Report # 17 

National Endowment The Arts Public in the South for the Arts

NX
 

Research Division 180
 March 1984 

.R37
 

1984
 
The Arts Public in the South
 

LIBRARY 

NATIONAL
 

ENDOWMENT
 

FOR THE
 

ARTS
 

National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C. 
As the research studies leading to this
 

report were going forward, many people
 

asked, "Why the South?"
 

The Research Division began this work
 

under Arts Endowment Chairman Nancy Hanks.
 

She believed that it is important to have
 

good trend data about Americans’ participation and evolving interest in arts and
 

cultural activities. The initial approach
 

to this broad and difficult area of investigation was to organize a series of
 

planning studies, and one of these was a
 

prototype survey. The scale of this survey was limited because of its role as a
 

learning exercise. Several approaches
 

were presented to Miss Hanks: a survey of
 

one of the major regions, a survey of a
 

major metropolitan area, or a series of
 

small surveys in different regions which
 

would provide some opportunities for interregional comparisons. Nancy Hanks did not
 

select one of these, but responded quickly
 

and firmly, "Do it for the South. We need
 

that information."
 

This report is produced by the Publishing
 

Center for Cultural Resources as part of a
 

pilot project supported by the National
 

Endowment for the Arts demonstrating economy and efficiency in nonprofit publishing.
 

The Publishing Center’s planning, production, and distribution services are available to all cultural and educational groups
 

and organizations. For further information,
 

write Publishing Center for Cultural Resources, 625 Broadway, New York City 10012
 

or telephone 212/260-2010.
 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 

Main entry under tltl~:
 

The Arts public in ~he South.
 

(Research Division report ; no. 17)
 

i. Arts--Southern States. 2. Recreational surveys-­

Southern States. Io National Endowment for the Arts.
 

IIo series: Research Division report (National
 

Endowment for t~e Arts. Research Division) ; no. 17.
 

NXI80.RA78 1983 306’.47’0975 83-7826
 

ISBN 0-89062-147-0
 

Manufactured in the United States of America.
 
CONTENTS
 

PREFACE / page 4
 

LIST OF TABLES / page 5
 

LIST OF FIGURES / page 5
 

HIGHLIGHTS / page 7
 

INTRODUCTION / page 8
 

PARTICIPATION IN LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTH / page 13
 

The structure of leisure activities / 13
 

Correlates of leisure participation / 15
 

Patterns of participation in leisure activities / 19
 

Regional differences in participation / 30
 

Limited participation: taste versus barriers / 34
 

Chapter summary and conclusions / 36
 

DEMAND FOR LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTH / page 37
 

The dimensions of demand / 37
 

Correlates of demand / 38
 

Patterns of demand / 42
 

Unmet demand / 53
 

Chapter summary and conclusions / 56
 

TEST RESULTS OF THE STUDY HYPOTHESES / page 58
 

REPORTS IN THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS RESEARCH DIVISION SERIES / page 59
 
PREFACE
 

This Research Division report has a more
 

complex origin than most. It combines


information from two separate research
 

projects and completely integrates the


discussion and the results. Both projects
 

were part of the long-term and continuing
 

efforts of the Research Division to better
 

understand the participation of Americans
 

in arts activities, the demand for increased opportunities to participate, and
 

the barriers that are encountered.
 

The first of the two projects was a survey
 

conducted through the use of a mailed
 

questionnaire to a probability sample of
 

the population in thirteen southern states
 

(Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
 

Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina,
 

South Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia,
 

Tennessee, West Virginia, and Texas). The
 

sample of 3,207 persons was drawn by means
 

of random digit dialing by Opinion Research
 

Corporation, Inc. The development of the
 

questionnaire, the survey itself, and the
 

report on the results is the work of the
 

Human Resources Research Organization
 

(HumRRO). Dr. Richard J. Orend was Project Director for these activities. Work
 

on the project extended from 1975 to 1980;
 

the development of the sample was done in
 

October 1978, and the survey itself was in
 

the field during the latter part of 1978
 

and the first part of 1979. Many persons
 

assisted in this work. Prominent on the
 

HumRRO team were: David Bushnell, Marsha
 

Wallace, Eileen Sussman, Gary Ford, and
 

Susann Miller.
 

