.

Percent of adults 

personally performing 

or creating

Millions 

of adults

1992 2002 2008 2008

Performing arts

Music

Jazz 1.7 % 1.3 % 1.4 % 3.1

Classical music 4.2 1.8 3.1 6.9

Opera 1.1 0.7 0.4 0.8

Choir/chorale 6.3 4.8 5.2 11.6

Playing a musical 

instrument NA NA 12.7 28.4

Plays

Musical plays 3.8 % 2.4 % 0.9 % 2.0

Non-musical plays 1.6 1.4 0.8 1.7

Dance

Ballet 0.2 % 0.3 % NA % NA

Other dance 8.1 4.2 NA NA

All dance NA NA 2.1 4.8

Creating

Visual arts

Painting/drawing/

sculpture 9.6 % 8.6 % 9.0 % 20.1

Pottery/jewelry 8.4 6.9 6.0 13.4

Weaving/sewing 24.8 16.0 13.1 29.5

Photography/movies 11.6 11.5 14.7 33.1

Owning 

Own original art 22.1 % 19.3 % 20.4 % 45.9

Purchased in 

last 12 months 7.3 5.7 5.9 13.2

Note: 1992 was the first year with questions in the SPPA about U.S. adults 

performing or creating art at least once in the past 12 months.

“NA” indicates “Not Asked.” A question concerning “Playing a musical 

instrument” was asked for the first time in 2008. In the 2008 SPPA, a single 

question asked about “all dance,” a category intended to cover at all types 

of dance performance. In the 1992 and 2002 SPPA, separate questions were 

asked about “ballet” and “other dance”, which referred to dance forms other 

than ballet.

Source: 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
6 National Endowment for the Arts

Additional Resources and Analyses

In an effort to improve the public’s understanding of 

issues critical to arts engagement, the NEA’s Office 

of Research and Analysis is currently exploring 

the relationship between arts participation and the 

following factors:

■■ Age;

■■ Race/ethnicity;

■■ Arts learning;

■■ Media and technology; and

■■ Arts creation and performance.

Reports on these and other topics will become 

available in 2010 via the NEA’s Research web page 

(www.nea.gov/research/index.html).

The complete 2008 SPPA dataset and questionaire 

can be downloaded from Princeton University’s 

Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive 

website at www.cpanda.org.

13 (The questionaire 

is also available on the NEA’s Research web page.) 

Alternatively, the dataset can be ordered from the 

U.S. Census Bureau, Customer Services Center.14

Further information on the details of the survey 

methodology is available in the 2008 SPPA User’s 

Guide.15 For a detailed description of Current 

Population Survey methodology, please see 

the U.S. Census Bureau technical brief at 

www.bls.census.gov/cps/tp/tp63.htm.

Figure 1-7

Number and percent of U.S. adults and number 

who watched or listened to a recorded or broadcast 

performance at least once in the past 12 months: 2008

Classical 

music

Latin 

music

Jazz Dance Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Opera 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

40.1

33.4

14.9

31.9

14.2

18.0

8.0

17.8

7.9

15.2

6.8

10.9

4.9

17.8

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 7

Notes: 

 1 Elementary or high school performances were not 

included in these figures. 

2 Those events are plays or musicals, classical music or 

jazz concerts, ballet or opera performances.

3 Latin/Spanish/salsa music attendance was asked about 

for the first time in 2008.

4 Trend analysis excludes data from the 1997 Survey 

of Public Participation in the Arts because of 

fundamental differences in data collection. (For 

details, see National Endowment for the Arts, 1997 

Survey of Public Participation in the Arts: Summary 

Report, 1999.) Similarly, the 1985 SPPA survey results 

are excluded because they are largely similar to the 

1982 survey results.

5 From 1982 to 2002, women increased their art museum 

attendance rate from 23.1 percent to 28.2 percent. In 

2008, their attendance rate retreated to 24.0 percent.

6 During the fourth quarter of 2007, real consumer 

spending grew by only 1 percent, according to the 

U.S. Department of Commerce (Bureau of Economic 

Analysis). For the next two consecutive quarters 

(January through June 2008), it grew by 0.9 percent 

and 1.2 percent, respectively. By comparison, real 

consumer spending grew by an annual average of 

3.0 percent in 2006.

7 For more information, see National Endowment for 

the Arts, Arts Participation 2008: Highlights from a 

National Survey. 

8 See U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, Average Price Data. Figures are reported for 

U.S. city averages and for all types of gasoline per gallon.

9 From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of adults reading 

literature rose from 46.7 percent to 50.2 percent. (For 

more information, see National Endowment for the Arts, 

Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy.)

10 Figure 1-4 captures data from 2002 to 2008 only. For 

tables illustrating age-related declines in attendance 

rates from 1982 to 2008, see Arts Participation 2008: 

Highlights from a National Survey and the tables 

available at www.nea.gov/research/SPPA/index.html.

11 See National Endowment for the Arts, Effects of Arts 

Education on Participation in the Arts, 1996, and Age and 

Arts Participation: 1982-1997, 2000.

12 Figure 1-5 captures data from 2002 to 2008 only. For 

a chart and tables illustrating education-related 

declines in attendance rates from 1982 to 2008, see 

Arts Participation 2008: Highlights from a National 

Survey and the tables available at www.nea.gov/

research/SPPA/index.html.

13 www.cpanda.org/cpanda/getDDIsummary.

xq?studyID=a00249

14 www.census.gov/aboutus/contacts.html

15 arts.endow.gov/research/SPPA/users-guide.pdf
8 National Endowment for the Arts

Audience at the National Book 

Festival in Washington, DC. 

Photo by Tom Roster
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 9

Introduction

Chapter 2

The Survey of Public Participation in the 

Arts (SPPA) has examined American adults’ 

patterns of arts participation in 1982, 1985, 

1992, 1997, 2002, and 2008. The 2008 SPPA collected 

self-reported data on participation in arts and 

cultural events from more than 18,000 adults across 

the United States.

The SPPA includes questions about different types 

of participation in the arts such as attending arts 

events, experiencing recorded or broadcasted live 

performances, exploring arts through the Internet, 

personally performing or creating art, and taking 

arts-related classes. 

For each of these types of arts participation, various 

art forms are represented in the survey. Figure 

2-1 shows areas of participation covered by the 

questionnaire, by art form, and the report chapter 

that discusses each item. 

Benchmark Activities

To facilitate analysis of long-term trends in the 

survey data, certain art forms have been designated 

as “benchmark” activities, as they have been 

included in each past survey. Overall “benchmark 

attendance” counts attendance for at least one of 

seven types of arts activity: jazz, classical music, 

opera, musical plays, non-musical plays, ballet, and 

visits to art museums or galleries. Figure 2-1 notes 

these benchmark activities with an asterisk.

Data Collection Methodology

Survey approach. The U.S. Census Bureau surveys 

about 60,000 households per month via the Current 

Population Survey (CPS). The 2008 SPPA was 

conducted as a supplement to the May 2008 CPS. 

SPPA questions asked about attendance and other 

activities during the prior 12 months. For ease of 

reading, this report refers to the timeframe of that 

participation as “2008” rather than “2007-2008.” 

The 2002 survey was conducted as a supplement to 

the August 2002 CPS. In 1982 and 1992, the SPPA 

was collected as a supplement to the U.S. Census 

Bureau’s National Crime Survey over all months of 

the year.

In the 2008 SPPA, a total of 18,444 responses 

were obtained. Rather than attempt to interview 

all adults in the household (as in 2002), the 2008 

SPPA randomly sampled adults and asked these 

respondents for information about themselves 

and, if applicable, for information about their 

spouses or partners. Interviewers collected 12,518 

self-responses from adults 18 and older and 5,926 

spouse/partner responses through this survey 

method. Each survey respondent was asked to 

answer the core arts audience questions along with 

two of the four other survey modules. 

Demographic data including gender, income, 

educational level, age, and race/ethnicity were 

used in weighting the survey data so that the 

results match characteristics of the total U.S. adult 

population. (These weights were determined by the 

U.S. Census Bureau.)

Appendix A presents information about the 

background and methodology for the SPPA. 

Appendix B briefly discusses calculation of 

standard errors, hypothesis tests, and design effects 

for the 2008 SPPA. Detailed information on the 

survey methodology is available in the 2008 SPPA 

User’s Guide.1

 For an overview of the CPS survey 

methodology, please see the U.S. Census Bureau’s 

technical brief: www.bls.census.gov/cps/tp/tp63.htm.

Comparison with previous SPPA results. The SPPA 

surveys conducted in 1982, 1992, and 2002, also 

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, serve as the 

points of comparison for the 2008 SPPA.2

 It should 

be noted that the August 2002 CPS used 1990 
10 National Endowment for the Arts

Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Attended/

visited/read

Watched

or listened

Experienced

online

Performed

or created Took a class

Performing arts

General performing arts n

Outdoor performing arts festivals n

Music n

Jazz* n n n

Classical* n n n

Opera* n n n

Latin n n

Choir/vocal group n

Playing an instrument n

Theater n

Musicals* n n n

Non-musicals* n n n

Dance n n n

Ballet* n

Other dance n

Visual arts

General art and artists** n n n

Art museums and galleries* n

Painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking n

Art photography, art movies n

Pottery, ceramics, jewelry, leatherwork, metalwork n

Weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlepoint, sewing n

Own original art n

Craft fairs/visual arts festivals n

Historic Sites

Parks/monuments/historic buildings/neighborhoods n

Literature 

Plays/poetry/novels/short stories n n

Creative writing n n

Books and writers n

Figure 2-1

Areas of SPPA questions for each art form in 2008 

Note: * Denotes benchmark arts activities. 

** Under “Watched and listened,” the category “General art and artists” refers to a broadcasted or recorded program about artists, art works, or art museums.” 

Under “Experienced online,” the category also refers to “paintings, sculpture, or photography.” Finally, under “Took a class,” the category refers to “sculpture, 

painting, printmaking, graphic design, photography, or film-making.” 

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 11

Census-based controls for population estimates, 

while the May 2008 CPS used 2000 Census-based 

controls. 

The Census Bureau encourages data users to exercise 

care when comparing population estimates between 

the two surveys, as changes in population estimates 

may differ “by more than what could be attributed to 

actual changes in the population.”3

Changes and additions to the survey questions. The 

2008 SPPA contains additional questions about 

Latin music and it features updated questions 

about Internet use. In addition, the 2008 survey 

asked about arts instruction provided for children 

in respondents’ households. New questions are 

identified in the survey instrument provided in 

Appendix C.

Tabulations. As with past SPPA reports, the survey 

results excluded cases where no response was given, 

or when the response was “I don’t know.” For most 

questions, the percentage excluded was very small, 

with fewer than 0.5 percent of survey respondents 

refusing to answer or answering “don’t know.” 

Organization of the Report

Report chapters are organized by type of arts 

participation: 

■■ Attendance — Chapter 3.

■■ Media participation — Chapter 4.

■■ Arts performance, creation, and learning — 

Chapter 5.

■■ Music and reading preferences — Chapter 6.

■■ Geographic differences in arts participation — 

Chapter 7.

For greater convenience, Chapter 8 provides onepage summaries of the SPPA results for jazz, 

classical music, opera, musicals, non-musical plays, 

ballet, other dance, Latin music, and art museum or 

gallery attendance. 

Each section examines changes from the 2002 SPPA 

as well as major differences in participation by age, 

gender, income, education level, and ethnicity or 

race. Unless otherwise noted, differences discussed 

in the text are statistically significant.4

It should be noted also that some figures may differ 

slightly from those shown in other reports and may 

not equal 100 percent due to rounding. 

Notes:

1 arts.endow.gov/research/SPPA/users-guide.pdf

2 The 1997 SPPA was a stand-alone telephone survey 

conducted by a private research firm. Because it 

employed a different sampling plan (random-digit dial 

telephone survey), its results are not directly comparable 

to other SPPAs. The 1997 Summary Report further 

explains why the 1997 data cannot be compared with 

earlier surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Results from the 1985 survey were largely similar to 

those in 1982, and also have been excluded from 

these analyses.

3 For example, in estimates for the civilian noninstitutional population, the number of households and 

families are about 1 percent higher when made using the 

2000 Census-based controls versus the 1990 Censusbased controls. The difference in population controls 

has little impact on averages, medians, and percentage 

distributions, however. See page 16-6, Source and 

Accuracy Statement for the May 2008 CPS Microdata File 

on Public Participation in the Arts, Attachment 16 to the 

Current Population Survey, May 2008 Public Participation 

in the Arts Supplement File Technical Domumentation 

CPS—008, www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/

cpsmay08.pdf. 

4 At the 95 percent confidence level, which means it is 

unlikely that the differences can be attributed to random 

chance in the survey sample.
12 National Endowment for the Arts

Artist Anatoly Tsiris showing his 

work at the McColl Arts Center in 

Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Photo by Mitchell Kearny
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 13

Chapter 3

Attendance at Arts Performances 

and Other Arts Events

The 2008 SPPA examines attendance at a 

number of different performing arts events 

as well as art museums and galleries, art 

fairs, and historic sites. The SPPA also studies 

reading habits. Activity is measured by the 

percentage of U.S. adults who attend, the number 

of “attenders,”1

 and the number of attendances in a 

12-month period.2

Benchmark Activities

The SPPA has tracked adult attendance at certain 

“benchmark” activities since 1982. If a survey 

respondent reported going to any jazz, classical 

music, opera, musical, play, or ballet performance, 

or to an art museum or gallery during the 12 months 

ending May 2008, the individual was counted as 

an attender of a benchmark activity. (Attendance 

at elementary or high school performances was 

not counted.) 

Percentage of U.S. adults going to a benchmark activity. 

The proportion of Americans who had gone to at 

least one of the seven types of benchmark activities 

had previously been very stable — 39 percent of 

survey respondents had attended a benchmark 

activity in 2002, approximately the same rate as 

found in 1982. The rate dropped below 35 percent 

in 2008.3

 

People attending. Limitations caused by the timing 

of decennial Census population adjustments to the 

CPS affect how accurately audience size can be 

estimated. Nevertheless, the smaller proportion of 

adults attending benchmark activities translates into 

fewer people going to arts venues. The number of 

people attending at least one benchmark arts activity 

fell to 78 million in 2008, as shown in Figure 3-1.

20%

0% 0

40%

60%

80%

100%

20

40

60

80

100

1982

39.0

66

41.0 39.4

34.6

76

81

78

1992 2002 2008

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

Year

Figure 3-1

Number and percentage of U.S. adults attending a 

benchmark arts activity at least once in the past 12 

months: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: Benchmark activities tracked since 1982 are attendance at jazz, 

classical music, opera, musical plays, non-musical plays, and ballet 

performances, and visits to art museums or art galleries.

Caution should be exercised in comparing estimates of the “number of 

attenders” across survey years as different decennial Census population 

controls were applied to each Census survey that hosted the SPPA. 

Participation rates are not affected and offer the most accurate comparison.

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
14 National Endowment for the Arts

Attendances. The 2002 SPPA counted 497 million 

attendances by adults for benchmark activities, 

which fell to 408 million attendances in 2008, 

almost a 20 percent drop.4

 Not only did a smaller 

proportion of adults go to a benchmark activity in 

2008, the average number of attendances per attender 

fell from 6.1 in 2002 to 5.2 in 2008. As explained 

in this chapter, decreases in attendances appear to 

affect nearly every art form in the SPPA.5

As these declines were substantial and broke with 

long-term trends, this chapter explores factors 

behind the drop in attendance between 2002 and 

2008. 

Demographic shifts in attendance. Understanding who 

goes to the arts is a first step in exploring changes in 

attendance in 2008. The SPPA includes information 

such as gender, age, education, income, race/

ethnicity, and the geographical region of attendees. 

For example, the third column in Figure 3-2 shows 

that 55 percent of the people who attend at least one 

benchmark activity are women. Almost 50 percent 

of adults going to at least one benchmark activity 

have household incomes of $75,000 or more. In 

2008, this income group comprised only one-third 

of U.S. adults. 

The fourth column of Figure 3-2 shows the 

percentage of people in that demographic group 

who attended at least one benchmark activity in 

2008. For example, 32 percent of men and 37 percent 

of women attended a benchmark activity in 2008. 

Among people in the highest income category, 68 

percent went to at least one benchmark activity.

Attendance of benchmark activities by educational 

attainment. A striking finding from the 2008 SPPA 

as well as from prior years is how closely attendance 

correlates with years of formal education — people 

with higher levels of education are more likely to 

attend the types of arts examined in the SPPA than 

people with less education. In 2008, 67 percent 

of people with graduate degrees attended at least 

one benchmark activity, compared with only 

38 percent of people with some college education 

and 19 percent of people with only a high school 

diploma. Figure 3-3 illustrates the percentage of 

adults, by education level, who went to at least one 

benchmark activity in 2008 and compares results 

with rates found in the 2002 SPPA.

Figure 3-2

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults attending at 

least one benchmark activity in the past 12 months, 

and the percentage of adults attending at least one 

benchmark activity: 2008

U.S. population Any benchmark activity

Millions Percent

Demographic 

distribution 

of attenders

Rate of 

attendance

All adults 224.8 34.6 %

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 45.0 % 32.3 %

Female 116.3 51.7 55.0 36.8

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 8.2 % 21.0 %

White* 154.5 68.7 78.9 39.7

African American* 25.6 11.4 7.0 21.5

Other* 14.3 6.4 5.9 31.9

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 12.1 % 32.7 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 18.5 36.0

35-44 41.8 18.6 20.0 37.2

45-54 43.9 19.5 20.4 36.1

55-64 33.3 14.8 15.8 36.9

65-74 19.9 8.8 8.5 33.4

75 and over 17.1 7.6 4.7 21.3

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 0.9 % 6.5 %

Some high school 22.1 9.8 4.1 14.5

High school 

graduate 68.3 30.4 16.7 19.0

Some college 61.4 27.3 30.1 38.1

College graduate 41.3 18.3 30.4 57.2

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 17.8 67.3

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 2.6 % 16.1 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 4.5 16.8

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 6.3 19.3

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 8.5 27.0

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 8.3 31.8

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 20.5 36.2

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 17.5 46.2

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 16.4 55.0

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 15.2 68.1

Total** 200.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Note: *Not including Hispanics.

** This total is only 200.8 million, and not 224.8 million, because 24 million adults 

did not report their income in the May 2008 CPS survey.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 15

The same types of differences in attendance are seen 

when examining the education level of respondents’ 

parents. Adults whose parents have relatively 

high levels of education are more likely to attend 

benchmark activities than adults whose parents 

have less education. Adults who have participated 

in arts learning activities at some point in their 

lives are also more likely to attend benchmark 

arts activities.

In 2008, the largest percentage point declines in 

attendance were for people with the most education. 

In 2002, three-quarters of people with a graduate 

education went to a benchmark activity. In 2008, 

only two-thirds of people with the most education 

attended one of the benchmark arts activities. 

The steepest rate of decline in attendance was seen 

for high school graduates, where rates dropped by 

one-quarter.

Attendance of benchmark activities, by age. Each SPPA, 

including the 2008 version, shows that people in 

their 40s and 50s are more likely to attend arts 

activities than younger adults.6

 Participation rates 

decrease for people 65 and older. Although this 

pattern has been stable throughout the history of the 

SPPA, there are some generational preferences for 

particular art forms that Americans carry with them 

as they grow older. 

Much of the overall decrease in rates of arts 

attendance identified between 2002 and 2008 was 

for people who, in 2008, were 35 to 54 years old. 

The oldest cohort of baby boomers—Americans 

who were 55 to 64 years old in 2008—better 

maintained its rate of art-going, as shown in 

Figure 3-4.7

 There were also minimal declines for 

the 65-to-74 age group. 

These age differences may reflect generational 

preferences, or they may indicate that the economic 

recession (beginning in late 2007) had a greater 

impact on arts-going for younger households, 

which were also those most immediately affected 

by slowing job growth and the threat of mortgage 

foreclosures from May 2007 to May 2008, the period 

of time covered by the 2008 survey.

The unemployment rate for people 55 to 64 years old 

who were in the labor force was just 3.7 percent in 

2008, considerably less than for younger age groups.8

Figure 3-3 

Percentage of U.S. adults attending at least one 

benchmark activity in the past 12 months, by 

educational level: 2002 and 2008

Figure 3-4 

Percentage of U.S. adults attending at least one 

benchmark activity in the past 12 months, by age 

group: 2002 and 2008

7

14

25

45

64

76

67

57

38

19

15

6

2002 2008

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Percent of adults

Grade 

school

Some high

school

High school

graduate

Some

college

College 

graduate

Graduate

school

Education Level

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65–74 75 and 

over

36 36 36 35 33

23 21

40 42

46

41

37

33

Age

2002 2008

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Percent of adults

37
16 National Endowment for the Arts

Performing Arts

The performing arts attendance patterns examined 

in the 2008 SPPA includes each of the performing art 

forms in the “benchmark” activities studied since 

1982, plus dance forms “other” than ballet (a survey 

question added in 1992). The data also capture adult 

attendance at two activities new to the 2008 SPPA — 

Latin music performances and outdoor performing 

arts festivals. 

Note that these data pertain to the number of people 

attending at least once in the 12-month period, not 

total attendance at all arts events. For example, a 

person going to the symphony three times in a year 

is only counted once in this analysis.

People attending. As shown in Figure 3-5, 47 million 

people reported going to an outdoor performing 

arts festival in 2008, which is more than for any 

other type of performing arts event included in the 

survey.9

 About 38 million people went to a musical 

play. About 11 million people attended a Latin 

music performance.

The number of people attending performing arts 

events declined for most art forms between 2002 

and 2008.10 

The largest absolute decline in audience size was 

for non-musical plays and jazz performances. On a 

relative basis, the decline in people going to opera 

was most severe. 

Attendances. Most arts organizations track 

attendance trends based on total tickets sold, 

admissions, or other measures of “attendances.” 

Because the NEA’s survey respondents are asked 

to recall how many times they went to a specific 

activity in the previous 12 months, the SPPA also 

provides estimates of total attendances by art form 

(excluding attendances at elementary or high school 

performances). Trends in attendances between 2002 

and 2008 must be viewed with some caution for the 

reasons previously stated.11

In 2008, there were more attendances at musical 

plays — 83 million — than any other type of 

performing arts studied in the SPPA. Attendances 

for musical plays saw little change from 2002 

to 2008, which was also true for the number of 

attendances at “other dance” performances.

Figure 3-5

Millions of U.S. adults attending a performing 

arts activity at least once in the past 12 months: 

2002 and 2008

46.7

35.1

37.6

25.2

21.2

23.8

20.9

22.2

17.6

12.1

11.6

10.9

8.0

6.6

6.6

4.8

0 20 40 60 80 100

N/A

N/A

Performing

arts festivals

Musical

plays

Non-musical

plays

Classical

music

Jazz

Other

dance

Latin

music

Ballet

Opera

Millions of U.S. Adults

2002 2008

Note: “NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Questions concerning “Latin music” and 

“performing arts festivals” were asked for the first time in 2008. 

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, 

and tap dance.

The use of a different population control in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2002 

Current Population Survey means that the number of attenders reported 

in the 2002 SPPA is underestimated. The actual decrease in number of 

attenders between 2002 and 2008 may be larger than shown.

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 17

Note: “NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Questions concerning “Latin music” were 

asked for the first time in 2008. 

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and 

tap dance.

The 2008 SPPA did not collect data on the number of attendances at 

performing arts festivals. 

The use of a different population control in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2002 

Current Population Survey means that the number of attendances reported 

in the SPPA is also underestimated. The actual decrease in number of 

attendances between 2002 and 2008 may be larger than shown.

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

Attendance at all other types of performing arts 

events studied in both 2002 and 2008 had large 

declines in 2008. Attendance declined most for jazz 

and classical music concerts and non-musical plays, 

as illustrated in Figure 3-6. On a percentage basis, 

opera saw the largest decline in attendances from 

2002 to 2008. 

Total attendances for Latin music performances — 

measured for the first time in 2008 — were about 

39 million.

Long-term trends in percentage of adults attending 

arts. Figure 3-7 examines the percentage of adults 

attending a specific type of performing arts event 

at least once in a 12-month period for 2008 and 

for three previous SPPAs. The table also displays 

the number of adults attending at least once in the 

SPPA years. In addition to performing arts, Figure 

3-7 tracks long-term trends for attendance at art 

museums and galleries, arts and craft festivals, and 

parks and historic sites.

Figure 3-7 shows a gradual, but steady decline 

since 1982 in the percentage of adults going to 

classical music and musical plays. For example, 

13 percent of adults reported going to a classical 

music performance in 1982, compared with about 

9 percent of adults in 2008. Substantial declines for 

jazz and opera were seen for the first time in 2008, 

while attendance at art museums and galleries 

dropped back to levels reported in 1982. Declines in 

participation in non-musical plays, ballet, and other 

dance were seen since 1992.

Long-term trends in average attendances and number 

of attendances. Figure 3-8 compares the number of 

attendances per attender and the total number of 

attendances for all performing arts forms for 1992, 

2002, and 2008. With the exception of attendances 

to art museums and galleries, most of the decline in 

total attendance for an activity is a function of fewer 

people going to performances, not a drop in the 

number of attendances per year for arts participants. 

Figure 3-8 also includes data for art museums/

galleries, discussed later in this chapter. In 2008, 

data on number of visits were not collected for 

performing arts festivals, art fairs, and historic sites. 