The second project was conducted for the
 

Research Division by Dr. John Shelton Reed
 

and Dr. Peter V. Marsden with the assistance of Michael Kennedy, Elizabeth Fink,
 

and Kandi Stinson at the University of
 

North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Their project utilized data tapes made available
 

through the Louis Harris Political Data
 

Library located at the Institute for
 

Research in Social Science at the University. The data tapes used are from three
 

projects conducted by the National Research Center of the Arts (NRCA), an affiliate of Louis Harris and Associates,
 

Inc. These data were obtained from surveys of the American public conducted in
 

1973, 1975, and 1978. The first of these
 

used a sample of about 3,000 adults over
 

age sixteen. The second survey conducted
 

in 1975 asked a smaller set of questions
 

(some repeated from the first study) of a
 

similar sample of about 1,600 persons.
 

The third study used similar but not identical questions with a sample of about
 

1,400 persons. The work of Doctors Reed
 

and Marsden made it possible to compare
 

South and non-South and to corroborate
 

some of the findings in the survey
 

conducted by HumRRO.
 

The reports on both studies were analyzed
 

and interpreted by Dr. Denis F. Johnston,
 

an authority on social indicators. Dr.
 

Johnston prepared a synthesis and condensation of the two reports. It is Dr.
 

Johnston’s work that serves as the most
 

immediate source for this Research Division
 

report. Dr. Johnston’s condensation was
 

subsequently edited by the Research Division and the Publishing Center for Cultural Resources.
 

Researchers may look at the two original
 

studies for this Research Division report
 

for more detail on research methods employed and more complete data tables, as
 

well as the questionnaire and the presentation of findings in the form reported by
 

the original investigators. The reports
 

on the two studies have been deposited in
 

the Education Resources Information
 

Center (ERIC), which is sponsored by the
 

National Institute of Education of the U.S.
 

Department of Education. Over six hundred
 

U.S. and sixty foreign institutions have
 

complete collections on microfiche of the
 

reports deposited into the system. They
 

are also available through on-line computer access from several organizations that
 

maintain the ERIC data base. Inquiries
 

concerning the availability of a microfiche copy should be sent to: ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), Consumer
 

Service, P.O. Box 190, Arlington, Virginia
 

22210, telephone 703/841-1212. The full
 

titles of the two reports are: i. Orend,
 

Richard J., Leisure Participation in the
 

South, Volume I--Results, Volume II--Appendices, Volume III--Summary, HumRRO Final
 

Report 80-1, Prepared for the National
 

Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C.,
 

Human Resources Research Organization,
 

300 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, July 1980; the ERIC Document
 

Identification Numbers are: ED206521,
 

ED206522, and ED206523. 2. Reed, John S.
 

and Marsden, Peter V., Leisure Time Use in
 

the South: A Secondary Analysis, Report to
 

the National Endowment for the Arts, Institute for Research in Social Science and
 

Department of Sociology, University of
 

North Carolina, Chapel Hill, December 1980;
 

the ERIC Document Identification Number is
 

ED221435.
 

Research Division
 

National Endowment for the Arts
 

March 1984
 
LIST OF TABLES
 

1 Names of participation and demand clusters / page 9
 

2 HumRRO survey leisure activities and cluster location from the factor
 

analysis / page i0
 

3
 Survey respondents classified by principal participation clusters / page 16
 

4
 Demand for increased participation in leisure activities / page 37
 

5 Survey respondents classified by principle demand clusters / page 40
 

6 Barriers to current participation in eight active arts activities / page 54
 

7 Current participation and desired participation in active arts activities /
 

page 55
 

LIST OF FIGURES
 

I Participation cluster i, undirected participation / page 20
 

V Participation cluster 5, music, plays, and poetry on radio, records, and
 

IX Participation cluster 9, folk music/performance/arts and crafts activities /
 

II Participation cluster 2, performing arts attendance / page 21
 

III Participation cluster 3, active music and performing arts / page 22
 

IV Participation cluster 4, television viewing / page 23
 

TV / page 24
 

VI Participation cluster 6, active sports / page 25
 

VII Participation cluster 7, visual arts exhibit and class attendance / page 26
 

VIII Participation cluster 8, home media, family, and friends / page 27
 

page 28
 

X Participation cluster i0, active individual and family pursuits / page 29
 

XI Participation in active arts-related activities / page 31
 

XII Participation in passive arts-related activities / page 32
 

XIII Participation in nonarts activities / page 33
 

XIV Principal reasons for limited participation / page 35
 
XV Demand cluster i, unspecialized demand / page 43
 

XVI Demand cluster 2, theater/music (not including jazz)/dance performance
 

XVII Demand cluster 3, home media and sports involving radio, TV, and records /
 

XIX Demand cluster 5, participatory music and religion-related activities /
 

XXII Demand cluster 8, community service/performing arts activities/TV viewing /
 

XXIII Demand cluster 9, popular/folk/arts and crafts exhibit and festival
 

attendance / page 44
 

page 45
 

XVIII Demand cluster 4, jazz concert attendance and home listening / page 46
 

page 47
 

XX Demand cluster 6, visual arts activities and exhibit attendance / page 48
 

XXI Demand cluster 7, family-centered activities / page 49
 

page 50
 

attendance / page 51
 

XXIV Demand cluster i0, active sports and outdoor activities / page 52
 
HIGHLIGHTS
 

The principal finding from the comparisons between southern and non-southern
 

participation in arts-related activities
 

is that some regional differences do
 

exist, but overall they are not large.
 

The desire to increase arts-related
 

activities is not as strong as the desire
 

to increase the more general and less
 

focused leisure activities. Nevertheless,
 

there is a strong unmet demand for increased opportunities to participate in
 

arts-related activities, including both
 

visual and performing arts.
 

Southerners are more likely to mention
 

problems of "cost" or "accessibility"
 

when responding to questions about barriers that inhibit them from the desired
 

level of participation than are non-


southerners, who are more likely to cite
 

"lack of time."
 

When significant regional differences
 

in participation rates were found in both
 

arts-related and nonarts-related leisure
 

activities, the participation rates were
 

generally lower in the South than in the
 

rest of the country, and the gap was
 

larger for the arts-related activities.
 

The assumption that strong regional
 

differences are a basis for differential
 

strategies for support of arts-related
 

activities may be out of date. A number
 

of basic economic indicators show a convergence between the South and other regions of the country with respect to
 

style of living, which suggests a similar
 

convergence in leisure activities and
 

preferences.
 

Assuming prior exposure or education to
 

be important in appreciating arts-related
 

activities in later life, the study found
 

that the frequency with which "lack of
 

time or interest" was cited as reason
 

for limited participation suggested that
 

insufficient exposure was a major inhibiting factor in arts-related activities.
 

The strong and highly diversified interests in leisure activities among young
 

southerners, especially students, is a
 

sign that the level of participation in
 

arts-related activities will increase in
 

the future.
 

Awareness of available opportunities or
 

facilities for arts-related activities
 

tends to increase with education. It also
 

tends to increase with age up to the mid-


twenties and then begins to decline.
 

The magnitude of unmet demand for active
 

arts-related participation is about the
 

same in the South as in other regions.
 

Singing in choirs stands out as the single
 

active arts-related activity in which
 

southerners are most clearly differentiated from the non-southern population
 

in terms of greater participation and
 

demand. However, the unmet demand for
 

active arts-related activities is generally about the same in the South and
 

outside the South.
 

"Lack of talent," an expression of perceived inadequacy, is a reason frequently
 

given by southerners for limited participation in active, at-home, arts-related
 

activities and contrasts with the "lack
 

of training" that was more often cited
 

outside the South.
 

"Particular activity not available" is
 

more important than "lack of time or interest" as a reason for not participating
 

in passive arts-related activities away
 

from home. In fact, the combination of
 

"not available" with "poor access" accounts for nearly 40 percent of the reasons cited. Furthermore, less than i0
 

percent of those sampled cited cost as
 

the primary reason for limited participation. These findings suggest the existence of a large potential audience in the
 

South for a variety of concerts, dance
 

performances, art exhibits, and craft
 

shows.
 