Figure 3-6 

Millions of attendances by U.S. adults at performing 

arts activities in the past 12 months: 2002 and 2008 

79.3

82.6

58.7

49.7

72.8

60.4

68.6

50.7

24.6

25.5

38.7

13.5

10.6

13.3

8.8

0 20 40 60 80 100

N/A

Musical

plays

Non-musical

plays

Classical

music

Jazz

Other

dance

Latin

music

Ballet

Opera

Millions of U.S. Adults

2002 2008
18 National Endowment for the Arts

Detailed Demographic Characteristics 

of Performing Arts Audiences

Figure 3-9 presents the demographic distribution of 

people who attend different types of art activities 

captured in the 2008 SPPA. Each attender is 

counted once in developing the data in Figure 

3-9. Figure 3-10, on the following page, shows 

information based on attendances, which is similar 

to portraying demographic data from ticket sales 

or visits (each attender is counted as many times 

as he or she attends). Finally, Figure 3-11 examines 

the percentage of U.S. adults who attended an 

activity at least once in the 12 months ending in 

May 2008. Figure 3-12 shows the average number of 

attendances per attender across demographic groups.

Demographic characteristics of attenders of each art 

form are described below. 

Outdoor performing arts festivals. Unlike most other 

arts activities, nearly as many men as women attend 

performing arts festivals (48 percent male). About 

77 percent of this audience is non-Hispanic white, 

lower than for most other art activities in the SPPA. 

Three-quarters of the audience is younger than 

55, and the age group most likely to attend is 35-to 

Percent of adults attending Millions of adults attending

1982 1992 2002 2008 1982 1992 2002 2008

Performing arts

Music

Jazz* 9.6 % 10.6 % 10.8 % 7.8 % 15.7 19.7 22.2 17.6

Classical music* 13.0 12.5 11.6 9.3 21.3 23.2 23.8 20.9

Opera* 3.0 3.3 3.2 2.1 4.5 6.1 6.6 4.8

Latin music NA NA NA 4.9 NA NA NA 10.9

Performing arts festivals NA NA NA 20.8 NA NA NA 46.7

Plays

Musical plays* 18.6 % 17.4 % 17.1 % 16.7 % 30.5 32.3 35.1 37.6

Non-musical plays* 11.9 13.5 12.3 9.4 19.5 25.1 25.2 21.2

Dance

Ballet* 4.2 % 4.7 % 3.9 % 2.9 % 6.9 8.7 8.0 6.6

Other dance NA 7.1 6.3 5.2 NA 13.2 12.1 11.6

Visual arts

Art exhibitions

Art museums/galleries* 22.1 % 26.7 % 26.5 % 22.7 % 36.2 49.6 54.3 51.1

Art/craft fairs and festivals 39.0 40.7 33.4 24.5 63.9 75.6 68.4 55.1

Parks and historic sites

Parks/monuments/historic 

buildings/neighborhoods 37.0 % 34.5 % 31.6 % 24.9 % 60.6 64.1 64.7 56.0

Benchmark arts activities

Benchmark arts activities 39.0 % 41.0 % 39.4 % 34.6 % 66.5 76.2 81.2 77.8

Figure 3-7

U.S. adults attending an activity at least once in the past 12 months: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: * Denotes a “benchmark” art activity. 

“NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Questions concerning “Latin music” and “performing arts festivals” were asked for the first time in 2008. Questions concerning 

“other dance” were asked for the first time in 1992.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and tap dance. This activity was added to the survey after 1982.

Caution should be exercised in comparing estimates of the number or “millions of attenders” across survey years, as different decennial Census population 

controls were applied to each Census survey that hosted the SPPA. Participation rates are not affected and offer the most accurate comparison.

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 19

Average number of attendances per attender Total number of attendances in millions

1992 2002 2008 1992 2002 2008

Performing arts

Music

Jazz* 2.9 3.1 2.9 57.1 68.8 50.7

Classical music* 2.6 3.1 2.9 60.3 72.8 60.4

Opera* 1.7 2.0 1.8 10.4 13.3 8.8

Latin music NA NA 3.5 NA NA 38.7

Plays

Musical plays* 2.3 2.3 2.2 74.5 79.3 82.6

Non-musical plays* 2.4 2.3 2.3 60.2 58.7 49.7

Dance

Ballet* 1.7 1.7 1.6 14.8 13.5 10.6

Other dance 3.0 2.0 2.2 39.6 24.6 25.5

Visual arts

Art exhibitions

Art museums/galleries* 3.3 3.5 2.9 163.7 190.6 148.6

Benchmark arts activities

Benchmark arts activities 5.7 6.1 5.2 441.0 497.0 408.1

Figure 3-8

Average number of attendances and total attendances: 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: * Denotes a “benchmark” art activity. 

“NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Questions concerning “Latin music” were asked for the first time in 2008. 

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and tap dance. 

Source: 1992, 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts. 

44-year-olds. By comparison, only 62 percent of the 

classical music audience and less than 70 percent of 

the musical plays audience is younger than 55. 

Although people with more education are the most 

likely to go to performing arts festivals, almost 30 

percent of attendees have no more than a high school 

education (a higher proportion than for audiences 

of any other type of performing arts event except for 

Latin music concerts). 

Musical plays. More women than men attend musicals 

— women were 58 percent of musical play-attenders 

in 2008, down from 61 percent in 2002. About onehalf of attenders were college graduates, or they had 

attended a graduate or professional school. 

Figure 3-11 examines attendance rates by specific 

demographic group. For example, 38 percent of 

people with graduate education attended musicals in 

2008 (a level that is unchanged from 2002), and just 

8 percent of adults with no formal education beyond 

a high school degree attended in 2008 (this rate 

was 9 percent in 2002, which is not a statistically 

significant difference).
20 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 3-9

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults attending different types of performing arts at least once in the 

past 12 months: 2008

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

** This total is only 200.8 million, and not 224.8 million, because 24 million adults did not report their income in the May 2008 CPS survey.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and tap dance.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

U.S. population

Jazz Classical 

music Opera

Latin 

music

Performing 

arts 

festivals

Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Ballet Other 

dance Millions Percent

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 47.6 % 44.3 % 41.4 % 47.9 % 47.9 % 41.6 % 41.8 % 36.4 % 41.4 %

Female 116.3 51.7 52.4 55.7 58.6 52.1 52.1 58.4 58.2 63.6 58.6

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 6.8 % 5.5 % 7.2 % 48.7 % 9.5 % 6.5 % 6.1 % 10.0 % 8.2 %

White* 154.5 68.7 77.5 83.3 82.3 43.9 76.7 82.5 83.2 81.9 79.0

African American* 25.6 11.4 12.5 5.2 3.9 3.7 8.3 5.8 6.6 4.2 6.5

Other* 14.3 6.4 3.2 6.0 6.7 3.7 5.5 5.1 4.1 3.9 6.2

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 11.9 % 9.5 % 7.4 % 18.2 % 13.2 % 11.1 % 11.2 % 10.8 % 14.0 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 17.4 13.3 13.9 21.8 19.4 16.9 17.2 14.1 15.9

35-44 41.8 18.6 17.1 17.8 21.9 24.0 21.7 20.2 17.7 21.8 17.0

45-54 43.9 19.5 24.4 21.4 21.6 17.5 22.0 20.3 18.1 21.2 19.8

55-64 33.3 14.8 18.4 18.5 16.6 13.8 14.7 17.3 19.5 15.4 19.0

65-74 19.9 8.8 6.9 11.6 12.1 3.6 6.6 9.5 10.3 13.0 10.5

75 and over 17.1 7.6 3.9 8.0 6.5 1.2 2.5 4.5 6.0 3.7 3.8

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 0.9 % 1.0 % 0.5 % 9.0 % 1.5 % 0.5 % 0.4 % 0.2 % 1.2 %

Some high school 22.1 9.8 3.1 2.5 2.5 11.0 5.5 3.0 2.9 1.9 4.2

High school graduate 68.3 30.4 15.1 10.3 9.5 20.7 21.3 14.7 12.8 10.5 13.1

Some college 61.4 27.3 28.4 26.8 21.3 22.5 30.7 28.0 26.1 28.2 30.6

College graduate 41.3 18.3 32.2 32.9 35.3 26.0 27.0 33.1 34.2 33.6 28.4

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 20.4 26.6 31.0 10.8 14.0 20.7 23.6 25.6 22.5

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 3.1 % 2.4 % 0.8 % 7.6 % 3.5 % 2.2 % 2.5 % 1.7 % 2.1 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 4.3 3.9 3.8 6.1 5.0 3.5 3.8 1.9 4.5

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 5.9 5.3 8.0 12.3 7.6 5.2 5.0 5.5 5.6

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 9.9 8.0 5.9 13.4 9.8 7.2 8.0 9.5 7.9

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 10.3 8.4 6.9 10.6 9.0 8.4 7.3 5.1 7.2

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 19.0 20.1 20.1 18.5 21.1 18.1 18.3 22.2 20.2

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 14.6 16.5 13.2 11.3 17.8 17.1 19.0 16.5 17.2

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 17.7 16.5 16.5 12.1 14.1 19.8 15.9 17.3 16.6

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 15.3 18.9 24.9 8.1 12.0 18.5 20.3 20.3 18.7

Total** 200.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 21

Figure 3-10

Demographic distribution of attendances for different types of performing arts in the past 12 months: 2008 

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and tap dance.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

Any 

benchmark 

arts activity

Jazz Classical 

music Opera

Latin 

music

Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Ballet Other 

dance

Gender

Male 45.3 % 48.8 % 52.2 % 42.2 % 53.3 % 41.6 % 44.9 % 40.1 % 39.4 %

Female 54.7 51.2 47.8 57.8 46.7 58.4 55.1 59.9 60.6

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 7.3 % 8.4 % 4.1 % 5.4 % 48.7 % 6.7 % 8.9 % 9.8 % 12.3 %

White* 82.7 76.3 87.4 84.8 33.6 84.1 82.2 82.1 72.7

African American* 5.4 12.6 4.0 3.1 2.2 5.0 5.3 4.4 7.6

Other* 4.6 2.7 4.5 6.6 15.4 4.2 3.7 3.7 7.4

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 11.2 % 16.0 % 7.3 % 5.0 % 27.6 % 11.8 % 10.5 % 11.0 % 14.5 %

25-34 16.4 15.7 13.0 9.7 30.9 16.3 18.6 13.7 17.2

35-44 18.7 18.2 15.8 25.1 17.8 17.9 15.6 22.1 16.2

45-54 20.3 21.8 22.0 23.2 9.6 19.0 16.8 21.8 16.2

55-64 17.7 15.5 20.7 18.5 8.5 19.1 20.0 15.1 18.0

65-74 10.4 9.0 12.3 12.4 5.1 10.7 12.2 11.9 13.9

75 and over 5.4 3.7 8.9 6.1 0.5 5.2 6.2 4.4 4.1

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 0.6 % 0.2 % 0.5 % 0.3 % 4.8 % 1.0 % 0.5 % 0.1 % 0.9 %

Some high school 2.5 2.1 2.0 1.6 18.8 2.9 2.5 2.3 4.9

High school graduate 10.8 13.1 8.2 9.6 17.0 14.7 11.7 10.8 16.0

Some college 25.2 25.7 22.5 19.6 19.6 26.5 22.3 26.2 28.0

College graduate 34.6 39.7 30.6 31.6 35.1 33.7 37.0 32.5 29.7

Graduate school 26.4 19.2 36.2 37.3 4.7 21.3 26.0 28.1 20.5

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 2.5 % 4.4 % 1.9 % 0.4 % 7.2 % 1.8 % 2.0 % 0.9 % 1.9 %

$10K to $20K 3.7 4.0 5.2 3.2 14.3 3.1 3.8 1.9 6.7

$20K to $30K 5.7 5.3 3.9 6.3 10.8 6.6 6.7 4.3 6.2

$30K to $40K 8.0 12.7 7.5 6.3 10.5 6.3 8.3 7.5 8.5

$40K to $50K 8.5 12.3 9.4 7.0 12.7 9.4 5.4 4.6 6.2

$50K to $75K 18.3 17.4 18.6 17.8 26.2 16.2 21.0 22.1 26.2

$75K to $100K 17.0 14.6 16.0 15.0 5.2 17.6 17.4 16.7 16.9

$100K to $150K 17.3 14.1 17.0 18.4 6.4 19.6 15.1 18.3 11.9

$150K and over 19.0 15.1 20.4 25.5 6.7 19.3 20.4 23.9 15.4

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
22 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 3-11

Percentage of U.S. adults who attend, by demographic group: 2008 

(percentage participating at least once in past 12 months)

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and tap dance.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

U.S. population Jazz Classical 

music Opera

Latin 

music

Performing

arts

festivals

Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Ballet Other 

dance

All adults Millions Percent 7.8 % 9.3 % 2.1 % 4.9 % 20.8 % 16.7 % 9.4 % 3.0 % 5.2 %

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 7.7 % 8.5 % 1.8 % 4.8 % 20.6 % 14.4 % 8.2 % 2.2 % 4.4 %

Female 116.3 51.7 7.9 10.0 2.4 4.9 20.9 18.9 10.6 3.6 5.9

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 3.9 % 3.8 % 1.1 % 17.4 % 14.8 % 8.1 % 4.3 % 2.2 % 3.2 %

White* 154.5 68.7 8.8 11.3 2.6 3.1 23.1 20.0 11.4 3.5 5.9

African American* 25.6 11.4 8.6 4.3 0.7 1.6 15.4 8.6 5.5 1.1 3.0

Other* 14.3 6.4 4.0 8.8 2.2 2.7 17.8 13.4 6.1 1.8 5.0

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 7.3 % 6.9 % 1.2 % 7.0 % 21.6 % 14.5 % 8.2 % 2.5 % 5.7 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 7.7 7.0 1.7 5.9 22.8 16.0 9.2 2.3 4.7

35-44 41.8 18.6 7.2 8.9 2.5 6.1 24.1 18.2 8.9 3.4 4.7

45-54 43.9 19.5 9.8 10.2 2.4 4.4 23.4 17.4 8.7 3.2 5.2

55-64 33.3 14.8 9.7 11.6 2.4 4.6 20.5 19.5 12.3 3.1 6.6

65-74 19.9 8.8 6.1 12.2 2.9 2.0 15.4 18.0 11.0 4.3 6.1

75 and over 17.1 7.6 4.0 9.7 1.8 0.8 6.8 10.0 7.4 1.4 2.6

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 1.5 % 1.8 % 0.2 % 8.5 % 6.0 % 1.7 % 0.7 % 0.1 % 1.2 %

Some high school 22.1 9.8 2.4 2.3 0.5 5.5 11.6 5.2 2.8 0.6 2.2

High school graduate 68.3 30.4 3.9 3.1 0.7 3.3 14.6 8.1 4.0 1.0 2.2

Some college 61.4 27.3 8.1 9.1 1.7 4.0 23.4 17.1 9.0 3.0 5.8

College graduate 41.3 18.3 13.7 16.7 4.1 6.8 30.6 30.1 17.5 5.4 8.0

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 17.4 27.1 7.3 5.8 31.7 37.9 24.3 8.2 12.7

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 4.3 % 4.0 % 0.3 % 6.7 % 12.8 % 6.6 % 4.2 % 0.9 % 2.0 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 3.6 3.9 0.9 3.4 11.2 6.3 3.7 0.6 2.5

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 4.1 4.4 1.5 5.5 14.0 7.7 4.1 1.4 2.6

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 7.1 6.8 1.1 6.1 18.7 11.0 6.7 2.6 3.8

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 8.9 8.7 1.6 5.9 20.7 15.4 7.4 1.7 4.1

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 7.6 9.5 2.1 4.8 22.5 15.4 8.6 3.4 5.3

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 8.7 11.7 2.1 4.2 28.1 21.8 13.4 3.7 6.8

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 13.4 14.8 3.3 5.6 28.4 32.0 14.1 5.0 8.3

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 15.4 22.8 6.8 5.3 32.3 40.1 24.2 7.8 12.5
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 23

Attendance at musicals differs relatively little across 

age groups from 25 to 74. Adults age 18 to 24 and 

those 75 and older are less likely to attend than 

adults of other age groups. Attenders age 65 and over 

attended more musical plays in the last year than 

younger attenders.

Non-Hispanic whites are the most likely to attend 

a musical play and Latinos are the least likely, 

although the rates of attendance for Hispanic 

Americans may have increased slightly from 2002 

to 2008 (their attendance rates were 6.9 percent in 

2002 and 8.1 percent in 2008, a difference that is not 

statistically significant). 

Non-musical plays. More women than men attend 

non-musical plays, and the percentage of adults 

going to non-musical plays fell for both women and 

men from 2002 to 2008. 

In 2002, people ages 45 to 54 were the most likely 

to attend a non-musical play. Fifteen percent of 

Americans in this age group attended at least one 

non-musical play in a 12-month period. In the 2008 

SPPA, by contrast, only 8.7 percent of people ages 

45 to 54 reported attending a non-musical play. 

The age group with the highest rate of attendance 

at non-musical plays was 55 to 64 years old 

(12.3 percent of this group went to a non-musical 

play in 2008). It appears that older baby boomers 

went to non-musical plays at a higher rate than 

younger baby boomers.

Figure 3-12

Average attendances per attender in the past 12 months, by demographic group: 2008

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

Demographic groups used in this analysis differ from earlier analyses due to limited sample sizes.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes modern, folk, and tap dance.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts

Jazz Classical 

music Opera

Latin 

music

Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Ballet Other dance

All adults 2.9 2.8 1.8 3.5 2.2 2.3 1.6 2.2

Gender

Male 3.0 3.1 1.8 3.9 2.2 2.5 1.8 2.1

Female 2.8 2.7 1.8 3.2 2.2 2.2 1.5 2.3

Race and ethnicity

White* 2.8 3.0 1.9 2.7 2.2 2.3 1.6 2.0

Non-white 3.1 2.2 1.6 4.2 2.0 2.5 1.6 2.8

Age

18-34 3.1 2.6 1.3 5.2 2.2 2.4 1.6 2.3

35-64 2.7 2.9 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.2 1.6 2.0

65 and over 3.4 3.2 1.8 4.0 2.5 2.7 1.6 2.7

Education

Non-college graduates 2.5 2.4 1.7 3.4 2.1 2.1 1.6 2.2

College graduate 3.2 3.2 1.9 3.8 2.2 2.6 1.6 2.2

Income

Less than $50K 3.4 2.9 1.7 3.8 2.2 2.3 1.4 2.4

$50K to $100K 2.8 2.8 1.8 3.6 2.1 2.4 1.6 2.5

$100K and over 2.6 3.1 1.9 2.3 2.2 2.3 1.8 1.7
24 National Endowment for the Arts

One-quarter of people with a graduate school 

education reported going to a non-musical play 

in 2008, still higher than for other groups, but 

substantially lower than the 32 percent found in 

2002. As with musicals, Figure 3-9 examines the 

demographic distribution of adults attending nonmusical plays. The percentage of adults going, by 

demographic group, is shown in Figure 3-10. For 

each demographic group, fewer people attended nonmusical plays in 2008 than went to musicals, and 

these gaps widened since 2002. 

Classical music. The SPPA defines “classical music” as 

symphony, chamber, or choral music performances. 

About 9.3 percent of adults attended a performance 

in 2008, continuing a pattern of declines that 

occurred over the previous 26 years. 

In 2002, people ages 45 to 64 were more likely to 

go to a classical music performance than adults of 

other age groups. The audience has shifted to older 

people — in 2008, 12 percent of Americans from 65 

to 74 years of age reported going to a classical music 

performance, compared with 10 percent of people 

ages 45-54 and only 7 percent of adults under 35. 

The largest decline in attendance rates was for 

people 55 to 64 (15.6 percent in 2002 versus 11.6 

percent in 2008).

About 27 percent of people with a graduate school 

education went to at least one classical music 

performance in 2008, down from more than onethird of these adults in 2002. Between 2002 and 

2008, attendance declined for each education group, 

income group, and racial/ethnic group. 

More women than men attend classical music 

performances, although this gap narrowed in 

2008. Additionally, males averaged slightly 

more performances in the last 12 months than 

females did.

Jazz. The rate of attendance among older baby 

boomers was relatively unchanged between 2002 

and 2008; the decline in jazz audiences centered 

on younger adults. For each age group under 55, the 

percentage of adults attending jazz performances 

dropped markedly from 2002 to 2008. 

The audience for live jazz continues to be divided 

almost evenly between men and women. Rates of 

attendance dropped the most between 2002 and 

2008 for African Americans, Latinos, and other 

minority groups. In 2002, African Americans were 

more likely to attend a jazz performance than other 

groups, but in 2008 attended at the same rate as nonHispanic whites. 

As with the other types of performing arts activities, 

attendance was higher in 2008 for groups with more 

formal education.

Interestingly, attenders with a family income of less 

than $50,000 attended more performances in 2008 

than attenders making over $100,000.

Latin music. The audience for live Latin music is 

49 percent Hispanic Americans, 44 percent nonHispanic whites, and 7 percent other groups. About 

17 percent of all Latinos reported going to see Latin 

music at least once in 2008. All age groups up to 65 

years old are likely to attend, although people ages 

18 to 44 are the largest audience. Men are nearly 

half of the audience. High-income attenders (with a 

household income of over $100,000) attended fewer 

performances than attenders with lower incomes.

Unlike other art forms tracked in the SPPA, the 

likelihood of attending did not rise with educational 

level — people of all educational levels are about 

equally as likely to see Latin music. 

Other dance. The 1992, 2002, and 2008 SPPA surveys 

asked adults about their attendance at “dance 

performances other than ballet, such as modern, folk 

or tap.” Responses to this question are found under 

“other dance.” 

Rates of attendance for “other dance” performances 

held steady or increased among older age groups, 

but declined between 2002 and 2008 for people 

under 55. Older baby boomers appear to be the core 

audience for “other dance.” 

Both formal education and income play a large part 

in predicting “other dance” attendance. People with 

high incomes (over $75,000) and those who attended 

graduate school are more likely to go to these types 

of dance performances. More women than men 

attend the performances.

Among people who went to an “other dance” 

performance in 2008, non-white attenders went to 

more performances than white attenders.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 25

Ballet. Women comprise much more of the nation’s 

ballet audience than found for other performing arts. 

In 2008, almost two-thirds of ballet attenders were 

female. Audiences for ballet also have the smallest 

representation of racial and ethnic minorities — in 

2008, 82 percent of attenders were non-Hispanic 

white. More than 40 percent of the audience was 

between the ages of 35 and 54. 

Attendance of ballet performances reached 8 

percent for people with a graduate education, the 

highest rate of any demographic segment studied for 

ballet. Only 1 percent of adults with a high school 

education went to the ballet in 2008. Attendances 

per attender were similar across the demographic 

groups analyzed in the survey.

Opera. About 59 percent of the audience for live 

opera is female. Two-thirds of the opera audience 

have at least a college degree. About 7 percent of 

adults with a graduate education went to the opera at 

least once in 2008, down from more than 10 percent 

in 2002. Fewer than one in 100 adults with a high 

school education went to opera in 2008.

The core audience for opera was older in 2008 than 

in 2002. In 2002, each group from age 45 to 74 was 

equally likely to attend — about 4 percent of people 

in these age groups reported going to at least one 

opera in the past 12 months. In 2008, however, the 

percentage of adults from 45 to 65 years old who 

attended opera declined by more than one-third.

Almost 20 percent of the people who go to opera are 

now 65 and older. According to the 2008 survey, 

people 65 to 74 were slightly more likely to attend 

opera than other age groups above 35. Younger 

attenders, on average, attended fewer performances 

in 2008 than older attenders.

Visual Arts and Historic Sites

The SPPA includes questions about visits to art 

museums or galleries and attendance at art or craft 

fairs and festivals.

People visiting. Fifty-one million U.S. adults went to 

an art museum or art gallery at least once in the 12 

months ending May 2008 based on SPPA data. This 

number corresponds to 23 percent of all adults (see 

Figure 3-7). The number of adults making a visit 

to an art museum or gallery dropped by about 3 

million between the 2002 and 2008 SPPA (see Figure 

3-13 on the following page; see also footnote 2). 

More people (55 million) went to art or craft fairs 

and festivals than art museums or galleries in 

2008. About 56 million people went to an historic 

site, which includes visits to historic parks or 

monuments, or tours of buildings or neighborhoods 

for their “historic or design value.”

The number of adults attending art/craft fairs and 

festivals fell by 13 million people between 2002 

and 2008.12 The number of people going to historic 

sites dropped by 9 million.13 For arts/craft fairs and 

festivals, the percentage of adults going at least once 

in the past 12 months declined from 33 percent in 

2002 to 24 percent in 2008. For historic sites, 

32 percent of adults made at least one visit in 2002, 

which declined to 25 percent in 2008.

The declines for art/craft fairs and festivals and for 

historic sites were considerably larger on an absolute 

and percentage basis than the drops for most 

performing arts.

The ability to visit art/craft fairs and festivals and 

historic sites might be more related to car-based 

tourism than to factors affecting attendance at 

performing arts events in general. Therefore, the 

greater declines in attendance for fairs, festivals, 

and historic sites may be in part due to high gas 

prices in 2007 and early 2008. May 2007 saw average 

retail gas prices at a then-historic $3.20 per gallon, 

which by May 2008 reached $4.00 per gallon. Mostly 

in response to higher gas prices, U.S. highway 

travel, measured by vehicle miles traveled, started 

declining in 2007.14 Vehicle miles traveled per capita 

dropped even more sharply.15

Visits. Adults made about 149 million visits to art 

museums and art galleries in 2008, about 42 million 

fewer visits than in 2002. These trends are also 

shown in Figure 3-13. People who go to art museums 

and galleries went an average of 3.5 times in 2002 

and only 2.9 times in 2008. 

The 2008 SPPA did not track the number of 

visits, per respondent, to art festivals or parks 

and historic sites. 

A 2006 study by the American Association 

of Museums reported that among its member 

institutions, attendance had not changed 

significantly since 2000.16 The Association of 

Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) 2007 and 2008 

surveys showed an increase in overall art museum 
26 National Endowment for the Arts

attendance from 2006 to 2007, when considering 

all museums that participated in both surveys. 

However, when considering only the top 10 mostattended museums from the 2007 survey that also 

participated in the 2008 survey, the AAMD report 

found a 6 percent decline in overall attendance.17

Demographic characteristics of people visiting art 

museum and galleries. About 55 percent of people 

who go to art museums or art galleries are women. 

Among adults who visit at least once in a 12-month 

period, three-quarters are younger than 55 years 

of age. More than 80 percent have at least some 

college education. These and other demographic 

characteristics of people who go to art museums and 

galleries are found in the third column of Figure 

3-14. Even counting number of visits (sixth column), 

women comprised the larger percentage of art 

museum attendance. 

Data pertaining to the likelihood that someone 

in a particular demographic group goes to an art 

museum or art gallery — see the seventh column of 

Figure 3-14 — reveal that 24 percent of women went 

at least once in 2008, compared with 21 percent of 

men. These figures represent declines from the 2002 

results for women and men alike.

About 41 percent of college graduates and 

52 percent of people with graduate degrees went 

to an art museum or gallery in 2008. Across age 

groups, there are no large differences until people 

reach 65 and older, when the percentage of adults 

visiting declines. 

Art and craft fairs and festivals. Figure 3-14 also 

provides demographic data on people who go to 

art and craft fairs and festivals. (Demographic data 

about people who attend performing arts festivals 

are shown separately. See Figure 3-11.) About 60 

percent of people who go to art/craft fairs and 

festivals are women. About 28 percent of women 

went to an art/craft fair or festival in 2008, compared 

with about 21 percent of men. People ages 35 to 64 

are most likely to go, with attendance to a fair or 

festival considerably lower for people younger than 

25 and older than 74. People with higher levels of 

education are more likely to go to art/craft fairs and 

festivals than adults with less education. 

Historic sites. The 2008 SPPA shows only slightly 

more women going to historic sites than men 

(53 percent to 47 percent, which is not statistically 

Figure 3-13

Millions of U.S. adults visiting art museums and 

galleries, art/craft fairs and festivals, and parks and 

historic sites in the past 12 months: 2002 and 2008; 

and millions of visits to art museums: 2002 and 2008 

Art museums/

galleries

Art/craft fairs

and festivals

Parks and

historic sites

Millions

0 50 100 150 200

54.3

51.1

68.4

55.1

64.7

56.0

190.6

148.6

2002 2008

Number of U.S. adults visiting

Number of visits by U.S. adults

Art museums/

galleries

Note: The undercount in adult population in the 2002 SPPA means that 

the number of attenders and visits are also underestimated. The actual 

decrease in number of attenders and visits between 2002 and 2008 may be 

larger than shown.

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 27

Figure 3-14

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults attending different types of arts events 

at least once in the past 12 months: 2008 

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

** This total is only 200.8 million, and not 224.8 million, because 24 million adults did not report their income in the May 2008 CPS survey.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

U.S. population Demographic distribution 

of visitors

Demographic 

distribution 

of visits

Proportion who visit

Millions Percent Art 

museum

Art/craft 

fairs and 

festivals

Parks and 

historic 

sites

Art 

museum

Art 

museum 

Art/craft 

fairs and 

festivals

Parks and 

historic 

sites

All Adults 224.8 22.7 % 24.5 % 24.9 %

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 45.4 % 40.3 % 47.2 % 45.9 % 21.4 % 20.5 % 24.4 %

Female 116.3 51.7 54.6 59.7 52.8 54.1 24.0 28.3 25.4

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 8.6 % 7.5 % 7.5 % 8.0 % 14.5 % 13.7 % 14.0 %

White* 154.5 68.7 78.9 82.4 81.6 82.2 26.0 29.3 29.5

African American* 25.6 11.4 5.9 5.6 5.7 4.1 12.0 12.2 12.6

Other* 14.3 6.4 6.6 4.4 5.1 5.7 23.4 17.0 20.0

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 12.9 % 9.3 % 11.2 % 11.4 % 22.9 % 17.8 % 21.9 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 18.8 16.4 18.2 17.8 24.3 22.7 25.7

35-44 41.8 18.6 21.1 20.7 20.1 20.8 25.7 27.2 26.8

45-54 43.9 19.5 20.0 23.2 22.0 20.6 23.3 29.1 28.0

55-64 33.3 14.8 15.9 17.6 16.5 15.8 24.3 28.9 27.6

65-74 19.9 8.8 7.7 8.9 8.5 9.0 19.9 24.8 24.1

75 and over 17.1 7.6 3.5 3.9 3.4 4.6 10.5 12.7 11.2

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 0.8 % 1.0 % 0.8 % 0.5 % 3.8 % 4.9 % 3.8 %

Some high school 22.1 9.8 4.0 4.5 3.6 2.7 9.2 11.2 9.1

High school graduate 68.3 30.4 12.8 21.5 17.8 8.6 9.6 17.3 14.6

Some college 61.4 27.3 28.5 30.6 31.1 26.6 23.8 27.5 28.4

College graduate 41.3 18.3 32.8 26.8 29.1 34.6 40.6 35.8 39.4

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 21.1 15.6 17.7 27.0 52.2 41.6 48.1

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 2.3 % 2.5 % 2.3 % 2.8 % 9.4 % 10.7 % 10.3 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 4.2 5.0 4.2 3.4 10.3 13.0 11.4

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 5.9 7.3 6.3 5.7 11.9 15.5 13.9

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 7.8 9.8 8.7 7.7 16.3 21.8 19.9

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 8.0 9.2 8.4 7.7 20.2 24.7 23.2

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 20.6 21.2 21.1 18.4 23.9 26.2 26.8

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 18.0 18.4 17.2 18.0 31.3 33.8 32.6

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 15.6 14.8 17.1 17.8 34.4 34.5 41.2

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 17.6 11.9 14.7 18.5 51.9 37.5 47.3

Total** 200.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
28 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 3-15

Effects of demographic characteristics on the likelihood 

of benchmark arts attendance in the past 12 months: 

2002 and 2008

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

** Statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

Any value reported as 0.0 is less than 0.05 (and may actually be 0.0).

Effects on attendance rates are shown in percentages. A model using 

the expanded income categories available for analysis in the 2008 survey 

showed similar results to the above model.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Marginal impact on 

likelihood of attendance

2002 2008

Gender

Male -9.8 % ** -6.5 % **

Female 0.0 0.0

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic -5.7 % ** -8.3 % **

White* 0.0 0.0

African American* -8.9 ** -9.7 **

Other* -9.7 ** -11.8 **

Age

18-24 0.0 % 0.0 %

25-34 -0.7 -4.0 **

35-44 0.4 -4.1 **

45-54 0.5 -4.9 **

55-64 -2.5 -6.0 **

65-74 -0.1 -1.2

75 and over -10.1 ** -9.7 **

Education

Grade school 0.0 % 0.0 %

Some high school 10.7 ** 11.3 **

High school graduate 21.4 ** 14.4 **

Some college 39.9 ** 32.3 **

College graduate 53.1 ** 48.3 **

Graduate school 58.8 ** 55.4 **

Income

Less than $30K 0.0 % 0.0 %

$30K to $49K 5.5 ** 9.1 **

$50K to $74K 11.7 ** 12.6 **

$75K and over 20.4 ** 22.2 **

Region

New England 0.0 % 0.0 %

Middle Atlantic 4.7 ** -2.6

South Atlantic 0.2 -5.3 **

East South Central -3.5 -9.1 **

East North Central 5.1 ** -0.5

West South Central 1.2 -7.2 **

West North Central 5.9 ** -2.9

Mountain 8.9 ** 0.4

Pacific 8.0 ** 4.8

Other

Reside in Metropolitan Area 8.3 % ** 6.9 % **

Married -3.7 ** -2.2

No child or child under 18 5.6 ** 3.0 **

significant). Except for people 75 and older, all 

age groups have a similar likelihood of going to 

historic sites. People with higher levels of education 

are much more likely to visit historic sites than 

people with less education. Figure 3-14 examines 

demographic characteristics of visitors to historic 

sites. 

Predictors of Arts Attendance

A number of factors discussed in this chapter (e.g., 

education, gender, and age) are strongly correlated 

with arts attendance. It can be rewarding (albeit 

technically challenging) to identify the factors that 

are most important when examined individually. 

Statistical models that isolate the effects of 

individual factors when considering all factors at 

once are often useful in these circumstances.18

The regression models developed for 2002 and 2008 

(shown in Figure 3-15) were generally consistent in 

their results. Models for both 2002 and 2008 confirm 

the central role that educational attainment plays in 

predicting art attendance or visitation. 

For example, in 2008, respondents with a college 

degree were 48 percent more likely to attend a 

benchmark arts activity than people who had 

just completed grade school, when controlling 

for other factors. (Demographic characteristics 

with a marginal impact of “0” shown in Figure 

3-15 represent the base case of the model against 

which the relative impact of other characteristics 

can be compared.) Statistically significant factors 

influencing attendance at a benchmark activity are 

noted with a double asterisk. 

Using the results of the 2002 model, one can 

estimate the expected participation rate for 

2008 respondents based on the demographic 

characteristics of U.S. adults in 2008. If attendance 

patterns for people in 2008 were similar to those of 

people with similar demographic characteristics in 

2002, then attendance at benchmark arts activities in 

2008 would have been 42 percent, not the 35 percent 

actually observed. 

In that case, participation would have been even 

higher than the 39 percent found in 2002 — 

exceeding even the 41 percent rate found in 1992. 

Differences in the model results between 2002 

and 2008 indicate some factors behind the change 
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 29

in benchmark attendance. For example, gender 

differences in attendance narrowed significantly 

between 2002 and 2008, which means that 

benchmark arts participation fell more for women 

than men in 2008 after controlling for other 

demographic characteristics.

In 2008, the size of the difference in attendance 

narrowed between adults with more education and 

adults with less education. In the case of adults 

with only “some college” education, the difference 

in attendance levels between 2002 and 2008 was 

statistically significant. 

After controlling for other demographic 

characteristics, people in each age group 54 and 

younger in 2008 appeared to be less likely to go to 

a benchmark arts activity than the same age groups 

in 2002. The difference in attendance levels for 

45-54 year-olds between 2002 and 2008 was 

statistically significant. 

It is likely that these differences in factors 

explaining benchmark arts attendance in 2002 and 

2008 are a combination of short-term economic 

conditions and long-term trends independent of the 

recession that began in 2007. 

Not considered in this section is the potential impact 

of prior arts education on attendance patterns. This 

correlation will be examined in an upcoming NEA 

research report.

Literature

The SPPA also asks about reading habits. In 2008, 

54 percent of adults indicated they had read a book 

during the previous 12 months that was not required 

for work or school, a 2 percentage point decline from 

2002. However, the percentage of adults reading 

“literature” (defined as plays, poetry, or novels) 

increased from 47 percent of adults in 2002 to 50 

percent in 2008.19 Increases in literary reading 

occurred across virtually all demographic groups. 

Figure 3-16 examines trends in the reading of 

literature since 1982. The number of adults reading 

literature is estimated to be 113 million in 2008, up 

from 2002.20

Women read literature in greater numbers than 

men — 60 percent of literary readers are women, as 

reported in Figure 3-17 on the following page. People 

Figure 3-16

U.S. adults reading plays, poetry, novels, and 

short stories at least once in the past 12 months: 

1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

25

50

75

100

125

1982 1992 2002 2008

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

56.9

93.3

54.0

100.3

46.7

95.3

50.2

112.9

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
30 National Endowment for the Arts

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

** This total is only 200.8 million, and not 224.8 million, because 24 million adults did not report their income in the May 2008 CPS survey.

“Reading books” or “reading literature” only include those not required for work or school. “Literature” is defined as plays, poetry or novels.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Figure 3-17

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults reading books and literature, and rates at which 

adults read books and literature: 2008 

U.S. population Demographic distribution 

of adults who read

Proportion of adults 

who read

Millions Percent Books Literature Books Literature

All Adults 224.8 54.3 % 50.2 %

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 41.2 % 40.3 % 46.3 % 41.9 %

Female 116.3 51.7 58.8 59.7 61.7 58.0

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 8.1 % 8.6 % 32.8 % 31.9 %

White* 154.5 68.7 77.3 76.3 60.8 55.6

African American* 25.6 11.4 9.0 9.6 43.4 42.6

Other* 14.3 6.4 5.6 5.5 47.7 43.9

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 11.9 % 13.1 % 50.7 % 51.7 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 17.7 17.7 54.1 50.0

35-44 41.8 18.6 19.4 18.8 56.2 50.7

45-54 43.9 19.5 19.6 19.7 54.2 50.2

55-64 33.3 14.8 16.0 15.8 58.4 53.1

65-74 19.9 8.8 8.8 8.7 54.5 49.1

75 and over 17.1 7.6 6.6 6.4 47.4 42.3

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 1.7 % 1.8 % 18.7 % 18.5 %

Some high school 22.1 9.8 6.0 6.8 33.4 34.3

High school graduate 68.3 30.4 23.2 23.5 41.5 39.1

Some college 61.4 27.3 30.3 30.6 60.0 56.2

College graduate 41.3 18.3 25.1 24.4 74.1 66.6

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 13.7 12.9 80.8 71.2

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 4.3 % 4.4 % 41.1 % 38.6 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 7.0 7.3 40.5 38.3

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 9.0 9.5 42.7 41.7

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 9.7 9.6 47.4 43.2

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 9.3 9.5 54.8 51.9

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 20.4 20.0 55.6 50.1

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 15.7 15.7 63.8 59.1

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 13.4 13.0 69.3 62.1

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 11.2 11.0 77.4 71.2

Total** 200.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 31

of all age groups, except for people 75 and older, are 

about as likely as other age groups to read literature. 

More than 40 percent of African Americans and 

about one-third of Hispanic Americans report 

reading literature. 

For young adults (18–24), literary reading increased 

at the sharpest rate relative to other age groups. 

Between 2002 and 2008, their literary reading rate 

grew by nine percentage points, to 52 percent.

The largest differences in literary reading are related 

to education level — two-thirds of people with a 

college degree read literature, compared with about 

two-fifths of people with a high school education. 

The NEA’s January 2009 report Reading on the Rise, 

however, found that the greatest increases in literary 

reading from 2002 to 2008 were among groups with 

less formal education — suggesting that educationrelated gaps in literary reading may be narrowing 

somewhat.

The increase in literary reading may be due to more 

people reading novels and short stories, as shown in 

Figure 3-18. In the 2008 SPPA, 47 percent of adults 

said that they read fiction, compared with 45 percent 

in 2002. The percentage of adults reporting that 

they read poetry declined between 2002 and 

2008 (12.1 percent to 8.3 percent). Reading of plays 

also dropped between these two years (3.6 percent 

to 2.6 percent). 

Figure 3-19 displays the reading frequency of U.S. 

adults for all books (not just literature) in 2002 and 

2008. As shown in the top half of the table, the 

proportion of adults reading 12 or more books per 

year decreased in 2008 from 2002. While there was 

an increase in the number of “moderate” readers 

(6-11 books per year) in 2008, the total number of 

adults reporting reading any books in the past 12 

months was lower in 2008 when compared with 

results from 2002. Among all adults in 2008, about 

26 percent were light readers (1-5 books per year) 

and about 4 percent were avid readers (50 books 

or more). As shown in the bottom half of the table, 

among readers alone, almost half were light readers 

and about 7 percent were avid readers.

Among adults who read, an average of 12.8 books 

were read during the 12 months ending May 2008, 

a decrease from the average of 17.3 books reported 

in 2002. 

Figure 3-18

Percentage of U.S. adults who read fiction (a novel or 

short story), poetry, and plays: 2008

Fiction

Poetry

0% 20% 60% 80% 100%

190.6

2002 2008

Plays

45.1

47.0

12.1

8.3

3.6

2.6

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

Figure 3-19

Reading frequency of U.S. adults: 2002 and 2008

(books read per year)

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

Number of books 

read per year

Percent of adults

2002 2008

Among all adults

Light (1-5 books) 29.4 % 26.1 %

Moderate (6-11 books) 7.4 10.9

Frequent (12-49 books) 15.7 13.7

Avid (50 books or more) 4.1 3.6

Among all readers

Light (1-5 books) 51.9 % 48.1 %

Moderate (6-11 books) 13.0 20.0

Frequent (12-49 books) 27.8 25.2

Avid (50 books or more) 7.3 6.7
32 National Endowment for the Arts

Notes:

1 In this report, “attenders” are adults who went to an 

activity at least once in the 12-month period.

2 Because upward revisions to the count of adults living 

in the United States in 2002 took place after the 2002 

SPPA was conducted (as a supplement to the August 

2002 CPS), the 2002 CPS somewhat underestimates 

the U.S. population. Consequently, the SPPA 

underestimates the total number of attenders (perhaps 

by about 1%, but an exact figure is not known). See 

Source and Accuracy Statement for the May 2008 CPS 

Micro Data File on Public Participation in the Arts, cited in 

Chapter 2, footnote 3.

3 A statistically significant difference at the 95% 

confidence level. 

4 See footnote 2.

5 Also, people who went to benchmark activities went, on 

average, to fewer types of activities in 2008 (2.04) than 

in 2002 (2.15, a statistically significant difference).

6 Arts managers have worried for several decades that 

their audiences are graying and won’t be replaced. In 

general, however, aging audiences have been replaced 

by new people in their 40s and 50s — not because of an 

overall rise in participation rates, but rather because of 

the sheer size of the baby boomer population working 

through these typically higher participation ages. See, 

for example, NEA Research Report #42 — Age and Arts 

Participation: 1982-1997.

7 The 2008 SPPA suggests a marked generational split 

between older baby boomers — people born between 

1946 and 1954 — and younger boomers, sometimes 

called “Generation Jones” (born between 1955 and 1964).

8 The average unemployment rate for the civilian 

population in the workforce in 2008 was 5.8 percent for 

people ages 25-34, 4.6 percent for people ages 35-44, 

and 4.1 percent for people ages 45-54, based on U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics data: 

www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm#empstat. 

9 Attendance in the 12 months ending May 2008 is often 

referred to as “2008 attendance” in this report, even 

though it spans the period from May 2007 to May 2008. 

10 See footnote 2.

11 See footnote 2.

12 The wording for this question has changed from 

2002 to 2008. In 2002, the SPPA asked, “During the 

last 12 months, did you visit an art fair or festival, or a 

craft fair or festival?” The 2008 SPPA asked, “During 

the last 12 months, did you visit a crafts fair or a visual 

arts festival?”

13 An analysis of historic site and battlefield attendance, 

using National Park Service data (available at 

www.nature.nps.gov/stats/), did not show similar 

declines; however, it is important to note that these data 

include children and estimate total attendance rather 

than the number of unique adult visitors to historic sites.

14 Robert Puentes and Adie Tomer, The Road ... Less 

Traveled: An Analysis of Vehicle Miles Traveled Trends 

in the U.S, 2008, Brookings Institution, 

www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2008/

1216_transportation_tomer_puentes/vehicle_miles_

traveled_report.pdf.

15 However, a similar drop in vehicle miles traveled per 

capita also occurred in the months after September 11, 

2001—a factor that likely affected arts event attendance 

patterns reported in the 2002 SPPA. Per-capita VMT in 

2001-2002 was similar to that for May 2007-May 2008.

16 “AAM Press Release: AAM Releases Survey – Offers 

Financial Snapshot of Museum Field.” 2006. American 

Association of Museums. Retrieved 17 March 2009 from: 

www.aam-us.org/pressreleases.cfm?mode=list&id=116.

 17 The Association of Art Museum Directors provided its 

2007 and 2008 statistical surveys as a courtesy to the 

National Endowment for the Arts.

18 This statistical technique is multi-variate regression 

analysis. Models predict whether or not an adult 

attended at least one benchmark activity in 2008 

through a type of regression model known as probit. 

19 The overall trends in reading were previously reported 

by the NEA in the January 2009 Reading on the Rise, 

a New Chapter in American Literacy, www.arts.gov/

research/readingonrise.pdf. 

20 As previously noted, estimates of the number of people 

participating in an activity in the 2002 SPPA may be 

somewhat understated. Yet this factor alone would not 

explain the apparent increase in the number of adults 

involved in literary reading between 2002 and 2008.

34 National Endowment for the Arts

Ian McKellen (seated) led the cast of the 

Royal Shakespeare Company’s production 

of King Lear, which was shown on PBS’s 

Great Performances series. 

Photo by Simon Farrell
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 35

Participation via Media

Chapter 4

The rapid evolution of new media platforms 

over the past three decades has posed a 

recurring challenge to NEA researchers as 

they attempt to gauge the expansive role of those 

technologies in driving arts participation patterns. 

The SPPA’s questions about media and technology 

have changed accordingly in recent years — a factor 

that limits long-term trend analyses. 

In the 2008 SPPA, questions about arts participation 

via electronic media were introduced with the 

following statement: “The next questions are 

about watching or listening to a recorded or live 

broadcasted arts performance on television, radio 

or on computer, including watching or listing on a 

portable media device such as an mp3 player, cell 

phone, or portable DVD player.”

The survey then asked about participation in the 

prior 12 months.1

 This chapter describes media 

participation in the visual and performing arts and 

in the reading of literature. It also examines use 

of the Internet, in particular, for arts and cultural 

engagement.

Performing Arts 

In 2008, 41 percent of U.S. adults watched, listened 

to, or otherwise explored the arts through some 

form of electronic media. (These types of artworks, 

performances, and programs are shown in Figure 

4-2.) About 5 percent of adults say they watch or 

listen to opera via recorded or broadcast media. For 

jazz and Latin music, the media participation rate is 

substantially higher—about 15 percent of all adults, 

for each type of music—and for classical music it is 

18 percent.

Adult audiences for recorded or broadcast media in 

2008 ranged from 11 million for opera to 40 million 

Figure 4-1 

Number and percentage of U.S. adults who watched 

or listened to a recorded or broadcast performance at 

least once in the past 12 months: 2008

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

20

40

60

80

100

Classical music Latin music Jazz Dance Musical plays Nonmusical plays

Opera

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

40.1

33.4 31.9

17.8 17.8 14.9 14.2

8.0

18.0

7.9 6.8

15.2

4.9

10.9

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
36 National Endowment for the Arts

for classical music, as illustrated in Figure 4-1. The 

total audience participating through these media is 

more than double the number of Americans going to 

live performances. 

Classical music. More U.S. adults watched or 

listened to classical music through electronic 

media (18 percent of adults) than any other art form 

studied in the 2008 SPPA. Although media-related 

questions differed in 2002, participation in classical 

music via media appears to be declining. Women 

constitute more of the classical music audience than 

men, as shown in Figure 4-2. Nearly 40 percent of 

adults who watch or listen to classical music via 

media are 45 to 64 years old.

Figure 4-3 reports the percentage of adults in each 

demographic group who participate in art forms 

via electronic media. For example, about 39 percent 

of people who had a graduate education reported 

watching or listening to classical music via media, 

compared with less than 10 percent of respondents 

who had completed high school but not attended 

college. 

Latin music. As noted earlier, about 15 percent of 

adults listened to or watched Latin music via media 

in 2008. This was the first year for questions about 

Latin music in the SPPA.

More men than women watch or listen to Latin 

music. Hispanics represent 49 percent of people 

watching or listening to Latin music, with nonHispanic whites forming 41 percent of the media 

audience (see Figure 4-2). 

Another way to analyze participation through media 

is to examine, within an individual demographic 

group, the percentage of members that watch or 

listen to Latin music. As shown in Figure 4-3, about 

55 percent of Latinos watch or listen, compared with 

9 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Younger people 

(aged 18 to 34) are most likely to watch or listen to 

recorded or live broadcasted Latin music. About 26 

percent of adults with only a grade school education 

participate in Latin music through media, a much 

higher percentage than for any other art form for this 

education group.

Jazz. About as many people watch or listen to jazz 

via media (14% of adults) as to Latin music.2

 Jazz is 

the one art form where men and women participate 

equally when watching and listening via media, as 

shown in Figure 4-2. (The live jazz audience is also 

distributed equally between men and women.) Forty 

percent of American adults watching and listening 

to jazz are 35 to 54.

African Americans participate in jazz via media at 

a higher rate than non-Hispanic whites and other 

groups. Hispanic Americans are the least likely to 

watch or listen to jazz (see Figure 4-3). About onequarter of all adults with graduate degrees reported 

listening or watching jazz via media.

Dance. Unlike the survey questions for live arts 

participation, the media-related questions did not 

ask separately about ballet. Rather, the question 

identified ballet among other types of dance 

activities. 

Eight percent of adults responded “yes” when 

asked, “With the exception of music videos, did you 

watch or listen to a recorded or live broadcasted 

ballet, modern, folk, tap, or Broadway-style dance 

performance?”

Nearly two-thirds of people watching dance 

performances via media were women. Compared 

with other art forms, more people watching or 

listening to dance were older — about one-quarter 

were 65+. People ages 65 to 74 were most likely 

and adults ages 25 to 44 were least likely to watch 

or listen to a dance performance. Participation in 

dance via media is greater for people with more 

education. 

The demographic characteristics of people who 

watch or listen to dance are similar to results 

presented in the 2002 SPPA.