The heavy concentration of leisure
 

activities found in an "undirected participation" cluster together with the
 

widespread distribution of participation
 

in arts-related clusters among persons in
 

the different occupation groups suggest
 

that the leisure pursuits of most southerners are not dominated by the kind of
 

work they do.
 
INTRODUCTION
 

This report condenses and interprets information collected in a survey of leisure participation in the South by the
 

Human Resources Research Organization
 

(HumRRO) utilizing a questionnaire that
 

was sent by mail in 1978-79 to a probability sample of households selected
 

through random digit dialing of telephone
 

numbers in thirteen southern states. The
 

survey was limited to the southern states
 

and does not provide inter-regional comparisons. However, data was available
 

from three prior studies conducted in 1973,
 

1975, and 1978 by the National Research
 

Center of the Arts (NRCA), an affiliate
 

of Louis Harris and Associates, Inc.,
 

which cover the entire United States and
 

can be disaggregated to show the results
 

for the South and the non-South separately and thus to make some comparisons possible between South and non-South. These
 

data extend over a period of five years
 

and provide clues concerning possible
 

trends in leisure activities during the
 

1973-78 period. The HumRRO and NRCA studies differ slightly with respect to
 

groups of states covered and questions
 

asked. The HumRRO survey covered the eleven states of the Confederacy (Virginia,
 

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
 

Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana,
 

Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas) plus Kentucky and West Virginia. The three NRCA
 

surveys covered the same eleven states
 

plus Kentucky and Oklahoma, with comparable information for the rest of the
 

United States. Consequently, exact and
 

detailed comparisons between the results
 

of the two surveys cannot be drawn. However, the HumRRO survey can be used for
 

an in-depth analysis of southern leisure
 

patterns while the NRCA surveys provide
 

an indication of the five-year stability
 

of patterns of participation as well as
 

the extent of regional differences and
 

perceived barriers to participation in
 

preferred leisure activities. In addition, the NRCA surveys provide substantial evidence confirming the principal
 

findings of the HumRRO survey. The conclusions in the Research Division report
 

are generally based on all of these studies, considered together.
 

The HumRRO survey and the NRCA surveys
 

all used a list of specified activities
 

to which respondents could refer in reporting their current activities and interests. The HumRRO researchers boiled
 

down a starting list of 150 leisure activities to a final set of 45 groups of leisure activities. These 45 groups were in
 

two broad categories--22 arts-related activities and 23 nonarts-related activities--and the respondents were broken into clusters according to patterns of response. The NRCA surveys classified responses to 58 leisure-activity questions
 

according to arts-related and nonartsrelated and also according to two basic
 

dimensions of leisure activity: whether
 

they were typically engaged in "at home"
 

or "away from home," and whether they
 

were essentially "passive" or "active."
 

These three distinctions provide eight
 

possible types of leisure activity in
 

the NRCA surveys. A few examples indicate the operation of this three-fold
 

classification: Going to an opera is
 

"arts-related, away-from-home, and passive." List@ning to classical music on
 

the radio is "arts-related, at-home,
 

passive." Playing a competitive sport
 

is "nonarts-related, away-from-home, active." Watching sports on TV is "nonarts-related, at-home, passive."
 

In the HumRRO survey, questionnares were
 

classified into categories or "clusters"
 

on the basis of factor analyses of the 45
 

leisure activities on two distinct levels:
 

current patterns of participation (participation) and desire for increased participation (demand). Because some respondents fell into different sets of categories when asked about their participation and when asked about their demand,
 

the cluster names listed in the two columns in Table 1 are different.
 