Musical plays. Among all types of performing arts 

captured by the SPPA, musical plays and nonmusical plays have the unique distinction of 

attracting more participants through live events 

than through broadcast or recorded media.

About 8 percent of adults reported watching or 

listening to musical plays through media in the 

2008 SPPA.3

 (By contrast, more than double that 

proportion—16.7 percent of U.S. adults—reported 

seeing a live musical play in 2008.) The percentage 

of adults participating via media is 10 percent for 

people ages 55 to 64 and for people ages 65 to 74.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 37

U.S. 

Population 

in Millions

Percent Jazz Classical 

music Opera

Latin 

music

Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Dance

Programs 

about 

art**

Programs 

about books 

or writers

Literature

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 50.9 % 45.6 % 41.8 % 51.5 % 40.1 % 42.3 % 36.3 % 46.5 % 44.9 % 42.1 %

Female 116.3 51.7 49.1 54.4 58.2 48.5 59.9 57.7 63.7 53.5 55.1 57.9

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 8.9 % 9.0 % 9.5 % 49.2 % 9.7 % 14.4 % 6.6 % 9.7 % 7.4 % 10.6 %

White* 154.5 68.7 69.1 75.7 77.0 40.5 75.9 65.4 78.1 76.7 78.3 78.9

African 

American* 25.6 11.4 15.9 6.9 5.9 7.7 10.1 14.3 9.6 7.5 8.3 5.6

Other* 14.3 6.4 6.0 8.4 7.5 2.6 4.3 5.9 5.7 6.2 6.0 4.9

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 13.7 % 12.3 % 10.3 % 16.4 % 11.2 % 15.6 % 12.1 % 12.4 % 12.8 % 11.9 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 15.9 13.7 12.8 21.8 13.5 15.5 11.3 14.2 14.6 21.0

35-44 41.8 18.6 18.1 16.1 10.9 21.1 18.9 14.4 14.2 17.3 18.3 16.9

45-54 43.9 19.5 21.8 19.6 18.0 18.6 21.0 21.0 22.1 22.9 21.3 21.2

55-64 33.3 14.8 15.9 19.6 25.1 12.1 17.2 14.4 16.8 19.0 17.4 15.6

65-74 19.9 8.8 8.5 9.7 12.9 5.9 10.7 10.8 14.3 8.4 9.6 9.9

75 and over 17.1 7.6 6.2 9.0 10.0 4.1 7.4 8.3 9.2 5.8 6.0 3.4

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 2.0 % 2.2 % 3.1 % 7.9 % 2.4 % 3.0 % 2.5 % 2.4 % 1.5 % 1.5 %

Some high 

school 22.1 9.8 6.4 4.9 4.9 12.8 4.7 6.1 4.0 5.7 4.2 6.2

High school 

graduate 68.3 30.4 20.8 17.3 14.9 24.8 15.9 24.4 21.0 16.9 14.2 17.9

Some college 61.4 27.3 30.0 29.0 27.2 26.6 33.4 31.4 32.6 30.0 30.9 26.0

College graduate 41.3 18.3 25.9 27.8 27.3 17.7 31.5 23.2 23.7 28.3 28.7 30.5

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 15.0 19.0 22.7 10.2 12.1 11.9 16.1 16.7 20.5 18.1

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 5.2 % 3.3 % 5.8 % 5.0 % 4.3 % 4.6 % 5.8 % 4.3 % 4.0 % 4.1 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 6.5 6.6 7.9 10.7 6.0 7.5 7.2 5.7 5.9 6.5

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 11.0 9.1 8.9 15.0 10.3 13.7 12.0 8.3 7.8 8.3

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 9.9 9.0 5.4 11.2 5.8 9.7 9.4 8.9 10.0 7.6

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 8.2 9.5 8.3 9.5 10.6 9.1 10.8 10.1 8.9 7.6

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 20.3 18.4 19.5 17.3 20.4 17.7 17.2 19.7 17.0 19.6

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 16.9 17.3 16.4 16.5 15.7 17.4 15.4 17.2 18.3 15.0

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 11.2 13.6 14.5 7.5 14.8 9.3 13.2 13.8 16.1 16.1

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 10.9 13.3 13.3 7.4 12.3 11.0 9.0 12.0 11.9 15.3

Total*** 200.8 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Figure 4-2

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults participating in the arts through electronic media 

at least once in the past 12 months: 2008

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

** “Programs about art” includes programs about artists, artworks and art museums.

*** This total is only 200.8 million, and not 224.8 million, because 24 million adults did not report their income in the May 2008 CPS survey.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
38 National Endowment for the Arts

Jazz Classical 

music Opera

Latin 

music

Musical 

plays

Nonmusical 

plays

Dance

Programs 

about 

art**

Programs 

about books 

or writers

Literature

All Adults 14.2 % 17.8 % 4.9 % 14.9 % 7.9 % 6.8 % 8.0 % 15.1 % 15.0 % 10.0 %

Gender

Male 14.9 % 16.7 % 4.2 % 15.8 % 6.5 % 5.9 % 6.0 % 14.4 % 13.8 % 8.7 %

Female 13.6 18.9 5.5 14.0 9.2 7.6 9.9 15.7 16.1 11.2

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 9.6 % 12.1 % 3.5 % 55.2 % 5.8 % 7.4 % 4.0 % 11.0 % 8.3 % 8.1 %

White* 14.2 19.6 5.5 8.8 8.7 6.4 9.1 16.8 17.1 11.6

African American* 19.6 10.7 2.5 10.0 6.9 8.4 6.6 9.8 10.8 4.9

Other* 13.3 23.5 5.7 6.0 5.3 6.3 7.2 14.4 14.0 6.8

Age

18-24 15.0 % 16.9 % 3.9 % 18.8 % 6.9 % 8.2 % 7.5 % 14.5 % 14.9 % 9.1 %

25-34 13.2 14.3 3.7 19.0 6.2 6.1 5.3 12.5 12.8 12.0

35-44 13.2 14.7 2.7 16.1 7.7 5.0 5.8 13.3 14.1 9.1

45-54 15.3 17.2 4.3 13.6 8.2 7.0 8.7 17.0 15.7 10.8

55-64 15.9 24.7 8.6 12.7 9.6 6.9 9.4 20.1 18.2 10.7

65-74 13.9 20.1 7.3 10.2 9.9 8.5 13.3 14.8 16.8 10.7

75 and over 11.9 21.6 6.6 8.3 8.0 7.5 9.9 11.8 12.3 4.7

Education

Grade school 6.1 % 8.4 % 3.3 % 25.8 % 4.2 % 4.5 % 4.5 % 7.9 % 4.9 % 2.7 %

Some high school 8.9 8.6 2.3 18.7 3.6 4.0 3.1 8.4 6.2 6.3

High school graduate 9.3 9.7 2.3 11.6 4.0 5.2 5.3 8.0 6.7 6.0

Some college 15.6 18.9 4.8 14.5 9.7 7.8 9.6 16.5 17.0 9.7

College graduate 20.9 28.1 7.5 15.0 14.1 8.9 10.7 24.2 24.5 16.0

Graduate school 24.6 39.1 12.8 17.5 11.0 9.3 14.8 28.9 35.4 19.8

Income

Less than $10K 13.7 % 11.0 % 5.2 % 13.8 % 6.4 % 5.8 % 8.9 % 12.2 % 11.5 % 7.2 %

$10K to $20K 9.8 12.5 4.1 16.9 5.1 5.4 6.2 9.0 9.5 6.9

$20K to $30K 14.0 14.6 3.9 20.0 7.4 8.5 8.8 11.3 10.9 7.3

$30K to $40K 12.2 14.2 2.3 14.6 4.1 5.8 6.7 11.7 13.3 7.3

$40K to $50K 12.8 18.9 4.4 15.7 9.3 6.8 9.7 16.8 14.8 8.6

$50K to $75K 14.5 16.8 4.8 13.1 8.3 6.1 7.1 15.0 13.1 10.3

$75K to $100K 17.1 22.0 5.6 17.4 8.9 8.4 8.8 18.3 19.7 11.7

$100K to $150K 16.6 25.6 7.3 11.7 12.4 6.6 11.2 21.7 25.8 15.0

$150K and over 21.2 32.4 8.7 14.9 13.4 10.2 9.9 24.5 24.3 19.7

Figure 4-3

Percentage of U.S. adults that participated in the arts through electronic media: 2008

(percentage participating at least once in the past 12 months)

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

** “Programs about art” includes programs about artists, artworks and art museums.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. 
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 39

Figure 4-4

Number and percentage of U.S. adults who watched 

or listened to a broadcast or recorded program about 

artists/art or books/writers: 2008

More women than men watch musicals and listen to 

recordings of musicals — the audience is 60 percent 

female. 

Non-musical plays. The media audience for watching 

and listening to non-musical plays is about 7 

percent of all adults — compared with 9.4 percent 

of adults attending live non-musical plays.4

 Adults 

24 and younger and between 65 and 74 years of 

age are slightly more likely to watch or listen to a 

non-musical play via media. Education is a strong 

predictor of who views or listens to plays in this 

format. About 58 percent of the adult audience 

watching or listening to non-musical plays via 

media are women.

Opera. Opera participation exclusively via media has 

the smallest audience of any performing art studied 

in the SPPA. In 2008, about 5 percent of adults 

reported watching or listening to opera via media. 

(The 2002 SPPA found that people equally view and 

solely listen to opera via media.) 

Rates of participation through media are highest for 

adults with the most formal education (13 percent 

of people with graduate degrees say they watch or 

listen to opera via media). As in the 2002 SPPA, 

people over 55 years of age are about twice as likely 

to watch or listen to opera as younger adults. Women 

represent 58 percent of the opera media audience. 

Programs about Artists, Art Works, 

and Art Museums

Respondents to the 2008 SPPA were asked if they 

had watched or listened to a broadcast or recorded 

program about artists, art works, or art museums 

in the previous 12 months. Results indicate that 

15 percent of adults, about 34 million people, had 

watched or listened to a program on artists, art, or 

art museums (see Figure 4-4). 

People most likely to watch or listen to programs on 

artists, art works, and art museums are Americans 

age 55 to 64 (20 percent of this group participated) 

and people with at least a college or graduate degree 

(more than 24 percent participated). 

Figure 4-3 presents rates of participation via 

programs on artists, art works, and art museums. 

Figure 4-2 shows the demographic composition of 

this audience.

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

20

40

60

80

100

Artists, art works or art museum Books or writers

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

15.0

33.8

15.0

33.7

Note: At least once in the past 12 months.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
40 National Endowment for the Arts

Programs about Books and Writers

The SPPA asked respondents whether they listened 

to a program about books or writers.5

 Results were 

similar to those for rates of viewing or listening to 

programs on artists, art works, and art museums. 

As illustrated in Figure 4-4, about 34 million adults 

(15 percent) had watched or listened to a program 

about books or writers. More than one-third of 

people with a graduate school education reported 

watching or listening to a program on books or 

writers. People ages 55 to 64 participate at a higher 

rate than other age groups (see Figure 4-3). 

More women than men watch programs on books 

and writers. People with household incomes of at 

least $75,000 comprise nearly half of all adults 

(46 percent) watching these programs, as reported 

in Figure 4-2.

Literature

Respondents to the 2008 SPPA were also asked 

if they had listened to live or recorded literature 

(in the previous 12 months). Ten percent of U.S. 

adults, or about 22 million people, had listened to 

live or recorded novels, short stories, or poetry (see 

Figure 4-5).

People with more formal education (college or 

graduate degree) and higher incomes reported 

higher rates of listening to live or recorded literature. 

Adults over age 75 reported the lowest rates of 

listening to live or recorded literature. There were 

no statistically significant differences between other 

age groups. 

Internet

The previous section discussed electronic media, 

which, according to the survey questions, could 

have included Internet use. The 2008 SPPA also 

specifically asked adults whether they used the 

Internet in the past 12 months, including use 

related to performing arts, visual arts, literature, 

and other arts activities. Questions about 

participation excluded any use required for work 

or school. Overall, 70 percent of adults reported 

using the Internet.6

Reading articles, essays, or blogs. About 42 percent of 

all adults indicated that they read articles, essays, or 

blogs either on the Internet or downloaded from the 

Figure 4-5

Number and percentage of U.S. adults who listened to 

live or recorded literature: 2008

Figure 4-6

Percentage of all U.S. adults and “Internet users” 

using the Internet to explore the arts: 2008 

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

20

40

60

80

100

Literature

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

10.0

22.4

Note: At least once in the past 12 months.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. 

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Purpose of Internet use Among all 

adults

Among all 

Internet users

Read articles, essays or blogs 41.5 % 59.4 %

Read literature 14.9 21.3

Watch/listen/download music or 

theater/dance performances 21.1 30.1

Look at visual art 14.1 20.2

Obtain information about 

exhibits or performances 24.4 34.9

Post creative writing, 

artworks, or performances 5.0 7.2

Use Internet for any reason 69.9 100.0
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 41

Internet, as shown in the left-hand column of Figure 

4-5. The right-hand column of Figure 4-6 shows the 

percent of “Internet users” (59 percent) who read 

articles, essays, or blogs on the Internet. 

Reading literature. When asked if they had read any 

novels, short stories, or poetry either on the Internet 

or downloaded from the Internet, 15 percent of all 

adults said that they had.

Listening or watching music or performances. About 

one in five adults reported using the Internet to 

watch, listen to, or download live or recorded music, 

theater, or dance performances. 

Viewing visual art online. The 2008 SPPA also asked 

about use of the Internet to view visual art online 

including paintings, sculpture, or photography. 

About 14 percent of all adults said that they had 

looked at visual art online.

Information about performances or exhibits, including 

purchasing tickets online. One-quarter of all adults said 

that they had used the Internet to get information 

about performances or exhibits, which, for some, 

could include purchasing tickets.

Creating or posting own art online. The final question 

concerning use of the Internet asked adults whether 

they had used the Internet to create or post their own 

art online, including design, music, photography, 

films, video, or creative writing. About 5 percent had 

done so.

Notes:

1 The wording of the 2008 SPPA media question 

substantially broadened the types of media and also 

combined results for specific types of media. Therefore, 

most 2008 results from media participation questions 

are not directly comparable with survey results from 

previous years.

2 Results from the 2002 SPPA indicate that many who 

participate via media are listening to jazz rather than 

watching jazz on television or through video recordings.

3 From the 2002 SPPA, we know that most people 

participating in musical plays through media watch 

rather than solely listen to a musical. Relatively few 

listen to a musical play on the radio or listen to a 

recording—although one cannot say for certain that such 

listening habits extend to show tunes or soundtracks, 

where dialogue is not included.

4 The 2002 SPPA determined that most adults view nonmusical plays through media rather than solely listen to 

recordings or broadcasts of these types of plays.

5 This survey question refers to programs about books 

or writers and not books on tape or other recordings 

of books. 

6 Frequency of Internet use for arts participation is 

not discussed in this section, but will be examined 

in a future NEA report. Of all Internet-users who 

downloaded, watched, or listened to music, theater, 

or dance performances online (30 percent), most did 

so at least once a week. See Arts Participation 2008: 

Highlights from a National Survey, at www.nea.gov/

research/NEA-SPPA-brochure.pdf.
42 National Endowment for the Arts

The San Francisco Ballet, with students 

from the San Francisco Ballet School, 

performs The Nutcracker. 

Photo by Erik Tomasson
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 43

Chapter 5

Arts Creation, Performance, 

and Learning

Historic levels of arts attendance have been 

studied extensively by researchers working 

with the Survey of Public Participation in 

the Arts, but attendance is not the only type of arts 

participation captured by the NEA survey. The SPPA 

also measures self-reported levels of participation 

through performance and creation of artworks, as 

well as taking classes related to art. Among arts 

programmers in particular, there is a growing 

interest in looking at all forms of engagement in the 

arts (including creation, performance, and learning) 

to understand the potential links between them, 

especially given the multiplicity of ways that new 

technology allows one to engage. 

Performing and Creating Art

The SPPA asks adults whether they had personally 

performed or created different types of performing 

and visual arts in the prior 12 months. Although 

each SPPA since 1992 asked about personal 

participation, questions have changed over time, 

especially regarding arts learning of respondents’ 

children and arts engagement via the Internet. 

Certain 2008 SPPA responses may not be perfectly 

comparable to the 2002 SPPA.1

In total, 10 percent of the 2008 survey respondents 

said that they had performed or created at least 

one of the art forms examined in the survey. About 

22.7 million adults participated in the arts through 

performance or arts creation. In 2002, the rate of 

participation was about 8 percent. 

The largest increases in personal participation in 

2008 were seen in performing classical music and 

creating photography or movies (as shown in 

Figure 5-2). 

Performing music, plays, or dance. The 2008 SPPA 

examined personal performance related to:

Figure 5-1

Number and percentage of U.S. adults personally 

performing at least once in the past 12 months: 2008 Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

0

5

10

15

20

5.2

11.6

3.1

6.9

2.1

4.8

1.4

3.1

0.9

2.0

0.8

1.7

0.4 0.8

Choir/

vocal 

group

Classical 

music

Dance Jazz 

music

Musical 

play

Nonmusical 

play

Opera

Note: In the 2008 SPPA, only one category for all types of dance was 

provided to respondents. 

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
44 National Endowment for the Arts

■■ Singing in a chorale, choir, or glee club or other 

type of vocal group (the 2002 SPPA question 

included “public performance” and “rehearsal 

for a public performance” in this question);

■■ Performing or rehearsing classical music;

■■ Dancing ballet or other dance such as modern, 

folk, tap, or Broadway-style dance (combines two 

2002 SPPA questions and adds “Broadway-style 

dance”); 

■■ Performing or rehearsing jazz music;

■■ Singing or acting in a musical play (the 2002 

SPPA referred to “singing music from a musical 

play or operetta”);

■■ Acting in a non-musical play (the 2002 SPPA 

referred to acting in or rehearsing for a public 

performance);

■■ Singing music from an opera; and

■■ Playing a musical instrument.2

Figure 5-1 shows the number and proportion of U.S. 

adults singing, playing music, dancing, and acting 

in 2008. 

In the following paragraphs, small differences in 

arts participation notes may not be statistically 

significant. 

Singing in a choir or other vocal group. Among the 

performing arts, singing in a choir or other vocal 

group drew the most participants. In 2008, 5.2 

percent of survey respondents said they had sung in 

a chorale, choir, or glee club or other type of vocal 

group in the past 12 months. 

With 11.6 million adults participating, this activity 

had more than double the number of participants of 

any other type of personal performance other than 

classical music (6.9 million adults participating). 

There was no statistically significant difference in 

the proportion of adults that reported singing in a 

choir or chorale in 2002 and 2008.

Figure 5-2 examines rates of creation and 

performance for performing arts, visual arts, and 

literature for 1992, 2002, and 2008. 

Figure 5-10 near the end of this section analyzes 

the demographic distribution of adults personally 

participating in each art form. About 63 percent 

of people who sang in choirs or other vocal groups 

are women. 

Figure 5-2

U.S. adults performing or creating art at least once in 

past 12 months: 1992, 2002, and 2008 

Note: 1992 was the first year with questions in the SPPA about U.S. adults 

performing or creating art at least once in the past 12 months.

“NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Questions concerning “Playing a musical 

instrument” were asked for the first time in 2008. In the 2008 SPPA, only 

one category for all types of dance was provided to respondents, referred to 

as “all dance.” “Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet. It includes 

modern, folk, and tap dance.

Source: 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

Percent of adults 

personally performing 

or creating

Millions of adults 

personally performing 

or creating

1992 2002 2008 1992 2002 2008

Performing

Music

Jazz 1.7 % 1.3 % 1.4 % 3.2 2.7 3.1

Classical music 4.2 1.8 3.1 7.8 3.7 6.9

Opera 1.1 0.7 0.4 2.0 1.4 0.8

Choir/chorale 6.3 4.8 5.2 11.7 9.8 11.6

Playing a musical 

instrument NA NA 12.6 NA NA 28.4

Plays

Musical plays 3.8 % 2.4 % 0.9 % 7.1 4.9 2.0

Non-musical plays 1.6 1.4 0.8 3.0 2.9 1.7

Dance

Ballet 0.2 % 0.3 % NA % 0.4 0.6 NA

Other dance 8.1 4.2 NA 15.0 8.6 NA

All dance NA NA 2.1 NA NA 4.8

Creating 

Visual arts

Painting/drawing/

sculpture 9.6 % 8.6 % 9.0 % 17.8 17.6 20.1

Pottery/jewelry 8.4 6.9 6.0 15.6 14.1 13.4

Weaving/sewing 24.8 16.0 13.1 46.1 32.7 29.5

Photography/

movies 11.6 11.5 14.7 21.6 23.5 33.1

Literature

Plays/poetry/

novels/short stories 7.4 % 7.0 % 6.9 % 13.7 14.4 15.5

Owning 

Original art 22.1 % 19.3 % 20.4 % 41.1 39.7 45.9

Purchased in last 

12 months 7.3 % 5.7 % 5.9 % 13.3 11.7 13.2
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 45

Figure 5-11 at the end of this section presents 

participation rates by demographic group. African 

Americans are almost twice as likely to sing 

in a choir or other vocal group as other adults. 

Latinos are the least likely to participate in a choir. 

Participation rates are highest for adults 18 to 24 and 

people 45 to 74. 

Performing classical music. Personal performance of 

classical music declined sharply from 1992 to 2002, 

but appeared to rebound in 2008. The proportion 

of all adults reporting they had performed classical 

music at least once in the past 12 months increased 

from 1.8 percent in 2002 to 3.1 percent in 2008. In 

2008, about 7 million adults reported performing 

classical music. 

Personal performance of classical music is highly 

correlated with educational level, more so than 

other performing arts. Adults with at least a college 

degree are six times more likely to personally 

perform classical music compared with high school 

graduates, as shown in Figure 5-3. In contrast, highly 

educated individuals are only slightly more likely to 

sing in a choir, sing opera, or act in a play than those 

with a high school education. 

Performing dance. According to the 2008 survey 

results, 4.8 million adults in the 2008 SPPA 

performed dance of some type at least once in 

the past 12 months. Although changes in survey 

questions make trend analysis in this area difficult, 

the 2.1 percent of adults involved in dance in 

2008 appears to represent a decline from previous 

years — in 2002, 4.2 percent of adults said they 

participated in dance other than ballet, including 

modern, folk and tap. Participation in dance 

performances has been declining since at least 1992. 

More than two-thirds of adults participating in 

dance performances are women (see Figure 5-10 at 

the end of this section). Both young and older adults 

participate in dance — and the highest rates of 

participation are among people 18 to 24 and 65 to 74 

(see Figure 5-11 at the end of this section). 

Figure 5-3 shows that people of higher education 

levels are somewhat more likely to participate in 

dance than adults with less education. 

Performing jazz music. The performance of jazz 

music involved about 3 million adults in 2008. 

Participation held steady at slightly more than 1 

percent of adults for 2002 and 2008. 

Figure 5-3

Personal participation rates of adults with at least 

a college degree and those with only a high school 

education: 2008

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

Perform 

opera

Act Perform

musical

Perform 

jazz

Perform 

dance

Perform 

classical 

music

Perform 

choir/

chorale

0.3 0.4 0.8 1.2

2.2 2.7

5.7 6.3

0.6 0.4 0.5

1.6

0.9

3.9

High school degree

College and/or graduate degree

Note: In the 2008 SPPA, only one category for all types of dance was 

provided to respondents.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
46 National Endowment for the Arts

Jazz performance is the only type of arts 

performance activity in the SPPA that involves 

more men than women. About 72 percent of adults 

playing jazz music in 2008 were men, up from 65 

percent in 2002. Non-Hispanic whites and African 

Americans participate at similar rates. As shown in 

Figure 5-3, people with a high level of education are 

more likely than others to play jazz. 

Singing or acting in a musical play. About 2 million 

adults (0.9 percent of adults) sang or acted in a 

musical play in 2008. Because the 2002 SPPA 

question regarding participation in musical plays 

referred to “singing music from a musical play 

or operetta,” results from 2008 are not precisely 

comparable to those of previous years. 

People who sing or act in musical plays come from 

all age groups, with people 18 to 24 representing the 

greatest share (30%) of all musical play performers. 

About 63 percent of adults who participate are 

women (see Figure 5-10). Participation of people 

with more formal education is slightly higher than 

adults with less education. Non-Hispanic whites 

and African Americans have slightly higher rates 

of participation than other groups (as shown in 

Figure 5-11).

Acting in a non-musical play. About 1.8 million adults 

acted in at least one non-musical play in 2008. 

Participation in non-musical plays dropped from 

1.4 percent of adults in 2002 to 0.8 percent of adults 

in 2008. 

More so than for other types of arts performance, 

acting cuts across gender, education, race and 

ethnicity, and income groups. Adults 18 to 24 are 

the most likely to act in a non-musical play. African 

Americans are more likely to act in a non-musical 

play than other groups. 

Singing music from operas. Almost 1 million U.S. 

adults sang music from operas based on the 2008 

SPPA, which represents 0.4 percent of the adult 

population. Singing opera music has steadily 

declined from 1.1 percent of adults in 1992. There 

was a statistically significant drop between 2002 

and 2008. 

Demographic characteristics of people singing opera 

cannot be described with confidence because of the 

low rates of participation; however, both men and 

women sing music from operas, and people singing 

opera are represented in all age groups.

Figure 5-4

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults who played 

a musical instrument in the past 12 months, and 

percentage of adults who played an instrument: 2008

U.S. population Demographic 

distribution of 

adults playing 

an instrument

Percent of 

adults who 

play an Millions instument Percent

All adults 224.8 12.6 %

Gender

Male 108.6 48.3 % 55.1 % 14.5 %

Female 116.3 51.7 44.9 11.0

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 30.4 13.5 % 9.5 % 8.4 %

White* 154.5 68.7 78.2 14.3

African American* 25.6 11.4 5.8 6.6

Other* 14.3 6.4 6.6 14.8

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 28.9 12.8 % 20.0 % 19.7 %

25-34 39.9 17.7 20.2 14.4

35-44 41.8 18.6 18.1 12.4

45-54 43.9 19.5 19.0 12.4

55-64 33.3 14.8 13.4 11.3

65-74 19.9 8.8 5.6 8.4

75 and over 17.1 7.6 3.5 5.7

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 11.2 5.0 % 1.4 % 3.4 %

Some high school 22.1 9.8 8.3 10.6

High school graduate 68.3 30.4 18.8 8.2

Some college 61.4 27.3 32.5 14.6

College graduate 41.3 18.3 23.7 16.2

Graduate school 20.5 9.1 15.3 21.3

Total 224.8 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 11.6 5.8 % 3.7 % 8.3 %

$10K to $20K 19.3 9.6 6.4 8.6

$20K to $30K 23.4 11.7 8.7 9.8

$30K to $40K 22.6 11.3 9.3 11.4

$40K to $50K 18.8 9.3 9.8 13.5

$50K to $75K 40.7 20.3 20.9 13.6

$75K to $100K 27.2 13.5 17.2 17.1

$100K to $150K 21.4 10.7 13.6 16.9

$150K and over 16.0 8.0 10.5 17.2

Total 200.8** 100.0 % 100.0 %

Note: * Not including Hispanics. Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due 

to rounding. 

** This total is only 200.8 million, and not 224.8 million, because 24 million adults 

did not report their income in the May 2008 CPS survey.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 47

Playing an instrument. The 2008 SPPA also asked 

about playing a musical instrument. About 13 

percent of adults reported that they played a musical 

instrument, as shown in Figure 5-2. Adults with 

more formal education and higher income are more 

likely to play an instrument than are other adults. 

Younger adults are also more likely to play an 

instrument.

Figure 5-4 analyzes the demographic distribution 

and the percentage of respondents who played a 

musical instrument in 2008. About 13 percent of 

adults reported playing a musical instrument. 

About 55 percent of adults who played an 

instrument were men, and 40 percent were ages 

18 to 34. The majority of adults who played an 

instrument had completed at least some college.

Creating visual arts. The SPPA tracks four different 

categories of creating visual arts. In order of 

popularity (determined by the percentage of U.S. 

adults participating), these activities are:

■■ Making photographs, movies, or videotapes as an 

artistic activity;

■■ Weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlepoint, and 

sewing;

■■ Painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking; 

and

■■ Working with pottery, ceramics, jewelry, or doing 

leatherwork or metalwork.

 Figure 5-5 presents data on the number and 

proportion of adults creating visual arts.

Photography and movies as art. The percentage of 

adults making photographs, movies, or videotapes 

“as an artistic activity” increased in 2008 after being 

stable from 1992 to 2002. About 33 million adults 

participated in these activities in 2008. Participation 

jumped from about 12 percent of adults in 2002 to 15 

percent in 2008. For the first time, this activity was 

more popular than weaving, sewing, and related 

activities — likely due to the advent of digital media, 

enhanced sharing/viewing opportunities through 

the Internet, and increased affordability of advanced 

equipment.

More women than men take part in photography 

and movie-making as art (57% to 43%), as shown in 

Figure 5-10. Adults indicating they photograph or 

make movies as art are likely to be under 45 years 

Figure 5-5

Number and percentage of U.S. adults creating visual 

art at least once in the past 12 months: 2008

10%

0% 0

20%

30%

40%

50%

10

20

30

40

50

Photography

/movies

Weaving/

sewing

Painting/

drawing

Pottery/

jewelry

Percent of Adults

Number of Adults (millions)

14.7

33.1

13.1

29.5

9.0

20.1

6.0

13.4

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
48 National Endowment for the Arts

old with high incomes and education, as illustrated 

in Figure 5-11. Nearly one in four adults with at least 

a college degree took part in artistic photography or 

movie-making in 2008, up from 2002. 

Weaving, crocheting, quilting, needlepoint, and sewing.

Weaving, sewing, and related activities remained 

among the most popular visual arts activities 

studied in the SPPA. Based on the survey results, 

about 30 million adults participated in weaving, 

crocheting, quilting, needlepoint, or sewing in 2008. 

Participation in these activities has been falling 

since 1992. About 13 percent of adults were involved 

in these activities in 2008, down from 16 percent in 

2002 and 25 percent in 1992.

More than 90 percent of people involved in weaving 

and sewing activities are women (see Figure 5-10). 

Participation increases with older age groups and 

65- to 74-year-olds had one of the highest rates (see 

Figure 5-11). 

As found in 2002, there are few differences in 

participation based on income and only slightly 

higher participation rates for those with more 

formal education. Whites are more likely to report 

sewing activities than are adults of other races 

or ethnicities. 

Painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking. In the 

2008 SPPA, 9 percent of respondents said they 

were involved in painting, drawing, sculpture or 

printmaking in the past 12 months. Participation 

in these activities was similar to 2002 and 1992. 

Adults involved in painting, drawing, sculpture, 

and printmaking totaled about 20 million people 

in 2008. 

More than 60 percent of people who paint, draw, 

sculpt, or make prints are women. About 15 percent 

of people ages 18 to 24 participate, with rates of 

participation declining for each successive age 

group. People with more education are more likely 

to participate in painting, drawing, sculpture, and 

printmaking.

Pottery, ceramics, jewelry, leatherwork, and metalwork.

About 6 percent of adults reported making pottery, 

ceramics, or jewelry, or doing any leatherwork 

or metalwork in 2008, a statistically significant 

difference from the 7 percent rate found for 2002. 

The long-term trend is toward lower participation in 

this art form. 

Figure 5-6

Percentage of U.S. adults taking an arts lesson or class 

at any time in their lives: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: “NA” indicates “Not Asked.” In the 2008 SPPA, only one category for 

all types of dance was provided to respondents, referred to as “all dance.”

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.

Lifetime participation 

in arts classes

1982 1992 2002 2008

Type of class/lesson 

Music 47.0 % 40.0 % 33.9 % 34.0 %

Visual arts 24.0 18.0 16.5 17.0

Acting/theater 9.0 7.0 7.0 5.9

Ballet 7.0 7.0 6.4 NA

Modern/other dance NA 16.0 11.4 NA

All dance NA NA NA 12.1

Creative writing 18.0 16.0 13.1 11.3

Art appreciation/history 20.0 23.0 18.3 13.8

Music appreciation 20.0 18.0 16.1 11.0
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 49

Almost two-thirds of those making pottery and 

other items are women, and younger age groups 

are more likely to participate than people age 65 or 

older. Those with at least some college education are 

more likely to make pottery and other items than 

adults with no college. Relatively fewer African 

Americans and Hispanics participate, in contrast to 

whites and other groups. 

Owning Art 

The SPPA surveys ask people whether they own any 

original pieces of art, such as paintings, drawings, 

sculpture, prints, or lithographs. In 2008, 20 percent 

of adults (46 million Americans) reported owning 

original art. There was no statistically significant 

difference between the rate found in 2008 and the 

rate from the 2002 SPPA (19 percent). 

Of the 20 percent of adults who said that they owned 

original art in 2008, about one-third had purchased 

or otherwise acquired original art during the past 

12 months — about the same proportion as in 2002. 

There are large demographic differences between 

those reporting they own art and those who do 

not. About one-third of respondents in households 

with income of $75,000 or more per year owned 

original art (10 percent had purchased art in the 

past 12 months). Owning original art is also highly 

correlated with years of formal education. 

People ages 45 to 64 are more likely to own original 

art than people of other age groups. In the 2008 

SPPA, people ages 25 to 34 were among the most 

likely to report purchasing art in the past year, but, 

among all age groups, they formed the second-lowest 

percentage of owners of original art. 

Figures 5-10 and 5-11 explore demographic patterns 

for people who own art and purchased art in the 12 

months ending in May 2008. 

Writing

The SPPA asks people whether they did any creative 

writing in formats such as stories, poems, or plays 

during the last 12 months (not including writing for 

work or school). In 2008, about 7 percent of adults 

reported that they had done creative writing (16 

million people), which was similar to rates in 2002 

and 1992. 

Figure 5-7

Lifetime participation rates of 18-24-year-olds in arts 

learning: 1982 and 2008 

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Music

Visual

arts

Creative

writing

Art 

appreciation/

history

Music

 appreciation

Acting

1982 2008

61.2

37.6

41.2

21.4

30.8

17.7

21.7

15.6

20.4

13.5

14.6

8.7

Source: 1982 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
50 National Endowment for the Arts

More women than men participate in creative 

writing, and participation is higher among younger 

people. Adults with more education are more likely 

to be creative writers. Participation is somewhat 

lower for Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites, 

African Americans, and other groups. Figures 5-2, 

5-10, and 5-11 examine results for creative writing.

Arts Learning

Lifetime participation. The SPPA asks respondents 

whether they had ever taken lessons or classes 

in a number of different art forms. Lessons could 

include classes in school or private lessons as a 

child. Note that the results reported in Figures 5-6 

and 5-7 pertain to lifetime participation, not what 

respondents did in 2008. 

All respondents. As shown in Figure 5-6, in 2008 

about one-third of adults said that they had taken 

lessons or classes in music (voice training or playing 

an instrument) at some point in their lives. Lifetime 

participation rates in arts classes was 17 percent 

for visual arts (including sculpture, painting, 

printmaking, graphic design, photography, and 

film making). Fewer adults had taken classes in art 

appreciation/art history, dance, creative writing, 

music appreciation, and acting or theater.

Since 1982, the share of adults who have taken arts 

classes at any time in their lives has been declining. 

Young adults. Figure 5-6 shows a general decline in 

lifetime participation in arts learning from 1982 

to 2008 for all art forms included in the SPPA. Of 

particular interest is whether different cohorts of 

young adults — who represent the future of arts 

participation — showed a similar decline during 

that time. 

Figure 5-7 presents rates of arts learning for 18-24 

year olds in 2008 and in 1982. As shown in Figure 

5-7, substantially fewer 18-24 year olds reported 

having participated in arts learning at some point in 

their lives in 2008 than in 1982. That decline can be 

seen for all art forms for which such comparisons 

could be made.3

Participation in the past year. The SPPA asked 

respondents who said they had taken a specific type 

of arts class at some point in their lives whether they 

had done so in the past 12 months. 

Figure 5-8

Percentage of U.S. adults taking an arts lesson or class 

in the past 12 months: 1992, 2002, and 2008

Participation in arts classes 

in a 12-month period

1992 2002 2008

Type of class/lesson 

Music 1.3 % 1.4 % 1.3 %

Visual arts 1.4 1.7 2.0

Acting/theater 0.4 0.5 0.3

Ballet 0.1 0.1 NA

Modern/other dance 1.3 0.7 NA

All dance NA NA 1.1

Creative writing 1.4 1.0 1.3

Art appreciation/history 1.1 1.0 1.3

Music appreciation 0.6 0.6 0.5

Note: “NA” indicates “Not Asked.” In the 2008 SPPA, only one category for 

all types of dance was provided to respondents, referred to as “all dance.” 

Questions concerning participation in arts classes for “art history” were 

asked only in 2002. Questions concerning participation in arts classes for 

“art appreciation” were not asked in 2002. 

Source: 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 51

As shown in Figure 5-8, more adults took music 

or visual arts classes in 2008 than other types of 

arts lessons or classes. In 2008, about 1.3 percent of 

adults took a music lesson or class and 2.0 percent 

took a visual arts class. 

About 1.3 percent of respondents said that they had 

taken a class in creative writing in 2008. A similar 

number of adults took a dance or art appreciation 

class. Fewer adults took a music appreciation class 

(0.5%) or an acting or theater class (0.3%).

Participation of children. For survey respondents who 

have children of school-going age (5 to 17 years 

old), the 2008 version asked about their children’s 

levels of arts participation. Figure 5-9 shows the 

proportion of parents who sent their children to arts 

lessons. The chart also shows the proportion whose 

children attended arts performances (not including 

school-related lessons or performances). The types of 

lessons or performances involved visual arts, music, 

theater, and dance. 

About 8 percent of parents reported sending 

their children to arts lessons, while one-third of 

parents reported that their children attended live 

performances in 2008. Children of parents with 

more formal education and higher incomes had 

higher rates of participation in arts lessons and 

performances. Children with non-Hispanic white 

parents were more likely to attend performances 

than other racial/ethnic groups. 

Figure 5-9

Proportion of parents who sent children to lessons, 

and the proportion of parents whose children 

attended arts performances at least once in the 

past 12 months: 2008 

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Proportion 

of parents who sent 

children to 

art lessons

Proportion of parents 

whose children attend 

art performances 

outside school

All adults 8.4 % 32.8 %

Gender

Male 8.9 % 34.2 %

Female 8.0 31.6

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 7.4 % 17.4 %

White* 9.0 40.1

African American* 5.3 21.3

Other* 10.4 31.2

Age

18-24 2.2 % 13.6 %

25-34 7.0 23.0

35-44 10.5 35.2

45-54 7.9 39.1

55 and over 4.2 34.7

Education

Grade school 4.8 % 11.4 %

Some high school 3.7 18.1

High school graduate 4.7 21.5

Some college 6.4 33.8

College graduate 14.9 49.5

Graduate school 18.9 56.0

Income

Less than $10K 2.5 % 18.9 %

$10K to $20K 5.8 15.4

$20K to $30K 4.1 17.8

$30K to $40K 3.1 24.8

$40K to $50K 5.3 27.5

$50K to $75K 8.8 31.3

$75K to $100K 10.9 40.2

$100K to $150K 11.2 49.9

$150K and over 19.2 56.5

Notes:

1 As discussed in previous chapters, there are a few other 

limitations to comparing 2002 to 2008 data, especially 

with regard to total population level comparisons. See 

footnote 2 in Chapter 2. 

2 Questions about playing a musical instrument changed 

from 2002 to 2008, and were not directly comparable. 

3 Comparisons between 18-24-year-olds in 2008 and 

1982 could not be made for ballet or for “other dance” 

because rates of ballet performance were not available 

in 2008 and rates of “other dance” performance were 

not available in 1982. 
52 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 5-10

Demographic distribution of U.S. adults performing or creating art at least once in the past 12 months: 2008 

U.S. 

population Performing 

Percent Jazz Classical 

music Opera Choir/choral Musical plays Act in plays Dance 

Gender

Male 48.3 % 72.3 % 46.5 % 39.4 % 36.8 % 36.7 % 44.6 % 31.2 % 

Female 51.7 27.7 53.5 60.6 63.2 63.3 55.4 68.8 

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 13.5 % 8.2 % 5.1 % 1.1 % 6.2 % 6.5 % 12.4 % 9.9 % 

White* 68.7 73.8 79.3 66.2 65.6 78.8 69.6 72.5 

African American* 11.4 11.8 7.1 25.2 22.2 11.6 17.9 8.4 

Other* 6.4 6.2 8.6 7.5 6.0 3.2 0.1 9.2 

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 

Age

18-24 12.8 % 27.3 % 24.5 % 18.1 % 15.1 % 30.0 % 45.1 % 17.3 % 

25-34 17.7 12.2 21.4 10.1 12.9 13.2 14.8 18.2 

35-44 18.6 20.8 18.0 26.1 15.4 11.6 11.2 15.3 

45-54 19.5 18.2 15.9 11.2 25.4 20.4 9.6 18.9 

55-64 14.8 14.5 11.6 9.1 15.5 7.3 5.2 12.4 

65-74 8.8 4.0 5.1 11.0 10.1 12.2 10.3 12.3 

75 and over 7.6 3.0 3.6 14.5 5.5 5.3 3.7 5.6 

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 

Education

Grade school 5.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 4.6 % 2.6 % 3.1 % 0.0 % 1.5 % 

Some high school 9.8 11.7 9.2 13.1 10.4 11.6 14.2 3.7 

High school graduate 30.4 11.4 8.6 23.6 22.2 12.5 24.1 22.3 

Some college 27.3 32.1 31.2 31.4 31.2 35.7 31.6 37.3 

College graduate 18.3 27.9 27.3 16.1 19.9 25.7 18.9 20.4 

Graduate school 9.1 17.0 23.7 11.3 13.8 11.4 11.2 14.7 

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 

Income

Less than $10K 5.8 % 4.2 % 2.3 % 6.3 % 3.5 % 0.0 % 0.4 % 4.6 % 

$10K to $20K 9.6 2.8 3.3 0.0 7.4 8.1 3.5 8.1 

$20K to $30K 11.7 8.5 7.5 17.0 13.4 5.4 7.7 10.4 

$30K to $40K 11.3 7.9 7.2 2.1 13.2 3.0 7.2 12.3 

$40K to $50K 9.3 11.8 8.5 13.1 8.2 10.5 8.4 10.4 

$50K to $75K 20.3 23.4 23.4 4.2 23.9 19.7 36.7 13.7 

$75K to $100K 13.5 17.7 18.2 33.6 13.7 34.3 27.7 17.1 

$100K to $150K 10.7 16.6 16.3 19.9 11.0 15.0 3.3 14.2 

$150K and over 8.0 7.1 13.3 3.7 5.7 3.9 5.1 9.0 

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 

Note: * Not including Hispanics. Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 53

Creating

Owning art Purchased 

art recently

Painting/

drawing Writing Photography/

movies

Pottery/

jewelry

Weaving/

sewing

38.2 % 43.5 % 43.4 % 36.0 % 8.6 % 46.5 % 47.9 %

61.8 56.5 56.6 64.0 91.4 53.5 52.1

100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

11.6 % 10.9 % 10.5 % 8.4 % 7.6 % 6.3 % 6.6 %

72.4 70.3 75.7 79.2 81.5 84.9 87.7

8.5 12.1 7.6 6.5 6.5 4.9 3.5

7.5 6.7 6.2 5.8 4.4 3.9 2.2

100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

21.1 % 21.0 % 15.5 % 13.8 % 8.8 % 7.2 % 9.4 %

22.3 24.9 19.4 18.1 13.4 15.4 20.9

20.5 16.6 23.6 23.3 16.2 18.8 17.8

16.0 17.9 19.3 22.7 22.7 22.4 21.8

11.4 9.6 13.3 13.6 18.0 19.7 17.5

4.7 6.4 6.0 5.8 11.5 8.7 8.7

3.9 3.6 3.0 2.7 9.3 7.8 3.9

100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

1.8 % 1.1 % 1.1 % 2.0 % 3.7 % 1.0 % 0.4 %

10.0 6.5 6.7 7.2 5.7 2.7 0.9

16.1 14.3 16.5 19.5 24.8 15.2 12.9

35.6 35.9 32.6 35.1 34.0 32.0 29.9

23.0 25.5 28.4 24.3 21.2 29.2 33.2

13.5 16.8 14.7 11.9 10.6 19.9 22.8

100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

5.0 % 7.1 % 3.9 % 3.7 % 5.4 % 3.0 % 3.8 %

7.8 7.5 6.3 5.6 9.9 4.3 1.9

10.7 12.7 7.0 9.4 11.8 6.4 4.1

9.6 9.2 8.5 10.3 10.3 6.8 4.9

9.4 9.6 8.8 7.9 10.1 9.0 10.3

22.7 16.5 20.2 21.6 20.4 20.3 20.8

14.7 17.3 18.3 16.4 13.6 16.8 14.9

11.5 12.7 15.7 14.5 10.4 16.3 20.1

8.4 7.4 11.3 10.5 8.2 17.1 19.2

100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
54 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 5-11

Rates at which U.S. adults perform or create art, by demographic group: 2008 (Percentage participating at least 

once in the past 12 months)

Performing 

Jazz Classical 

music Opera Choir/choral Musical plays Act in plays Dance 

All adults 1.4 % 3.1 % 0.4 % 5.2 % 0.9 % 0.8 % 2.1 % 

Gender

Male 2.1 % 3.0 % 0.3 % 3.9 % 0.7 % 0.7 % 1.4 % 

Female 0.7 3.2 0.4 6.3 1.1 0.8 2.8 

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 0.8 % 1.1 % 0.0 % 2.2 % 0.4 % 0.7 % 1.5 % 

White* 1.5 3.5 0.4 4.9 1.0 0.8 2.2 

African American* 1.5 2.0 0.8 10.3 0.9 1.2 1.6 

Other* 1.5 4.7 0.5 5.5 0.5 0.0 3.5 

Age

18-24 2.9 % 5.9 % 0.5 % 6.1 % 2.1 % 2.7 % 2.9 % 

25-34 0.9 3.7 0.2 3.8 0.7 0.6 2.2 

35-44 1.5 3.0 0.5 4.3 0.5 0.5 1.8 

45-54 1.3 2.5 0.2 6.8 0.9 0.4 2.1 

55-64 1.3 2.4 0.2 5.3 0.4 0.3 1.8 

65-74 0.6 1.8 0.5 6.2 1.3 0.9 3.1 

75 and over 0.5 1.4 0.7 3.6 0.6 0.4 1.5 

Education

Grade school 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.3 % 2.6 % 0.5 % 0.0 % 0.6 % 

Some high school 1.6 2.9 0.5 5.4 1.0 1.1 0.8 

High school graduate 0.5 0.9 0.3 3.9 0.4 0.6 1.6 

Some college 1.6 3.4 0.4 5.7 1.1 0.9 2.8 

College graduate 2.1 4.5 0.3 5.6 1.2 0.8 2.4 

Graduate school 2.6 8.0 0.4 7.8 1.1 0.9 3.5 

Income

Less than $10K 1.0 % 1.3 % 0.3 % 3.1 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 1.7 % 

$10K to $20K 0.4 1.1 0.0 3.9 0.7 0.3 1.8 

$20K to $30K 1.0 2.1 0.4 5.9 0.4 0.5 1.9 

$30K to $40K 1.0 2.2 0.1 6.3 0.2 0.5 2.5 

$40K to $50K 1.7 2.8 0.4 4.4 0.9 0.7 2.3 

$50K to $75K 1.6 3.7 0.1 6.1 0.8 1.4 1.5 

$75K to $100K 1.9 4.3 0.8 5.3 2.2 1.6 2.8 

$100K to $150K 2.2 4.9 0.6 5.3 1.2 0.2 2.9 

$150K and over 1.3 5.3 0.1 3.6 0.4 0.5 2.4 

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

Any value reported as 0.0 is less than 0.05 (and may actually be 0.0)

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 55

Creating

Owning art Purchased 

art recently

Painting/

drawing Writing Photography/

movies

Pottery/

jewelry

Weaving/

sewing

9.0 % 6.9 % 14.7 % 6.0 % 13.1 % 20.4 % 5.9 %

7.1 % 6.2 % 13.3 % 4.5 % 2.3 % 19.7 % 5.8 %

10.7 7.5 16.1 7.4 23.2 21.1 5.9

7.4 % 5.3 % 10.9 % 3.6 % 7.1 % 9.1 % 2.8 %

9.4 7.0 16.1 6.9 15.5 25.1 7.4

6.8 7.5 10.0 3.5 7.6 9.0 1.8

11.9 8.2 16.2 6.1 10.2 14.0 2.3

14.7 % 11.3 % 17.8 % 6.4 % 9.0 % 11.5 % 4.3 %

11.3 9.7 16.1 6.1 10.0 17.6 6.8

9.9 6.2 18.6 7.5 11.4 20.6 5.6

7.4 6.4 14.6 7.0 15.4 23.7 6.6

6.8 4.4 13.0 5.4 15.7 26.7 6.8

5.0 5.2 10.4 4.1 17.7 21.0 6.0

4.4 3.1 5.5 2.1 15.4 20.2 2.9

3.2 % 1.5 % 3.2 % 2.3 % 9.5 % 4.1 % 0.5 %

9.1 4.5 10.0 4.4 7.6 5.5 0.5

5.0 3.4 8.3 4.0 11.2 10.7 2.6

11.3 8.8 17.0 7.5 15.9 23.1 6.2

11.1 9.5 22.7 7.9 15.0 32.3 10.5

13.3 12.7 23.7 7.8 15.2 44.7 14.6

8.0 % 8.8 % 10.1 % 4.0 % 12.3 % 10.9 % 3.9 %

7.4 5.4 9.6 3.6 13.6 9.0 1.2

8.5 7.7 9.1 5.0 13.6 11.5 2.2

8.4 6.2 12.1 6.0 13.1 13.4 2.8

9.1 7.1 13.8 5.1 14.1 19.5 6.4

10.5 5.9 15.2 6.7 13.6 21.2 6.3

10.3 9.3 20.7 7.7 13.7 26.3 6.8

10.0 8.6 22.3 8.5 13.1 32.1 11.5

9.8 6.6 21.3 8.2 13.8 44.5 14.4
56 National Endowment for the Arts

During a New World Symphony 

performance in Miami, Florida, composer 

John Adams made an appearance via 

Internet2 to discuss the piece. 

Photo courtesy of New World Symphony 
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 57

Personal Preferences and 

Leisure Activities

Chapter 6

The most characteristic strength of the SPPA 

is its collection of nationally representative 

data on self-reported behavior involving 

arts. Yet the survey does include a set of questions 

about personal preferences for specific art forms. 

The survey also collects data on participation in 

leisure activities other than traditional arts events. 

Examples include going to the movies, gardening, 

and playing sports. Responses to these questions 

provide further insight into understanding audience 

motivations, which may influence traditional arts 

attendance. 