Where Table 1 shows clusters of activities,
 

Table 2 shows the activities themselves as
 

presented to the respondents. The two columns to the right of the activity list in
 

Table 2 show.how these activities are
 

classified into the participation clusters
 

and demand clusters. Thus we see that,
 

for instance, when asked about participation, respondents incorporate "going to
 

jazz concerts" in the same pattern of activity (performing arts attendance) as
 

going to ballet; but when asked about
 

their demand for greater activity, they
 

tended to express demand for more jazz
 

activity in general, thus incorporating
 

"going to jazz concerts" in demand cluster
 

4. (None of the activities falls into
 

cluster 1 for either participation or demand, because these "undirected" clusters
 

reflect respondents who engage in a number of specific activities but without an
 

overall specific direction to their leisure goals.)
 

The activities in Table 2, while taken
 

from the HumRRO survey, are also grouped
 
for purposes of this report according to
 

the NRCA designations of "at-home" or
 

"away-from-home, .... passive" or "active."
 

Because the initial HumRRO survey did not
 

consider these distinctions, some designations are partially arbitrary: "Playing an instrument," for instance, is designated as being carried out away from
 

home, even though it includes instrument
 

playing for one’s own entertainment, which
 

may take place in the home. Nonetheless,
 

the variety of clusters into which respondents’ activities can be classified indicates the variety of the leisure activities individuals participate in.
 

The next chapter summarizes the principal
 

research findings of the HumRRO survey
 

regarding participation. These findings
 

focus on the inherent structures of leisure activities in the South; on the
 

socioeconomic and demographic correlates
 

of participation; on participatory patterns; on South versus non-South differences (drawing on the NRCA surveys); and
 

on reasons for limited participation in
 

available activities.
 

Another chapter is devoted to the nature
 

of the existing demand for leisure activities in the South. This chapter reviews
 

the principal dimensions on demand for
 

leisure activity; analyzes the socioeconomic and demographic correlates of demand for particular kinds of activity;
 

studies patterns of demand; and discusses
 

unmet demands for activity, especially as
 

these differ from non-southern regions.
 

The final chapter draws together the principal conclusions that can be derived from
 

these surveys in relation to the seven
 

majo~ hypotheses proposed in the design
 

of the survey of the thirteen states of
 

the South.
 

Table 1	 Names of participation and demand clusters 

Participation
 

No. Cluster name
 

1 Undirected participation
 

2 Performing arts attendance
 

3	 Active music and performing arts
 

4	 Television viewing
 

5 Music, plays, and poetry on radio,
 

records, and TV
 

6
 Active sports
 

7
 Visual arts exhibit and class
 

attendance
 

Home media, family, and friends
 

9
 Folk music/arts and crafts/


performance activities
 

i0	 Active individual and family
 

pursuits
 

Demand
 

No. Cluster name
 

1	 Unspecialized demand
 

2	 Theater/music (not including jazz)/
 

dance performance attendance
 

3	 Home media and sports involving radio,
 

TV, and records
 

4	 Jazz concert attendance and home
 

listening
 

5	 Participatory music and religion-


related activities
 

6	 Visual arts activities and exhibit
 

attendance
 

7	 Family-centered activities
 

8	 Community service/performing arts
 

activities!TV viewing
 

9	 Popular/folk/arts and crafts exhibit,


fair, and carnival attendance
 

i0 Active sports and outdoor activities
 
Table 2 HumRRO survey leisure activities and cluster location from the factor analysis 

5 

5 

Doing cr 

3 

3 

Playing with your children 

Visiting with friends of famil 

members, writing letters, talk 

to friends on the phone 

7 

7 

ing 

ts on TV or listenOf than classical or 

jazz 

Sitting and thinking--daydreaming 

4 

8 

10 

3 

Reading fiction or nonfiction 

books or periodicals 

Indoor activities or playing 

games with friends or family 

Do-it-yourself activities or 

hobbies such as dressmaking, 

fixing cars, home improvement 

projects, gourmet cooking, 

decorating, gardening, stamp 

collecting, antiques collecting 

10 

10 

10 

7 

7 

7 

Playing with pets 10 

i0
 
 

 

 

Partici- ParticiActivity 

pation 

cluster 

Demand 

cluster Activity 

pation 

cluster 

Demand 

cluster 

Away-from-home, passive Away-from-home, active 

Going to choral concerts such as 

choir, gospel, barbershop, etc. 