Music Preferences

Since 1982, SPPAs have asked people whether they 

like certain types of music and which type was 

their favorite. Although the types of music listed in 

the survey’s questionnaire have been altered over 

the past 26 years, broad patterns of adults’ music 

preferences have not changed much. However, the 

relative popularity of certain types of music may 

have shifted from 1982 to 2008 because some types 

were not referenced in some years of the survey. 

Music people “like.” Figure 6-1 presents the percentage 

of people responding that they liked a specified type 

of music. Almost one-half of adults said they “like to 

listen to” classic rock or oldies. More than one-third 

of people like to listen to country music. 

Classical/chamber, jazz, blues/R&B and hymns/

gospel music are each “liked” by about one-quarter 

of U.S. adults. Fifteen percent of adults reported folk 

as a type of music they like. 

Both the 2002 and 2008 SPPAs saw a decline in the 

percentage of adults saying they like listening to 

particular forms of music. The only increase from 

2002 to 2008 occurred in the proportion of U.S. 

Percent of adult population liking 

each type of music

1982 1992 2002 2008

Type of music

Classical/chamber 28.0 % 33.0 % 27.4 % 25.7 %

Opera 10.0 12.0 10.2 8.3

Broadway musicals/

show tunes 23.0 28.0 16.7 19.7

Jazz 26.0 34.0 27.5 24.2

Reggae NA 19.0 15.7 NA

Rap/hip-hop NA 12.0 17.1 16.9

Soul 26.0 24.0 NA NA

Blues/R&B NA 40.0 29.9 27.0

Latin/Spanish/salsa NA 20.0 20.0 17.5

Big band 33.0 35.0 23.4 NA

Parade/march NA 18.0 11.8 NA

Country-western 58.0 52.0 40.4 36.0

Bluegrass 25.0 29.0 20.2 15.2

Rock 35.0 44.0 NA NA

Classic rock/oldies NA NA 48.3 48.1

Contemporary rock NA NA NA 29.0

Rock/heavy metal NA NA 23.6 NA

Ethnic/national NA 22.0 17.2 NA

Folk 25.0 23.0 14.8 15.4

Mood/easy 48.0 49.0 29.1 NA

New age NA 15.0 12.3 NA

Choral glee club NA 14.0 9.4 NA

Hymns/gospel 36.0 38.0 27.4 24.5

Electronic NA NA 16.8 NA

Other NA NA NA 6.7

Figure 6-1

Types of music “liked” by U.S. adults: 

1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: “NA” indicates “Not Asked.” Several music categories were added or 

deleted in the 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2008 surveys.

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
58 National Endowment for the Arts

adults who said they like listening to Broadway 

musicals/show tunes (from 17 percent of adults in 

2002 to 20 percent in 2008).

Music people “like best.” After hearing a list of various 

types of music, SPPA respondents were asked 

which type they liked best. As shown in Figure 

6-2, the favorite was classic rock/oldies, selected 

by 27 percent of survey respondents, followed by 

country music (17 percent), contemporary rock (10 

percent), hymns or gospel (8 percent) and classical 

or chamber music (8 percent).

Three types of music have consistently been in 

the top five since 1982: rock (including “rock” in 

1982 and 1992, and “classic rock/oldies” in 2002 

and 2008), country, and hymns/gospel music. Two 

new music types entered the top five list in 2008: 

contemporary rock (which was asked about for the 

first time) and classical/chamber music. 

Demographic differences. The most preferred type 

of music for each demographic group is shown in 

Figure 6-3 (each row or demographic group sums 

to 100 percent). Demographic differences in music 

preferences are as pronounced as for participation in 

performing and visual arts. 

Women showed more of a preference for hymns, 

while men preferred classic rock music. Other 

musical preferences between men and women were 

very similar.

Whites tended to prefer classic rock music and 

country music while African Americans more 

often preferred blues/R&B, jazz, rap/hip-hop, and 

hymns/gospel. 

Hispanic respondents said they preferred Latin 

music far more frequently than they said they 

preferred other types of music. People of races and/

or ethnicities other than white, Hispanic, or African 

American (largely Asian Americans and Native 

Americans) tended to prefer contemporary rock and 

other types of music.

Younger respondents (18 to 34 years old) were more 

likely than other age groups to prefer rap/hip-hop 

while older respondents (35 to 64 years old) were 

more likely to prefer classic rock or oldies.

Music preference rankings

1982 1992 2002 2008

Top 5 music types

1. Country Country Classic rock/

oldies

Classic rock/

oldies

2. Mood/easy* Mood/easy* Country Country

3. Hymns/gospel Rock* Blues/R&B Contemporary 

rock**

4. Rock* Blues/R&B Mood/easy* Hymns/gospel

5. Big band* Hymns/gospel Hymns/gospel Classical/

chamber

Figure 6-2

Type of music U.S. adults liked “best”: 

1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 

Note: * Not asked in 2008.

** New in 2008.

Questions concerning “Rock” were asked only in 1982 and 1992. Questions 

concerning “Classic rock/oldies” were only asked in 2002 and 2008. 

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 59

Reading Preferences

In 2008, for the first time in the history of the SPPA, 

respondents were asked whether they like to read 

books in certain genres. Figure 6-4 shows a list of 

genres presented to the survey respondents who said 

they had done leisure reading in the past 12 months, 

and the percentages of readers that said they liked to 

read certain types.

More respondents said they enjoyed reading mystery 

books (33 percent of all readers) than any other book 

type. More than one-quarter of respondents said 

they enjoy reading health/fitness/self-improvement 

books (27 percent) and religious texts (26 percent). 

About 17 percent of respondents reported that they 

enjoy reading science fiction/fantasy books. 

Other Leisure Activities

Viewing arts attendance in the context of 

participation in other types of activities is an 

important step in interpreting the changes in arts 

participation levels. The 2008 SPPA asked adults 

whether they had participated in various activity 

types at least once during the last 12 months. Those 

activities were:

■■ Going to the movies;

■■ Going to amateur or professional sports events 

(not including youth sports);

■■ Exercising;

■■ Participating in any sports activity; 

■■ Participating in any outdoor activities; 

■■ Participating in gardening for pleasure;

■■ Doing any volunteer or charity work; and

■■ Participating in any community meetings 

or events.

Figure 6-5 displays results from 1982, 1992, 2002, 

and 2008 SPPA questions about those activities, 

and compares the participation rates with levels 

of attendance at benchmark arts activities (as 

discussed in Chapter 3, benchmark arts activities 

include attending a jazz, classical music, opera, 

musical, play, or ballet performance, or visiting an 

art museum or gallery).

Participation rates. Going to the movies remained the 

SPPA leisure activity with the highest participation. 

About 53 percent of adults went to the movies in 

2008, compared with 60 percent in 2002. More than 

one-half of respondents said they exercised in 2008. 

About two-fifths of adults participate in gardening 

for pleasure.

With the exception of these three activities, 

attendance at a benchmark arts activity had higher 

participation than other leisure activities in the 

2008 survey. 

Participation in almost every leisure activity 

declined from 2002 to 2008, with the exception of 

volunteer/charity work. Many of these declines in 

reported participation in leisure activities between 

2002 and 2008 are similar in magnitude as the 

declines for attendance at benchmark arts activities 

during the same period.

The average number of hours that SPPA respondents 

report watching television was about 3 each day and 

has not changed significantly since 1982.

Demographic differences. The demographic profiles 

of adults participating in other leisure activities are 

somewhat similar to those of adults participating 

in the arts. As with arts participation, people with 

higher incomes and more formal education are more 

likely to participate in the non-arts leisure activities 

included in the SPPA. Yet the influence of education 

on participation in non-arts leisure activities is 

smaller than for the arts. Among non-arts leisure 

activities, the greatest correlations with education 

appear to be for the likelihood of doing volunteering/

charity work or playing sports. Specifically, college 

graduates are more than twice as likely as those 

with high school degrees to say they are involved in 

these activities. 

Men are more likely than women to attend sporting 

events, play sports, and participate in outdoor 

activities. Women are more likely to garden and 

participate in volunteer or charity work.

Non-Hispanic whites are more likely to participate 

in all SPPA leisure activities surveyed than are other 

groups.

Younger respondents are more likely to go to the 

movies or sporting events than older respondents. 

Young adults are also more likely to play sports. 

People 55 to 74 are more likely to garden than do any 

other SPPA leisure activity. 

Figure 6-6 on the following page examines the 

demographic profile for other leisure activities 

than arts. Figure 6-7 presents participation rates by 

demographic group, compared with attendance at a 

benchmark arts activity. 
60 National Endowment for the Arts

Classical/

chamber Opera

Broadway 

musicals/

show tunes

Jazz Classic rock/

Oldies

Contemporary

rock

Rap/

hip-hop 

All adults 8.0 % 0.7 % 2.7 % 6.0 % 26.6 % 10.4 % 5.7 % 

Gender

Male 8.2 % 0.6 % 1.3 % 6.9 % 30.2 % 11.1 % 6.4 % 

Female 7.8 0.7 3.8 5.2 23.4 9.8 5.1 

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 7.6 % 0.9 % 0.0 % 4.9 % 15.7 % 6.4 % 10.1 % 

White* 8.4 0.7 3.2 4.8 30.7 11.7 3.7 

African American* 4.6 0.2 1.1 15.9 9.8 0.7 15.9 

Other* 8.3 1.6 3.1 8.2 14.9 15.4 9.4 

Age

18-24 3.1 % 0.0 % 0.6 % 3.0 % 16.6 % 18.6 % 22.1 % 

25-34 3.4 0.3 2.6 3.6 15.4 19.5 10.5 

35-44 4.6 0.5 0.3 6.7 33.4 12.4 3.0 

45-54 8.0 0.3 0.6 6.5 38.8 8.0 1.6 

55-64 11.6 0.2 3.7 8.0 31.6 1.9 0.0 

65-74 18.8 2.4 5.7 10.0 20.4 2.6 0.0 

75 and over 16.4 4.1 14.3 4.3 16.7 1.0 0.0 

Education

Grade school 10.5 % 4.7 % 6.3 % 1.3 % 18.8 % 0.0 % 2.1 % 

Some high school 5.5 0.3 1.1 5.5 19.9 9.2 10.6 

High school graduate 3.9 0.2 2.5 5.1 28.5 6.7 6.6 

Some college 5.7 0.6 1.7 5.6 25.8 10.3 6.9 

College graduate 11.9 0.6 3.6 8.3 27.9 14.7 3.7 

Graduate school 16.8 1.4 3.7 5.6 27.4 13.7 2.0 

Income

Less than $10K 6.7 % 0.6 % 4.6 % 3.8 % 18.1 % 5.4 % 9.0 % 

$10K to $20K 11.2 1.6 2.6 4.0 17.7 9.6 6.7 

$20K to $30K 5.3 1.0 0.9 6.8 20.5 7.0 5.7 

$30K to $40K 4.5 0.2 2.3 5.4 27.6 10.8 7.6 

$40K to $50K 7.3 0.0 3.5 6.3 26.5 9.2 3.9 

$50K to $75K 7.5 0.3 2.1 4.8 28.1 10.1 7.8 

$75K to $100K 8.2 0.9 3.9 6.7 29.2 10.5 1.6 

$100K to $150K 9.2 1.0 3.2 5.7 30.6 12.7 4.8 

$150K and over 12.2 0.7 0.5 10.7 30.5 15.9 6.0 

Figure 6-3.

Type of music US adults like best, by demographic group: 2008

Note: * Not including Hispanics. Any value reported as 0.0 is less than 0.05 (and may actually be 0.0)

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 61

Blues/R&B

Latin/

Spanish 

salsa

Country Bluegrass Folk Hymns/

gospel Other

4.5 % 3.6 % 17.1 % 1.0 % 1.1 % 8.4 % 4.3 %

4.1 % 2.7 % 16.2 % 1.3 % 1.5 % 5.1 % 4.4 %

4.9 4.4 18.0 0.8 0.8 11.1 4.2

1.2 % 31.3 % 10.7 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 6.3 % 4.9 %

3.1 0.9 19.7 1.2 1.4 6.8 3.9

20.5 0.6 2.1 0.3 0.0 26.5 2.0

3.9 0.0 16.6 0.8 1.0 4.1 12.6

4.4 % 5.0 % 16.5 % 0.5 % 0.0 % 4.8 % 4.7 %

4.8 6.8 16.9 1.2 1.3 8.8 5.1

4.4 3.3 16.0 1.0 1.1 6.9 6.3

5.5 2.5 15.8 0.6 0.7 7.3 3.8

5.7 3.2 17.3 1.2 2.2 11.2 2.1

2.1 1.5 20.6 1.0 2.1 9.8 3.0

1.6 0.0 21.4 2.5 0.0 13.4 4.3

3.2 % 18.8 % 18.1 % 5.1 % 0.0 % 8.2 % 3.0 %

1.5 6.5 25.0 0.0 0.6 12.7 1.7

5.6 3.2 23.8 0.7 0.3 9.9 3.0

5.4 3.6 18.0 1.5 0.6 8.2 6.0

3.6 1.8 10.5 0.7 2.1 7.1 3.5

3.7 3.3 7.1 1.0 2.8 4.8 6.7

7.0 % 4.7 % 20.9 % 1.9 % 3.2 % 11.7 % 2.5 %

3.6 4.5 17.5 0.3 0.0 17.2 3.5

5.2 8.3 25.6 0.3 0.5 10.0 3.0

3.0 7.6 16.4 1.8 0.7 8.1 4.2

5.9 3.1 22.0 0.5 0.8 7.7 3.3

4.6 1.2 18.3 0.6 1.8 8.5 4.5

4.5 3.3 15.2 1.5 0.5 7.3 6.7

3.8 3.2 13.2 1.3 1.8 4.4 5.2

4.4 0.8 9.3 0.3 1.7 3.0 4.0
62 National Endowment for the Arts

Percent of adult 

readers that reported 

liking each type

Type of book

Mysteries 32.5 %

Health/fitness/self-improvement 26.6

Religious texts 25.8

History/political 23.2

Biographies/memoirs 22.8

Thrillers 21.2

Romance 18.3

Science fiction/fantasy 16.7

Other fiction 23.8

Other non-fiction 19.9

Other 7.6

Participation in leisure activities

1982 1992 2002 2008

Type of activity 

Benchmark arts activity 39.0 % 41.0 % 39.4 % 34.6 %

Movies 63.0 59.0 60.0 53.3

Sporting events 48.0 37.0 35.0 30.6

Exercise 51.0 60.0 55.1 52.9

Playing sports 39.0 39.0 30.4 26.3

Outdoor activities 36.0 34.0 30.9 28.2

Gardening 60.0 55.0 47.3 41.6

Volunteer/charity 28.0 33.0 29.0 32.0

Community activities NA NA NA 27.8

Figure 6-4

Types of books “liked” by U.S. adults: 2008

Figure 6-5

Participation in other leisure activities: 

1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008

Note: Questions concerning books “liked” by adults were asked for 

the first time in 2008.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Source: 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 63

Figure 6-6

Demographic distribution of adults participating in other leisure activities at least once in the past 12 months: 2008 

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

“Community activities” includes meetings and events.

Totals may not equal exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

U.S.

population Movies Sports

events

Exercise

program

Playing 

sports

Outdoor 

activities Gardening Volunteer

charity work

Community

activities

Gender

Male 48.3 % 47.6 % 54.9 % 47.5 % 60.8 % 53.3 % 39.0 % 43.5 % 45.4 %

Female 51.7 52.4 45.1 52.5 39.2 46.7 61.0 56.5 54.6

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 13.5 % 12.8 % 10.2 % 10.9 % 9.6 % 8.6 % 9.5 % 8.9 % 7.6 %

White* 68.7 72.2 76.8 75.0 76.5 83.3 78.5 77.2 79.1

African American* 11.4 9.8 8.9 9.0 8.9 2.8 6.6 9.4 8.7

Other* 6.4 5.2 4.0 5.2 5.0 5.3 5.5 4.5 4.6

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Age

18-24 12.8 % 17.8 % 15.6 % 13.8 % 20.3 % 15.8 % 4.7 % 10.9 % 9.0 %

25-34 17.7 21.4 21.7 19.4 23.5 22.5 14.8 16.4 15.1

35-44 18.6 20.8 22.3 20.9 22.6 22.6 19.6 21.7 22.1

45-54 19.5 19.1 19.9 19.0 17.6 20.0 22.9 21.5 22.2

55-64 14.8 13.0 12.8 14.7 9.8 12.0 19.0 15.7 16.1

65-74 8.8 5.1 5.1 7.7 4.3 5.4 11.1 8.0 9.4

75 and over 7.6 2.8 2.7 4.5 1.9 1.8 7.8 5.8 6.1

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Education

Grade school 5.0 % 1.5 % 1.1 % 2.1 % 1.3 % 1.5 % 3.8 % 1.9 % 1.6 %

Some high school 9.8 7.0 5.8 6.7 7.1 6.3 7.0 5.5 5.3

High school graduate 30.4 23.1 21.8 22.1 19.3 21.5 26.5 19.1 19.2

Some college 27.3 32.2 31.2 31.2 31.2 31.0 29.3 31.3 30.0

College graduate 18.3 23.8 27.0 24.6 27.2 26.1 21.8 27.7 28.3

Graduate school 9.1 12.3 13.2 13.3 13.9 13.7 11.7 14.6 15.7

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %

Income

Less than $10K 5.8 % 3.5 % 2.8 % 3.9 % 3.4 % 2.9 % 3.5 % 2.9 % 3.1 %

$10K to $20K 9.6 5.8 4.2 6.4 5.3 5.1 7.1 5.7 5.2

$20K to $30K 11.7 8.3 8.0 8.7 6.4 7.3 9.8 7.0 7.5

$30K to $40K 11.3 9.5 7.5 9.2 9.1 8.8 9.5 9.6 8.7

$40K to $50K 9.3 9.5 8.8 9.7 9.4 9.4 10.2 9.3 8.8

$50K to $75K 20.3 21.6 21.3 20.7 19.3 21.7 20.5 20.0 19.7

$75K to $100K 13.5 16.5 17.9 16.3 18.1 18.5 15.9 17.2 16.6

$100K to $150K 10.7 14.0 16.0 14.4 15.4 14.4 13.7 16.3 17.9

$150K and over 8.0 11.3 13.6 10.8 13.6 12.0 9.7 12.0 12.5

Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %
64 National Endowment for the Arts

Figure 6-7

Rates at which U.S. adults participate in benchmark arts activities and other leisure activities: 2008 

(percentage participating at least once in the past 12 months)

Benchmark 

art activities Movies Sports

events

Exercise

program

Playing 

sports

Outdoor 

activities Gardening Volunteer

charity work

Community

activities

All Adults 34.6 % 53.3 % 30.6 % 52.9 % 26.3 % 28.2 % 41.6 % 32.0 % 27.8 %

Gender

Male 32.3 % 52.7 % 34.9 % 52.1 % 33.2 % 31.1 % 33.6 % 28.9 % 26.2 %

Female 36.8 54.0 26.6 53.6 20.0 25.4 48.9 34.9 29.3

Race and ethnicity

Hispanic 21.0 % 48.1 % 22.1 % 40.7 % 17.9 % 17.3 % 28.0 % 20.1 % 14.7 %

White* 39.7 55.7 34.0 57.4 29.2 34.0 47.2 35.8 31.8

African American* 21.5 47.4 24.5 42.6 21.0 7.2 24.4 27.0 21.9

Other* 31.9 49.3 21.8 48.6 23.5 26.1 40.1 25.7 22.7

Age

18-24 32.7 % 74.2 % 37.4 % 57.4 % 42.0 % 34.8 % 15.1 % 27.2 % 19.4 %

25-34 36.0 64.5 37.3 57.5 34.9 35.7 34.8 29.4 23.5

35-44 37.2 59.5 36.7 59.5 32.0 34.3 43.9 37.6 33.2

45-54 36.1 52.6 31.3 51.8 23.9 29.0 49.1 35.7 31.8

55-64 36.9 46.2 25.9 51.8 17.1 22.4 52.4 33.4 29.7

65-74 33.4 31.7 18.2 47.6 13.3 17.9 54.5 30.2 30.9

75 and over 21.3 18.9 10.3 30.0 6.4 6.3 41.0 23.2 21.5

Education

Grade school 6.5 % 15.9 % 6.6 % 21.1 % 6.7 % 8.2 % 30.3 % 11.4 % 8.4 %

Some high school 14.5 37.9 17.8 35.7 19.0 17.8 29.5 17.7 14.8

High school graduate 19.0 42.5 22.8 40.0 17.4 20.8 37.7 20.9 18.3

Some college 38.1 60.8 33.7 58.5 29.1 30.9 43.2 35.6 29.5

College graduate 57.2 68.8 44.9 70.8 38.9 39.8 49.0 48.1 42.6

Graduate school 67.3 71.6 44.2 77.1 40.0 42.3 53.3 51.5 48.0

Income

Less than $10K 16.1 % 32.3 % 14.9 % 35.6 % 15.9 % 14.6 % 25.3 % 16.0 % 15.0 %

$10K to $20K 16.8 32.4 13.4 35.3 14.6 15.3 30.4 18.8 14.8

$20K to $30K 19.3 38.2 21.1 40.4 14.9 18.3 35.4 19.6 18.1

$30K to $40K 27.0 48.6 22.3 46.8 23.3 24.2 37.7 29.2 22.9

$40K to $50K 31.8 54.0 28.7 54.9 26.5 28.7 44.9 31.5 25.9

$50K to $75K 36.2 58.5 33.3 55.6 26.0 31.6 42.8 32.2 27.5

$75K to $100K 46.2 67.5 42.2 66.2 37.0 40.9 50.2 42.0 35.0

$100K to $150K 55.0 71.4 46.8 73.3 39.1 39.7 54.0 49.6 47.2

$150K and over 68.1 76.7 53.1 73.2 46.0 43.9 50.9 49.0 43.9

Note: * Not including Hispanics.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

66 National Endowment for the Arts

The Israeli ensemble Esta show high school 

students some of their instruments in a school 

performance during a Midwest tour. 

Photo courtesy of Arts Midwest
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 67

Chapter 7

Regional Differences 

in Arts Participation

Adult participation in the arts through 

attendance, media, learning, and 

performance or creation varies by U.S. 

geographical region. In general, relative levels of 

regional participation in arts-related activities are 

highly correlated. For example, residents of New 

England and the Pacific region reported relatively 

high rates of attendance for classical music and 

musical theater performances in addition to relatively 

high rates of art museum and gallery visits.

Results in this chapter are tabulated by the home 

address of the respondent. As a result, a resident 

from New Mexico may have attended a ballet in New 

York City, but that attendance would be counted in 

the Mountain region.

Arts Attendance

New England and Pacific region residents had 

consistently high attendance rates for “benchmark” 

arts activities. About 42 percent of New England and 

Pacific region residents reported that they went to a 

jazz, classical music, opera, musical or non-musical 

play, ballet performance, or art museum/gallery in 

the 12 months ending in May 2008 (these activities 

constitute the “benchmark” arts activities tracked 

since 1982 in the SPPA). 

Attendance at benchmark arts activities by residents 

of the East South Central and the West South Central 

regions were generally below rates for other parts of 

the country.

Figure 7-1 shows attendance at benchmark arts 

activities (along with other activities such as Latin 

music and other dance performances) by region 

for 2002 and 2008 and Figure 7-3 (on pages 70–71) 

maps the regions and highlights arts participation 

differences.

Figure 7-1

Percentage of U.S. adults attending a benchmark arts 

activity at least once in the past 12 months, by region: 

2002 and 2008

0 20 40 60 80 100

New England

2002 2008

42.7

42.4

Pacific 45.0

41.8

Middle

Atlantic

41.9

36.5

Mountain 46.8

36.4

West North

Central

40.4

35.4

East North

Central

39.3

35.4

South

Atlantic

35.8

31.3

West South

Central

33.0

26.8

East South

Central

30.4

24.9

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
68 National Endowment for the Arts

Results for 2008 were consistently lower than 

for 2002, with the exception of New England, 

which reported a similar percentage of U.S. 

adults participating in benchmark arts activities. 

The proportion of adults attending at least one 

benchmark arts activity dropped by 10 percentage 

points in the Mountain region in 2008, compared 

with 2002.

Figure 7-2 shows attendance for each art form 

studied in the SPPA. (Results count attendance by 

the region of the respondent’s residence, not where 

the respondent saw the performance.) Attendance 

in the New England and Pacific regions was 

consistently high, relative to other U.S. regions. 

Figure 7-3 illustrates general patterns of arts 

attendance by region. 

The following discussion examines each region in 

order of reported benchmark attendance. Because 

there is not a statistically significant difference in 

the attendance rates for many of the regions, strict 

rankings are virtually impossible. Figure 7-3 shows 

which regions rank particularly high or low in 

certain activities. 

Geographic patterns also reflect educational 

differences between regions. For example, residents 

of the New England and Pacific state regions 

have, on average, more formal education than the 

national average. Residents of the East and West 

South Central regions, on average, have less formal 

education than other parts of the country. (These 

comparisons included individuals who reported 

completing an undergraduate degree or graduate 

work. Statistically significant differences were found 

for higher education rates in each of the four regions 

when compared with the national average.)

The analysis in Figure 7-3 is based on the 

percentage of adults attending at least once in the 

12 months ending in May 2008. Given the variation 

in population across regions, analyses based on 

total numbers of attendances or visits could yield 

different results. 

New England. New England residents (Maine, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 

and Connecticut) show among the highest rates 

of attendance for benchmark arts activities. New 

England ranked first in the percentage of adults 

reporting that they:

■■ Attended classical music performances;

■■ Attended musical plays;

■■ Attended other dance performances 

(not including ballet);

■■ Visited historical sites; and

■■ Read literature.

Pacific region. The Pacific region includes California, 

Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii. Residents 

of this region have the highest rates of attending 

jazz, opera, Latin music, outdoor performing 

arts festivals, non-musical plays, ballet, and art 

museums. They also show high rates of attending 

benchmark arts activities in general. 

Middle Atlantic region. The Middle Atlantic region, 

including New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, 

ranked particularly high in attending musical plays 

and they had high rates of attendance at other arts 

activities. 

Mountain region. The Mountain region is comprised 

of Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, 

Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Residents of 

this region ranked notably high in attending Latin 

music, performing arts festivals, and other dance 

performances. Mountain region residents also 

ranked high in reading literature. 

West North Central region. The West North Central 

region includes North Dakota, South Dakota, 

Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. 

Residents of this region ranked among the highest in 

visiting historic sites. 

East North Central region. Residents of the Midwestern 

states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 

and Ohio reported arts attendance rates close to the 

national averages. Ballet was an exception, with 

residents reporting among the lowest rates of ballet 

attendance for any region.

South Atlantic region. The South Atlantic region 

encompasses Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West 

Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, 

and Florida. South Atlantic region residents also 

reported arts attendance rates close to the national 

averages. 

West South Central region. Residents from two regions 

in the South — the West South Central and East 

South Central regions — attended arts events in 

lower numbers than residents in many other regions 
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 69

Figure 7-2

Percentage of U.S. adults participating in the arts at least once in the past 12 months, by region: 2008

Note: * Denotes “benchmark” art activity.

“Other dance” refers to dance other than ballet, including modern, folk, and tap dance, and was added to survey after 1982.

Note that small differences are most likely not statistically significant.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. 

of the United States. The West South Central region 

includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. 

Residents of this region showed among the lowest 

rates of attendance for classical music, opera, and 

art/craft fairs and festivals. Relatively fewer adults 

in this region reported reading literature than in 

other parts of the country. 

East South Central region. Kentucky, Tennessee, 

Alabama, and Mississippi are the states in the East 

South Central region. About 25 percent of adults 

in this region attended one or more benchmark 

arts activities in 2008, compared with the national 

average of 35 percent. The East South Central region 

had among the lowest reported attendance rates 

All

adults

New

England

Middle 

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East 

South

Central

East 

North

Central

West 

South

Central

West 

North

Central

Mountain Pacific

Performing arts

Music

Jazz* 7.8 % 8.7 % 7.1 % 7.6 % 5.1 % 8.4 % 6.2 % 7.5 % 6.3 % 10.8 %

Classical music* 9.3 12.4 8.6 9.1 7.4 8.8 7.3 8.7 9.6 11.9

Opera* 2.1 2.9 2.1 1.8 1.9 2.4 0.9 1.7 2.6 3.0

Latin music 4.9 4.8 4.4 3.8 1.1 3.3 5.3 3.1 6.4 9.0

Performing arts festivals 20.8 % 21.3 % 18.7 % 19.0 % 13.6 % 23.1 % 18.0 % 20.5 % 24.2 % 25.7 %

Plays

Musical plays* 16.7 % 21.7 % 19.5 % 14.4 % 11.2 % 18.5 % 12.4 % 17.9 % 15.1 % 19.2 %

Non-musical plays* 9.4 11.6 9.5 9.1 5.9 9.8 6.3 10.0 8.0 12.5

Dance

Ballet* 3.0 % 3.4 % 3.3 % 2.8 % 2.7 % 2.2 % 2.6 % 2.3 % 2.8 % 4.1 %

Other dance 5.2 8.0 4.9 5.0 2.5 4.8 3.6 5.6 6.9 6.3

Visual arts

Art exhibitions

Art museums/galleries* 22.7 % 27.3 % 22.3 % 19.8 % 14.9 % 22.6 % 17.0 % 22.8 % 25.5 % 31.1 %

Art/craft fairs and festivals 24.5 29.4 24.2 23.0 18.7 27.6 18.5 26.2 26.9 26.8

Historic sites

Parks/monuments/historic 

buildings/neighborhoods 24.9 % 29.5 % 25.5 % 24.0 % 17.6 % 23.9 % 19.6 % 29.1 % 27.3 % 28.8 %

Literature

Plays/poetry/novels/

short stories 50.2 % 58.3 % 53.0 % 50.2 % 44.3 % 51.4 % 39.5 % 53.8 % 53.8 % 51.1 %

Any benchmark activity 

Any of the activities listed

above in asterisks 34.6 % 42.4 % 36.5 % 31.3 % 24.9 % 35.3 % 26.8 % 35.3 % 36.4 % 41.8 %
70 National Endowment for the Arts

HIGH participation in 

attending jazz, opera, 

Latin music, performing arts 

festivals, non-musical 

plays, ballet, and art museums

HIGH participation in reading 

literature and in attending Latin 

music, performing arts festivals, 

and “other dance”

HIGH participation in 

visiting historic sites

LOW participation in 

reading literature and in 

attending classical music, 

opera, and art/craft fairs

Figure 7-3

Key findings for study area regions: 2008

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 71

LOW participation 

in attending ballet

HIGH participation in 

attending musical plays

HIGH participation in reading 

literature and in attending 

benchmark activities, including 

classical music, musical plays, 

“other dance,” art/craft fairs, 

and historic sites

Similar results to

national averages

LOW participation in 

attending benchmark 

activities, including jazz, 

Latin music, performing 

arts festivals, musical and 

non-musical plays, “other 

dance,” and historic sites
72 National Endowment for the Arts

for jazz, Latin music, performing arts festivals, 

musical and non-musical plays, and other dance 

performances. The proportion of residents visiting 

art museums and historical sites was also generally 

lower than that of other regions.

Media Participation

Residents of the Pacific region had among the 

highest rates of media participation for nearly every 

form of art studied in the SPPA. 

For example, residents of Pacific states were more 

likely to listen to or view recorded or broadcast 

jazz, classical music, Latin music, and musicals 

than most other parts of the country. Pacific region 

residents also had high media participation rates for 

programs about art, artists, and art museums and for 

programs about books and authors. 

Residents of New England states were among the 

most likely to watch or listen to opera performances 

via media, while residents of Mountain states were 

generally more likely to watch dance through 

media. For non-musical plays, West North Central 

residents showed among the highest rates of media 

participation. 

Residents of the East South Central and West South 

Central regions reported relatively low rates of 

media participation (below the national average) for 

most art forms. 

Figure 7-4 provides a detailed overview of arts/

media participation rates for all regions. Note that 

small differences in percentage points may not be 

statistically significant. 

Performing and Creating Art

Figure 7-5 analyzes regional rates of performing or 

creating art in 2008. Adults in the New England 

region were more likely to perform or create certain 

art forms than most other regions. This includes 

the performance of jazz, classical music, and dance, 

as well as shooting photography, creating pottery/

jewelry, and creating original art. 

Figure 7-4

Percentage of U.S. adults who participated in the arts through broadcast or recorded media, by region: 2008

All

adults

New

England

Middle 

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East 

South

Central

East 

North

Central

West 

South

Central

West 

North

Central

Mountain Pacific

Performing arts

Music

Jazz 14.2 % 13.1 % 12.1 % 14.7 % 9.1 % 15.3 % 11.6 % 12.3 % 14.6 % 19.1 %

Classical music 17.8 21.0 17.4 16.4 15.7 16.8 13.5 18.1 20.9 22.2

Opera 4.9 6.9 5.7 4.5 2.8 2.6 3.7 6.0 6.0 6.7

Latin music 14.9 13.0 12.7 15.3 6.3 12.8 17.7 9.3 19.5 20.5

Plays

Musical plays 7.9 % 8.1 % 7.2 % 9.7 % 5.0 % 6.2 % 6.4 % 8.7 % 7.4 % 10.0 %

Non-musical plays 6.8 7.5 5.9 8.0 5.2 6.1 6.1 8.1 4.8 7.8

Dance, including ballet 8.0 % 8.8 % 8.2 % 8.0 % 7.5 % 7.4 % 5.4 % 9.0 % 9.7 % 8.9 %

Programs on: 

Artists, art works or art museums 15.1 % 14.7 % 14.1 % 14.4 % 10.5 % 17.5 % 10.5 % 16.3 % 13.9 % 19.3 %

Books or writers 15.0 14.8 16.1 14.3 11.7 15.6 11.3 14.8 13.9 18.9

Live or recorded literature 10.0 % 13.5 % 7.5 % 9.1 % 4.3 % 10.2 % 9.8 % 9.7 % 12.8 % 13.3 %

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 73

Adults in the Pacific region were generally more 

likely to write literature and paint or draw. East 

South Central region respondents were more likely 

to sing in a choir or chorale and perform in musical 

plays. Note that small differences in percentage 

points between regions may not be statistically 

significant. 

Arts Learning

Figure 7-6 presents regional rates of lifetime 

participation in arts classes or lessons. Respondents 

Note: “All dance” refers to ballet, modern, folk, and tap dance. In the 2008 SPPA, only one category for all types of dance was provided to respondents.

Any value reported as 0.0 is less than 0.05 (and may actually be 0.0)

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. 

Figure 7-5

Percentage of U.S. adults performing or creating art at least once in the past 12 months, by region: 2008

New

England

Middle 

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East 

South

Central

East 

North

Central

West 

South

Central

West 

North

Central

Mountain Pacific

Performing arts

Music

Jazz 3.1 % 1.5 % 1.1 % 1.5 % 1.2 % 1.1 % 1.5 % 1.5 % 1.3 %

Classical music 4.5 3.1 2.8 3.2 3.0 1.9 3.6 3.7 3.4

Opera 0.2 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3

Choir/chorale 5.2 3.3 5.6 8.8 5.8 6.1 5.4 4.1 4.1

Plays

Musical plays 1.2 % 0.9 % 0.9 % 1.9 % 0.7 % 0.8 % 0.7 % 0.4 % 1.0 %

Non-musical plays 1.2 1.2 0.6 1.3 0.4 0.6 1.1 0.3 0.8

Dance

All dance 3.6 % 2.9 % 1.5 % 1.4 % 2.7 % 1.7 % 2.6 % 1.2 % 2.1 %

Creating

Visual arts

Painting/drawing 11.5 % 7.7 % 7.4 % 5.6 % 9.9 % 7.2 % 11.2 % 9.4 % 11.7 %

Pottery/jewelry 9.4 5.6 4.1 3.9 6.5 4.5 7.3 7.1 7.9

Weaving/sewing 16.3 11.3 10.7 12.2 16.8 9.9 16.1 15.5 13.6

Photography 20.1 13.6 12.2 7.5 17.4 10.5 16.4 18.0 18.2

Literature

Plays/poetry/novels/

short stories 8.8 % 7.4 % 6.6 % 2.9 % 6.8 % 4.3 % 7.6 % 6.4 % 9.8 %

Owning

Own original art 29.5 % 19.1 % 18.7 % 15.5 % 20.0 % 13.1 % 22.8 % 23.1 % 26.4 %

Purchased in last 12 months 10.0 5.2 5.0 4.1 6.2 3.3 6.0 6.5 8.1

were asked about lessons or classes taken at any time 

in their lives in the following arts areas:

■■ Music — voice training or playing an instrument;

■■ Visual arts — sculpture, painting, printmaking, 

graphic design, photography, or film making;

■■ Acting;

■■ Dance — including ballet or other dances such as 

modern, folk, tap, or Broadway-style;

■■ Writing;

■■ Art appreciation or art history; and

■■ Music appreciation.
74 National Endowment for the Arts

Adults in the New England region showed among 

the highest rates of participation in arts learning, 

compared with all other regions. Respondents from 

New England reported high rates of participation 

in classes/lessons related to all dance (21 percent), 

art appreciation (20 percent) and visual arts 

(20 percent).

Note: “All dance” refers to ballet, modern, folk and tap dance. In the 2008 SPPA, only one category for all types of dance was provided to respondents.

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Figure 7-6

Percentage of U.S. adults who reported attending an art class or lesson at some point in their lives, by region: 2008

All 

Adults

New

England

Middle 

Atlantic

South

Atlantic

East 

South

Central

East 

North

Central

West 

South

Central

West 

North

Central

Mountain Pacific

Type of class/lesson 

Music 34.0 % 46.0 % 32.9 % 26.5 % 21.3 % 36.0 % 28.6 % 42.6 % 38.5 % 41.5 %

Visual arts 17.0 19.9 15.7 13.1 9.4 16.3 13.3 20.2 18.2 26.4

Acting/theater 5.9 7.2 5.4 4.8 3.3 5.1 5.8 5.6 7.1 8.4

All dance 12.1 20.5 12.5 9.2 4.6 10.6 9.5 13.3 14.7 17.0

Creative writing 11.3 17.7 9.6 9.5 5.2 11.8 7.3 13.4 13.5 15.9

Art appreciation/ history 13.8 20.3 12.1 11.7 9.9 14.6 7.6 16.1 13.9 20.1

Music appreciation 11.0 13.5 11.7 7.5 10.2 10.8 8.1 12.3 11.6 15.5

Adults in the West North Central (43 percent) and 

Pacific regions (42 percent) also showed high rates 

of participation in music lessons or classes. For 

both regions, the highest rates of participation were 

observed for visual arts classes/lessons. Adults in 

the East South Central region were among the least 

likely to participate in arts learning overall. 
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 75

Chapter 8

Summary Results by Art Form

This chapter summarizes survey results by 

art form, including all benchmark activities 

studied in the 2008 SPPA.1

 From 2002 to 

2008, almost all art forms showed declines in the 

percentage of U.S. adults attending or visiting (see 

Figure 8-1).

The following types of arts activity are reviewed in 

this chapter:

■■ Art museums and galleries;

■■ Musical plays;

■■ Non-musical plays;

■■ Classical music;

■■ Jazz;

■■ Ballet and other dance;

■■ Latin music; and

■■ Opera.

Figure 8-1

Percent of U.S. adults attending arts performances 

or visiting an art museum/gallery at least once in the 

past 12 months: 2002 and 2008

Art museum/

gallery

2002 2008

Musical plays

Non-musical

plays

Classical

music

Jazz

Other

dance

Latin

music

Ballet

Opera

27

23

17

17

12

9

12

9

11

8

6

5

N/A

4

3

3

2

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Note: “NA” indicates, “Not Asked.” Questions concerning Latin music were 

asked for the first time in 2008. 

Source: 2002 and 2008 Surveys of Public Participation in the Arts.
76 National Endowment for the Arts

Art Museums and Galleries

Adults attended art museums and galleries more 

than any other single type of arts activity or event. 

In 2008, 51 million people visited an art museum or 

gallery at least once. Similar to other arts activities, 

however, total adult attendance to art museums 

and galleries declined from 27 percent of adults in 

2002 to 23 percent in 2008. Art museum/gallery 

visitors in 2008 made an average of 2.9 visits, which 

corresponds to a total of 149 million total visits. 

As shown in Figure 8-2, about 15 percent of U.S. 

adults watched or listened to a program about 

artists, art works, or art museums in 2008. 

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ About 55 percent of people who went to art 

museums or art galleries in 2008 were women.

■■ Approximately 54 percent of 2008 art museumgoing adults had a college or graduate degree. 

Adults with a high school education or less 

represented 18 percent of art museum visitors. 

Patterns of Attendance

■■ About 26 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 15 

percent of Hispanics, 12 percent of African 

Americans, and 23 percent of adults in other 

racial/ethnic categories (largely Asian Americans 

and Native Americans) visited an art museum or 

gallery in 2008. 

■■ More than half (52 percent) of U.S. adults with 

a graduate-level degree visited an art museum 

or art gallery in 2008. That is, more people in 

this demographic group visited an art museum 

or gallery in 2008 than did not, a trend that is 

unique among benchmark arts activities. 

■■ Among the higher income groups, art museum 

attendance rates varied from 34 percent of adults 

in households making $100,000 to $150,000 to 

52 percent of adults in households earning more 

than $150,000. 

■■ About one-quarter of adults ages 18 to 64 visited 

an art museum or gallery in 2008. The attendance 

rate drops sharply for adults older than 75 years. 

■■ Residents of the Pacific region were among the 

most likely to go to art museums or galleries 

in 2008. 

Figure 8-2

U.S. adult participation in art museums, art galleries 

and related activities: 2008

Visited a

museum

or gallery

23

Watched or

listened to

a program

about\r artists,

art works\r or

art museums

15

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ Crossover of art museum attendance and 

attendance at other art activities was notably 

high. At least 50 percent of attenders at jazz, 

classical music, Latin music, opera, ballet, other 

dance, craft fairs, performing arts festivals, and 

historic sites also visited an art museum in 2008.

■■ Approximately 69 percent of adults who 

purchased original art within the last year also 

visited an art museum or gallery in 2008.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 77

Musical Plays

More people attended a musical play than any 

other type of performing arts in the 2008 SPPA. 

Attendance rates for musicals have remained 

relatively stable since 1982. Slightly less than 

17 percent of adults (nearly 38 million people) 

reported attending a musical during 2008, compared 

with 19 percent in 1982. The average number of 

attendances to a musical play in 2008 was 2.2 per 

attendee, which corresponds to a total of 83 million 

attendances.

About 8 percent of adults (18 million) watched or 

listened to a recorded or broadcasted performance 

of a musical play in 2008 (see Figure 8-3). The 

percentage of people who reported liking music 

from Broadway musicals or show tunes increased 

from 17 percent in 2002 to nearly 20 percent in 2008. 

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ The audience for musical plays was about 

58 percent female. 

■■ From 2002 to 2008, there was a large increase in 

all forms of participation in musicals for adults 

with more formal education (“some college” or 

more) than others. 

■■ Nearly 20 percent of adults who attended a 

musical earned $150,000 or more.

Patterns of Attendance

■■ Non-Hispanic whites attended musicals at 

a higher rate than adults of other ethnicities 

or races.

■■ Approximately 28 percent of people attending 

musicals in 2008 were 65 or older, compared 

with only 13 percent of attenders in 2002. 

■■ About 40 percent of adults in households earning 

$150,000 or more attended musical plays in 

2008, compared with only 15 percent of adults in 

households making $40,000 to $75,000.

■■ Residents of the New England region were among 

the most likely to attend a musical play in 2008. 

Figure 8-3

U.S. adult participation in musical plays and 

related activities: 2008

Attended a

musical play 17

8

Performed in

 a musical play 1

Like to listen to

Broadway musicals

or show tunes

20

Watched or listened

to a recording

or broadcast\r

of a musical play

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ There was very high crossover for attenders of 

ballet and opera and those attending musicals. 

About 60 percent of ballet and opera attenders 

also attended a musical play in 2008. 

■■ About 45 percent of adults listening to or viewing 

a musical through broadcast media also attended 

a performance of a musical play. This was the 

highest broadcast/attendance crossover for any of 

the performing arts.
78 National Endowment for the Arts

Non-musical Plays

About 9 percent of adults (21 million Americans) 

attended a non-musical play in 2008, a decline 

from 12 percent in 2002. People who attended nonmusical plays in 2008 went an average of 2.3 times, 

for a total of nearly 50 million attendances.

The percentage of adults viewing non-musical 

plays on television, VCR, or DVD declined from 9 

percent of adults in 2002 to 7 percent in 2008. About 

3 percent of adults reported that they had read a 

play in 2008. About 1 percent of adults (2 million 

Americans) performed in non-musical plays in 2008 

(see Figure 8-4).

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ About 58 percent of people who attended nonmusical plays in 2008 were female.

■■ People with more education (at least some 

college) and higher incomes (at least $50,000 in 

household income) were more likely to attend 

non-musical plays. 

■■ Approximately 58 percent of people who 

attended non-musical plays had a college or 

graduate degree. Over 20 percent of adults who 

attended a non-musical play earned $150,000 

or more.

■■ Over 20 percent of attenders earned $150,000 

or more.

 Patterns of Attendance

■■ People 55 to 74 years old were the age groups most 

likely to go to a non-musical play. In 2008, 12 

percent of people 55 to 64 attended (a small drop 

from the 2002 level), and 11 percent of people 

65 to 74 attended (down from 13 percent in 2002). 

■■ More people attended non-musical plays than 

watched/listened to plays or read them at home. 

Among the performing arts, this was true only 

for non-musical plays and musicals. The reverse 

was true for all other performing arts tracked in 

the SPPA.

■■ Residents of the Pacific region were among the 

most likely to attend a non-musical play in 2008. 

Figure 8-4

U.S. adult participation in non-musical plays 

and related activities: 2008

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Attended a

non-musical play 9

7

Performed in a

non-musical play 1

Read a

non-musical play 3

Watched or listened

to a recording or

broadcast of a

non-musical play

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ Over 22 percent of writers also attended a nonmusical play in 2008.

■■ About one in every five people who volunteered 

in their leisure time attended a non-musical play 

in 2008.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 79

Figure 8-5

U.S. adult participation in classical music 

and related activities: 2008

Attended

 a classical

music

performance

Performed

classical music

Like to listen

to classical or

chamber music

Watched or

listened to a

recording or

broadcast of

classical music

9

18

3

26

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Classical Music

The percentage of adults attending a classical music 

performance declined from 12 percent in 2002 to 

9 percent (21 million adults) in 2008. The average 

number of attendances dropped only slightly, from 

3.1 to 2.9 in 2008. 

More U.S. adults watched or listened to classical 

music through media (about 18 percent, or 

40 million) than to any other art form studied in 

the 2008 SPPA. More than one-quarter of adults 

said they like listening to classical music. About 

3 percent of people said they performed classical 

music in 2008, as shown in Figure 8-5.

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ Approximately 56 percent of classical music 

attenders were female. Women were also more 

likely than men to watch or listen to classical 

music through media.

■■ Individuals with higher levels of education (at 

least some college) were more likely to listen 

to classical music or attend classical music 

performances. The majority of people attending 

a classical music concert or performance had a 

college or graduate degree (nearly 60 percent).

■■ Nearly 20 percent of classical music attenders 

were 65 or older, which is high relative to most 

other performing arts.

Patterns of Attendance

■■ The classical music attendance rate for adults 

with a high school degree was about 3 percent. 

By contrast, about 17 percent of adults with a 

college degree and 27 percent of adults with 

a graduate degree attended a classical music 

performance in 2008. 

■■ Adults with college or graduate degrees were 

almost three times more likely than high school 

graduates to watch or listen to classical music 

via media.

■■ Adults 45 and older were more likely to attend a 

classical music performance than younger adults.

■■ About 23 percent of people in households earning 

at least $150,000 attended a classical music 

concert in 2008, a higher proportion than other 

income groups. 

■■ Residents of the New England and Pacific regions 

were among the most likely to attend a classical 

music performance in 2008. 

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ Adults attending a ballet or opera performance 

were much more likely to attend a classical 

music performance than adults attending other 

benchmark activities.

■■ One in five people who said they volunteer 

in their free time attended a classical music 

performance in 2008.

■■ Almost 24 percent of those who have taken 

a music appreciation class in their lifetime 

attended a classical music performance in 2008. 

About 18 percent of those taking lessons to play 

an instrument attended a 2008 performance.
80 National Endowment for the Arts

Jazz

About 8 percent of adults attended a jazz 

performance in 2008, compared with 11 percent in 

2002. The total number of attenders declined to 17.6 

million adults, and the total number of attendances 

to jazz performances declined to 51 million in 2008. 

About 14 percent of U.S. adults watched or listened 

to jazz via media in 2008 (see Figure 8-6), which 

corresponds to 32 million people. The percentage 

of adults who reported liking jazz declined from 

2002 to 2008 (from 28 percent to 24 percent, a 

statistically significant drop). 

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ The live audience for jazz performances was 

balanced between men (48 percent) and women 

(52 percent). Men make up a larger proportion 

of the jazz audience than any of the other 

benchmark activities. A similar distribution for 

those who listened to jazz via media. 

■■ More than half of jazz performance attenders 

in 2008 had a college or graduate degree. The 

highest income groups ($75,000 and over) 

represented about 48 percent of adults attending 

jazz performances.

Patterns of Attendance

■■ African Americans were as likely as nonHispanic whites to attend a jazz performance, 

and were more likely to watch or listen to jazz via 

media in 2008. 

■■ Adults ages 45 through 64 were the most likely 

to attend a jazz performance or concert. Jazz 

performance attendance among adults 44 and 

younger declined between 2002 and 2008, 

especially for the 35 to 44 age group. 

■■ Compared with people who have only a high 

school degree, people with college or graduate 

degrees were nearly eight times as likely to attend 

a jazz performance.

■■ As with other benchmark activities, people with 

household incomes of at least $150,000 watched 

or listened to jazz more often than any other 

income group.

■■ Residents of the Pacific region were among the 

most likely to attend a jazz performance in 2008. 

Figure 8-6

U.S. adult participation in jazz music and related 

activities: 2008

Attended a

 jazz performance

Performed jazz

Like to

listen to jazz

Watched or listened

to a recording or

broadcast of jazz

8

14

1

24

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ People who go to classical music, opera, or ballet 

often go to jazz performances. In 2008, about onethird of adults who said they attended an opera, 

ballet, or classical music performance in the past 

12 months also went to a jazz performance.

■■ Writers are also jazz attenders. One in five 

adults who said they had written poems, novels, 

or plays in the last twelve months also attended 

a jazz performance.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 81

Ballet and Other Dance

About 16 million adults (7 percent) went to a ballet 

or other dance performance in 2008. The percentage 

of adults attending either ballet or other dance 

performances decreased from 2002 to 2008.

About 8 percent of adults (18 million) reported 

watching a recorded or broadcasted dance 

performance in 2008, as shown in Figure 8-7. 

Two percent of U.S. adults participated in a dance 

performance in 2008. 

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ Compared with other performing arts, ballet was 

overwhelmingly attended by women (nearly two 

in three attenders in 2008). Similarly, women 

were more likely than men to watch ballet or 

other forms of dance through media. 

■■ Individuals with higher levels of education 

and higher household incomes represented the 

majority of the dance audience. More than half 

of ballet and other dance performance attenders 

had college or graduate degrees, and almost onequarter of attenders had household incomes of 

$150,000 or more. 

Patterns of Attendance

■■ The core audience for ballet was older in 2008 

than in 2002. In 2002, adults 35 to 54 years of age 

were most likely to attend a ballet performance. 

In 2008, adults in the 65-74 year age range were 

the most likely age group to attend a ballet 

performance. 

■■ Older adults (age 65 and older) were more likely 

than younger adults to have watched a recorded 

or broadcasted dance performance. 

■■ Residents of New England were among the 

most likely to attend a ballet or other dance 

performance in 2008. 

Figure 8-7

U.S. adult participation in ballet and other dance 

and related activities: 2008

Attended a

dance performance

Performed dance

Watched a recording

or broadcast of a

dance performance

7

8

2

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ People who go to opera were more likely to attend 

a ballet performance than those who attended 

classical music or jazz performances. 

■■ About 12 percent of adults performing some type 

of dance also attended a ballet performance in 

2008. 

■■ For ballet and non-arts leisure activities, the most 

crossover occurs with people who volunteer. 

Approximately 7 percent of all volunteers 

attended a ballet performance in 2008.
82 National Endowment for the Arts

Latin Music

Latin music was a new performing arts category 

in the 2008 SPPA. Nearly 5 percent of adults (11 

million) attended a Latin music performance 

in 2008. People who attended Latin music 

performances did so an average of 3.5 times, for a 

total of 39 million attendances. 

Of all the performing arts, Latin music had the 

second highest participation rate via media. 

About 15 percent of adults (33 million) watched or 

listened to a recorded or live broadcast Latin music 

performance in 2008. Nearly 18 percent of adults 

said they liked to listen to Latin, Spanish, or salsa 

music (see Figure 8-8).

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ About as many men as women went to a Latin 

music performance (48 percent of attenders 

male and 52 percent female). Among adults who 

listened to or watched Latin music via media, 52 

percent were men and 48 percent women. 

■■ Latin music was the only SPPA performing arts 

activity that had a higher percentage of attenders 

that were Latino than non-Hispanic whites. 

About 49 percent of the Latin music performance 

audience in 2008 was Hispanic.

■■ In contrast to attendees of other performing 

arts, the majority of people going to Latin music 

performances had less education and lower 

incomes. More than 60 percent of people who 

attended Latin music performances in 2008 did 

not have a college degree and about 50 percent 

had household incomes of $50,000 or less. 

Patterns of Attendance

■■ Compared with any other racial/ethnic group, 

Hispanics were at least five times more likely to 

attend a Latin music performance and watch or 

listen to Latin music via media. 

■■ Younger adults (ages 18 to 44) were more likely to 

attend live Latin music concerts and listen to or 

watch Latin music via media than older adults.

■■ Residents of the Pacific region were among the 

most likely to attend a Latin music performance 

in 2008. 

Figure 8-8

U.S. adult participation in Latin music 

and related activities: 2008

Attended a

Latin music

performance

Like to listen

to Latin, Spanish

or salsa music

Watched or

listened to a 

recording or

broadcast of

Latin music

5

15

18

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ Over 15 percent of jazz and opera attendees also 

attended a Latin music performance in 2008.

■■ About 10 percent of sports attenders went to 

a Latin music performance, compared with 8 

percent of those who participated in volunteer 

activities.

■■ One in five individuals who say they have 

performed some type of dance in the last 12 

months also attended a Latin music performance.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 83

Figure 8-9

U.S. adult participation in opera 

and related activities: 2008

Attended

the opera

Like to listen

to opera

Watched a

recording or

broadcast of

an opera

2

5

8

0 Performed

in an opera

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percent of U.S. Adults

Source: 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts.

Opera

Two percent of U.S. adults (5 million) attended 

the opera in 2008 — one of the lowest levels of 

attendance among all arts activities tracked. 

Attendance in 2008 declined from 3 percent of 

adults in 2002. The average number of attendances 

per audience member remained steady at 1.8, for a 

total of 9 million attendances in 2008.

About 5 percent of adults watched or listened to a 

recorded or live broadcast opera performance, lower 

than the rate for other SPPA performing arts. Less 

than 1 percent (0.4 percent) of adults performed in 

an opera in 2008 (see Figure 8-9). 

Demographic Profile of Attenders

■■ About 59 percent of the audience for live opera 

performances in 2008 was female. Women were 

also more likely than men to watch operas 

through media. Both of these numbers were 

similar to percentages seen in 2002. 

■■ The relationship between formal education and 

attendance is more pronounced for opera than 

for other art forms. About two-thirds of adults 

who attended an opera in 2008 had a college or 

graduate degree. 

■■ People with higher incomes were more likely to 

attend opera than people with lower incomes. 

More than half of adults who attended the opera 

in 2008 earned $75,000 or more (and 25 percent 

earned $150,000+).

Patterns of Attendance

■■ Compared with other adults, people with 

graduate degrees were more likely to attend live 

opera performances and view or listen to opera 

through media.

■■ Adults ages 35 to 74 were more likely to attend 

an opera performance than younger adults, and 

adults age 55 and older were more likely than 

others to watch opera via media. 

■■ Opera attendance was particularly high

among adults in the New England and the 

Pacific regions.

Relationship with Other Art Forms

■■ People who go to ballet and classical music 

performances were more likely to have attended 

opera than people who go to jazz performances 

or plays. 

■■ About 10 percent of individuals who purchased 

art in the past 12 months attended an opera 

performance.

Notes:

1 Although literary reading has not been included as a 

“benchmark” arts activity, the SPPA has asked about it 

since 1982. For a compact summary of data on literary 

reading, see the NEA’s research brochure, Reading on 

the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy (2009).

2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 85

APPENDIX A

Survey of Public Participation in the

Arts Background and MethodologY

I

n 1982, the National Endowment for the 

Arts (NEA) initiated the Survey of Public 

Participation of the Arts (SPPA) to examine 

the public’s involvement in a variety of arts and 

art forms. The survey historically examines adult 

participation in the performing arts, visual arts, and 

literature, participation via media, arts learning, and 

visits to art fairs/festivals, parks, and historic sites. 

The survey also includes several non-arts leisure 

questions.

1982 and 1985 Survey of Public 

Participation of the Arts

The U.S. Census Bureau administered the first SPPA 

in conjunction with the 1982 National Crime Survey, 

which surveyed more than 72,000 individuals. More 

than 17,000 respondents over 18 years of age were 

interviewed for the SPPA. 

The survey concentrated primarily on live arts 

participation, reflected by 10 questions. The 

survey asked the live arts questions of all survey 

respondents. On a rotating basis, it asked questions 

pertaining to arts education, non-arts leisure 

activities, arts facilities, music preferences, arts 

creation and other participation, media engagement, 

and barriers to attending live arts performances. 

As a result, the sample sizes for the latter questions 

were smaller than for the live arts category. 

Approximately 25 percent of the interviews were 

completed by phone. 

In 1985, the NEA sponsored a second SPPA through 

the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the newly named 

National Victimization Survey. It was nearly 

identical to the 1982 survey. 

1992 Survey of Public 

Participation of the Arts

The third SPPA, conducted in 1992, surveyed 

12,736 individuals over 18 years of age and followed 

the same format as previous surveys. However, 

questions about arts education, non-arts leisure 

activities, etc., were asked throughout the year, 

thereby providing a larger sample size for these 

questions than in the 1982 survey. Additionally, 

the NEA refined the survey instrument by adding, 

omitting, and modifying various questions and 

sections. For example, the arts education category 

included new questions about the location of arts 

education and if survey respondents had taken 

arts education lessons in the last year. The survey 

omitted questions about craftwork lessons. Some 

questions concerning live attendance, recreation 

lifestyle, music preferences, arts creation, and media 

participation were modified. 

1997 Survey of Public 

Participation of the Arts

From June to October of 1997, the NEA conducted 

a fourth edition of the SPPA. This survey was not 

administered through the U.S. Census Bureau’s 

National Victimization Survey. Instead, the NEA 

retained Westat Corporation of Rockville, Maryland, 

a private research firm, to conduct a stand-alone 

telephone survey. Using a random-digit dial 

telephone survey plan, more than 12,000 individuals 

over 18 years of age were interviewed. Due to the 

considerable differences in survey methodologies, 

however, the 1997 telephone survey produced results 

that are not comparable to previous or subsequent 

surveys. The 1997 survey can be analyzed only as 

a stand-alone, point-in-time survey, and not in an 

SPPA historical analysis. 
86 National Endowment for the Arts

2002 Survey of Public 

Participation of the Arts

In 2002, the NEA sponsored its fifth SPPA. For 

the first time, the 2002 SPPA was conducted as a 

supplement to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current 

Population Survey (CPS), a research instrument 

issued monthly to approximately 60,000 households 

throughout the nation for use by the U.S. Bureau of 

Labor Statistics. The U.S. Census Bureau weighted 

each survey record so that the survey sample would 

reflect the nation’s estimated demographic and 

geographic profile. 

A total of 17,135 respondents in the August 2002 CPS 

participated in the 2002 SPPA. Respondents were 

asked all of the 2002 SPPA questions, resulting in an 

overall sample size applicable to the entire survey. 

In general, the 2002 survey instrument followed 

the format used in the 1992 SPPA, incorporating 

only slight modifications. For instance, the media 

engagement category added a video (DVD) discs 

option to questions about watching arts programs 

via television. The music preferences category added 

and omitted various music categories, and two new 

sections were added to the end of the survey. The 

first new section asked about trips away from home 

to attend arts events or art museums, and the second 

new section asked the individual’s frequency of 

reading about, discussing, or accessing information 

about the arts via the Internet. 

2008 Survey of Public 

Participation of the Arts

In May 2008, the sixth and most recent SPPA 

was conducted under NEA sponsorship. Similar 

to the 2002 survey, the 2008 SPPA was done as a 

supplement to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current 

Population Survey (CPS). 

In general, the 2008 survey instrument closely 

resembled the 2002 instrument, with some questions 

added, removed, or modified. Some new questions 

focused on Latin music and attendance at outdoor 

performing arts festivals. Questions on arts in the 

media were changed to reflect the enhanced options 

available in 2008, and questions on the Internet were 

expanded. The 2002 sections on trips away from 

home and on the desire to attend more arts events 

were dropped from the 2008 survey. 

To increase the response rate and reduce the time 

required for a respondent to answer the survey, 

questions in the 2008 SPPA were grouped into 

four modules and each respondent was only asked 

questions from two of the four modules. The 2008 

SPPA includes two sampling weights so that each 

module of the survey reflects the approximate 

demographic and geographic composition of the 

nation. 

For certain questions, respondents were asked to 

give proxy responses on behalf of their spouse or 

partner regarding their participation in the arts. 

Responses were collected for 18,444 adults, an 81.6 

percent response rate. 

More information on design of the 2008 SPPA and 

comparison with previous surveys can be found 

in the 2008 SPPA User’s Guide (arts.endow.gov/

research/SPPA/users-guide.pdf).
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 87

Data Collection

APPENDIX B

The 2008 SPPA was conducted as part of the 

U.S. Bureau of the Census’ ongoing Current 

Population Survey (CPS). The basic CPS 

collects labor force data and other information 

about the civilian non-institutional population. 

Interviewers ask questions about labor force 

participation concerning each member 15 years of 

age and older in each sample household. 

The present monthly CPS sample was selected from 

the 2000 Decennial Census files with coverage in all 

50 states and the District of Columbia. The sample is 

continually updated to account for new residential 

construction. To obtain the sample, the United States 

is divided into 2,025 geographic areas. In most states, 

a geographic area consisted of a county or several 

contiguous counties. In some areas of New England 

and Hawaii, minor civil divisions are used instead 

of counties. These 2,025 geographic areas are then 

grouped into 824 strata, and one geographic area is 

selected for the survey from each stratum.

From the 824 strata, about 60,000 households are 

eligible for interview every month. Interviewers are 

unable to obtain interviews at about 5,000 of these 

units. This problem occurs when the occupants 

are not found at home after repeated calls or are 

unavailable for some other reason.

Each month’s sample is composed of eight groups 

of households that rotate. Each household group 

is interviewed for 4 successive months, then not 

interviewed for 8 months, then returned to the 

sample for 4 additional months.

May 2008, Survey of 

Public Participation in the 

Arts (SPPA) Supplement

To conduct the 2008 SPPA, interviewers asked 

questions about public participation in the arts 

in addition to the basic CPS questions. Because 

households in the outgoing rotation groups are 

eligible sample households for the supplement, 25 

percent of the basic CPS households were sampled. 

The SPPA supplement attempted to obtain selfresponses from two randomly selected household 

members ages 18 and over. If applicable, the selected 

household members were also asked questions about 

their spouse/partner.

The supplement contained questions about the 

household member’s participation in various artistic 

activities from May 1, 2007 to May 1, 2008. It asked 

about the type of artistic activity, the frequency of 

participation, training in the arts and exposure to 

arts activities at schools and religious institutions, 

and music and reading preferences. These questions 

were divided into a set of core questions and four 

modules. While the core questions were asked of 

all participants, each module was administered to 

only a portion of the sampled cases. Interviews were 

conducted during the period of May 18-24, 2008.
88 National Endowment for the Arts

APPENDIX C

Standard Errors, Hypothesis 

Testing, and Design EffecT

The tests for statistical significance conducted 

in this study used standard statistical 

methods for calculating standard errors and 

conducting difference-of-proportions tests or other 

hypothesis tests. 

As the SPPA data were not collected using a simple 

random sample, and were weighted to represent the 

U.S. adult population, the standard errors cannot 

be calculated using traditional methods outlined in 

basic statistics texts. The Demographic Statistical 

Methods Division (DSMD) of the U.S. Census Bureau 

provides detailed instructions on calculating 

standard errors in the “Source and Accuracy 

Statement for the May 2008 CPS Microdata File 

on Public Participation in the Arts.” BBC used the 

methods described in this document to calculate 

standard errors for use in calculations of statistical 

significance.

BBC used a similar method for calculating the 

standard errors for 2002 SPPA estimates. 

Readers can find the Census Bureau’s Source and 

Accuracy Statement for the SPPA supplement on 

the Current Population Survey web site—

www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmay08.pdf.
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 89

APPENDIX D

2008 Survey of Public Participation 

in the Arts (SPPA)

The following is a reader-friendly 

interpretation of the 2008 SPAA. Questions 

that were new for 2008 are identified 

with an asterisk (*) at the end of the question. For 

questions in this appendix that say, “did you (or 

your spouse/partner)...”, two separate questions 

were asked in the 2008 SPPA.

This month we are asking additional questions 

concerning public participation in the arts. The 

following questions are about your (and your 

spouse/partners’) activities during the last 12 

months between May (current day), 2007 and May 

(current day), 2008. 

Core Questions: Participation 

via Attendance

1. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your spouse/

partner) go to a live jazz performance during 

the last 12 months? If yes, how many times did 

you (or your spouse/partner) do this during the 

last 12 months? 

2. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your 

spouse/partner) go to a live Latin, Spanish, or 

Salsa music performance during the last 12 

months?* If yes, how many times did you (or 

your spouse/partner) do this during the last 

12 months?*

3. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your 

spouse/partner) go to a live classical music 

performance such as symphony, chamber, or 

choral music during the last 12 months? If 

yes, how many times did you (or your spouse/

partner) do this during the last 12 months?

4. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your spouse/

partner) go to a live opera during the last 

12 months? If yes, how many times did you 

(or your spouse/partner) do this during the last 

12 months?

5. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your spouse/

partner) go to a live musical stage play during 

the last 12 months? If yes, how many times did 

you (or your spouse/partner) do this during the 

last 12 months?

6. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your spouse/

partner) go to a live performance of a nonmusical stage play during the last 12 months? If 

yes, how many times did you (or your spouse/

partner) do this during the last 12 months?

 7. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your spouse/

partner) go to a live ballet performance during 

the last 12 months? If yes, how many times did 

you (or your spouse/partner) do this during the 

last 12 months?

8. [With the exception of elementary or high 

school performances] Did you (or your spouse/

partner) go to a live dance performance other 

than ballet, such as modern, folk, tap- or 

Broadway-style during the last 12 months? If 

yes, how many times did you (or your spouse/

partner) do this during the last 12 months?

9. [During the last 12 months] Did you (or 

your spouse/partner) visit an art museum or 

gallery? If yes, how many times did you (or 

your spouse/partner) do this during the last 

12 months?
90 National Endowment for the Arts

10a. [During the last 12 months] Did you (or your 

spouse/partner) visit a crafts fair or a visual 

arts festival?

10b. [During the last 12 months] Did you (or your 

spouse/partner) visit an outdoor festival that 

featured performing artists?*

11. [During the last 12 months] Did you (or 

your spouse/partner) visit a historic park or 

monument, or tour buildings or neighborhoods 

for their historic or design value?

12. With the exception of books required for 

work or school, did you (or your spouse/

partner) read any books during the last 12 

months? About how many books did you (or 

your spouse/partner) read during the last 12 

months?

13. During the last 12 months did you (or your 

spouse/partner) read any: 

■■ Novels or short stories?

■■ Poetry?

■■ Plays?

Module A: Additional Reading 

Questions and Music Preference

1a. During the last 12 months, with the exception 

of required reading for work or school, did you 

read any articles, essays, or blogs either on the 

Internet or downloaded from the Internet?*

1b. During the last 12 months, with the exception 

of required reading for work or school, did 

you read any novels, short stories, or poetry 

either on the Internet or downloaded from 

the Internet?*

2. During the last 12 months, did you listen to 

any novels, short stories, or poetry, either live 

or recorded?

3. [If the survey respondent has identified as a 

reader] Please tell me if you like to read each of 

the following. Do you like to read (* All genres 

below were new):

■■ Mysteries?

■■ Thillers?

■■ Romance?

■■ Science Fiction or Fantasy?

■■ Other Fiction?

■■ Health, Fitness, or Self-Improvement books?

■■ Religious texts or books about Religion 

or Spirituality?

■■ History or Political books?

■■ Biographies or Memoirs?

■■ Other Non-Fiction?

■■ Anything Else I have not mentioned?

4. For each type of music I listen to, please tell me 

if you like to listen to it. Do you like to listen to:

■■ Classical or Chamber Music?

■■ Opera?

■■ Broadway musicals or Show tunes?

■■ Jazz?

■■ Classic Rock or Oldies?

■■ Contemporary Rock?*

■■ Rap or Hip-hop?

■■ Blues or Rhythm and Blues?

■■ Latin, Spanish or Salsa?*

■■ Country?

■■ Bluegrass?

■■ Folk Music?

■■ Hymns or Gospel Music?

■■ Anything Else I have not mentioned?

5. Of those music types that you mention 

listening to, which do you like best? 

■■ Classical or Chamber Music?

■■ Opera?

■■ Broadway musicals or Show tunes?

■■ Jazz?

■■ Classic Rock or Oldies?

■■ Contemporary Rock?*

■■ Rap or Hip-hop?

■■ Blues or Rhythm and Blues?

■■ Latin, Spanish or Salsa?*

■■ Country?

■■ Bluegrass?

■■ Folk Music?

■■ Hymns or Gospel Music?

■■ Other?

Module B: Participation via 

Internet and Other Media

1a. During the last 12 months, did you use 

the Internet?

1b. How often did you usually access the Internet?*

2. During the last 12 months, did you use the 

Internet to watch, listen to, or download 

live or recorded music, theater or dance 

performances? Is this something that you 

usually do?
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 91

3. During the last 12 months, did you use the 

Internet to view visual art online, such as 

paintings, sculpture, or photography? Is this 

something that you usually do?

4. During the last 12 months, did you use the 

Internet to obtain information about music, 

theater, or dance performances, or art 

exhibits, including purchasing tickets 

online?* How often?*

5. During the last 12 months, did you use the 

Internet to create or post your own art online 

including design, music, photography, films, 

video, or creative writing?* How often?*

6. During the last 12 months did you watch or 

listen to any recorded or live broadcasted 

arts performances on your television, radio, 

or on your computer, including watching or 

listening on portable media devices such as an 

I-Pod, cell phone, or portable DVD player? Arts 

performances include:

■■ Jazz?

■■ Latin, Spanish, or Salsa music?*

■■ Classical music?

■■ Opera?

■■ Musical stage play?

■■ Non-musical stage play (with the exception 

of movies, sitcoms, or TV series)?

■■ Ballet, modern, folk, tap, or Broadway style 

dance performances (with the exception of 

music videos)?

■■ A program about artists, art works, or 

art museums?

■■ A program about books or writers?*

Module C: Leisure Activities

1. Approximately, how many hours of television 

do you (or your spouse/partner) watch on an 

average day?

2. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) go out to the movies?

3. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) attend an elementary, middle, 

or high school music, theater, or dance 

performance?*

4. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) attend a theatre or dance 

performance at a church, synagogue, or other 

religious institution?*

 5. With the exception of youth sports, did you 

(or your spouse/partner) go to any amateur 

or professional sports events during the last 

12 months?

6. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) jog, lift weights, walk, or 

participate in any other exercise program?

7. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) participate in any sports 

activity, such as softball, basketball, golf, 

bowling, skiing, or tennis?

8. During the last 12 months, did you (or 

your spouse/partner) participate in any 

outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, 

or canoeing? 

9. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) work with indoor plants or do 

any gardening for pleasure?

10. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) work with pottery, ceramics, 

jewelry, or do any leatherwork or metalwork?

11. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) do any weaving, crocheting, 

quilting, needlepoint, or sewing?

12. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) make photographs, movies, or 

video tapes as an artistic activity?

13. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) do any painting, drawing, 

sculpture, or printmaking activities?

14. With the exception of work or school, did 

you (or your spouse/partner) do any creative 

writing such as stories, poems, or plays during 

the last 12 months?

15. Do you (or your spouse/partner) own any 

original pieces of art, such as paintings, 

drawings, sculpture, prints, or lithographs? 

Did you (or your spouse/partner) purchase 

or acquire any of these pieces during the last 

12 months?
92 National Endowment for the Arts

16a. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) play a musical instrument?*

16b. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) perform or rehearse any 

jazz music?

16c. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) perform or rehearse any 

classical music?

17. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) sing any music from an opera?

18. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) sing or act in a musical play?

19. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) act in a non-musical play?

20. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) sing with a chorale, choir, or 

glee club or other type of vocal group?

21. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) dance ballet, or other dance 

such as modern, folk, tap, or Broadway-style 

dance?

25. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) participate in any community 

activities, meetings, or events?*

26. During the last 12 months, did you (or your 

spouse/partner) do any volunteer or charity 

work?

27. Did you (or your spouse/partner) vote in the 

last 2004 presidential election?*

Module D: Arts Learning

1a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in 

music — either voice training or playing an 

instrument?

1b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

1c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the 

music lessons or classes you took as a child 

private lessons?

1d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?

2a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in visual 

arts such as sculpture, painting, printmaking, 

graphic design, photography, or film making?

2b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

2c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the 

visual arts lessons or classes you took as a 

child private lessons?

2d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?

3a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in acting 

or theater?

3b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

3c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the 

acting lessons or classes you took as a child 

private lessons?

3d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?

4a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in 

dance including ballet, or other dance such as 

modern, folk, tap, or Broadway-style?

4b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

4c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the 

dance lessons or classes you took as a child 

private lessons?

4d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?
2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts 93

5a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in 

creative writing?

5b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

5c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the 

creative writing lessons or classes you took as a 

child private lessons?

5d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?

6a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in art 

appreciation or art history?

6b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

6c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the art 

history lessons or classes you took as a child 

private lessons?

6d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?

7a. Have you ever taken lessons or classes in music 

appreciation?

7b. If yes, did you take these lessons or classes 

when you were:

■■ A child under 18?

■■ An adult 18 or older?

■■ Or both as an adult and child?

7c. Excluding lessons or classes offered in 

elementary or high school, were any of the 

music appreciation lessons or classes you took 

as a child private lessons?

7d. Did you take any of these lessons or classes in 

the past year?

Additional Demographic Questions

1. What is the highest degree or level of school 

your Father completed?

■■ Less than 9th grade?

■■ Some high school?

■■ High school graduate (or GED)?

■■ Some college?

■■ College graduate (BA, AB, BS)?

■■ Advanced or graduate degree (Masters, 

Professional, Doctoral)?

2. What is the highest degree or level of school 

your Mother completed?

■■ Less than 9th grade?

■■ Some high school?

■■ High school graduate (or GED)?

■■ Some college?

■■ College graduate (BA, AB, BS)?

■■ Advanced or graduate degree (Masters, 

Professional, Doctoral)?

3. How many children do you have between the 

ages 5 and 17 years of age?*

4a. With the exception of lessons or classes offered 

in their school, have any of your school-aged 

children ever taken any private art lessons 

or classes?*

4b. Were any of these private lessons or classes 

taken in the past year?*

5. With the exception of elementary, middle, 

or high school performance, did any of your 

school aged children attend a live music, 

theater, or dance performance during the 

last 12 months?*


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