Going to jazz concerts 2 

Going to symphony or chamber 

music concerts 

Going to an opera 2 

Going to rock, country and 

western, or rhythm and blues 

concerts 

Going to theater performances 

(not including high school or 

grade school, shows) 

Going to ballet or modern dance 

performances (not including 

recitals by your own children) 

Visiting painting, graphic arts, 

photography, or sculpture 

exhibits 

visiting pottery, weaving, 

macrame, jewelry, quilting, or 

other craft exhibits 

2 

2 

2 

4 

2 

2 

2 

2 

Playing an instrument in a group 

or for your own entertainment or 

taking music lessons 

Singing or playing for chorus, 

choir, or other singing group 

Performing in plays or musicals 

or with a dance group; taking 

lessons; or providing behindthe-scenes support 

Going to folk or ethnic concerts 

or festivals 

Going to dance performances by 

touring international or local 

folk or ethnic groups 

Attending classes or lectures on 

art history, literature, etc., or 

belonging to a literature club 

(not book buying) 

Taking classes in painting, 

sculpture, graphics, film or 

crafts 

Going to sports events 

3 

3 

3 

9 

9 

i0 

I0 

6 

5 

5 

5 

9 

9 

I0 

Touring buildings, gardens, or 

neighborhoods for design or 

historic value; visiting 

history, science, or technical 

Camping, hiking, backpacking, 

hunting, fishing, boating, skiing 

or other strenuous outdoor 

activity 

6 I0 

museums Playing competitive sports 6 I0 

Jogging, weight lifting, or 

other exercise program 

6 i0 

Going to the movies 8 7 

Going to fairs or carnivals 9 9 

Going to church or church-related

activities 

i0 8 

Charity, volunteer, social 

service, or political organization meetings and activities 

i0 

Fraternal organization meetings 

and activities or activities of 

clubs such as garden or card 

clubs, etc. 

I0 

Picnicking, visiting parks and 

zoos, going on nature walks or 

driving a car for pleasure 

i0 

ii
 
PARTICIPATION IN LEISURE ACTIVITIES
 

IN THE SOUTH
 

The structure of leisure activities
 

The following summary descriptions of the
 

ten participation clusters provides an
 

overview of the structure of ongoing leisure activity in the South as observed in
 

the HumRRO survey.
 

Participation cluster no. i: Undirected
 

participation--This is by far the most
 

popular cluster; nearly half of the respondents in the HumRRO survey are classified as belonging primarily in this
 

miscellaneous leisure activities grouping.
 

The members of this cluster can best be
 

described as individuals whose leisure activities are quite varied and casual,
 

with no clear-cut commitment to or strong
 

interest in any particular kind of activity.
 

Participation cluster no. 2: Performing
 

arts attendance--Relatively few respondents (less than 2 percent) concentrate
 

their leisure activities primarily in this
 

cluster of activities, which includes attending a variety of arts performances-­

symphonies, concerts, operas, theaters,
 

and dance. Such activities are passive
 

and are carried out away from home.
 

Participation cluster no. 3: Active music and performing arts--Another small
 

group of respondents (less than 2 percent)
 

focus their leisure activities on active
 

artistic expression. This cluster is
 

quite diversified, since the activities
 

range from playing a musical instrument
 

or singing in a choir to acting, dancing,
 

or painting and sculpture. These activities are active in nature, but may be pursued either at home or away from home.
 

Participation cluster no. 4: Television
 

viewinq--About one respondent in eight
 

reported that this was his or her primary
 

leisure activity. Only "active individual
 

and family pursuits" (cluster no. i0) and
 

"undirected activities" (cluster no. i)
 

were more popular than conventional TV in
 

the South. This activity is clearly passive and at-home in orientation.
 

Participation cluster no. 5: Plays and
 

poetry on radio, records and TV--About
 

2 percent reported that their primary leisure activity involved listening to plays
 

or poetry via the home media. Such activity is also passive at-home in orientation. (Because of the difference between


watching mainstream TV and watching an
 

artistic performance on TV, people who
 

engage mostly in the latter activity were
 

pl~ced in cluster 5.)
 

Participation cluster no. 6: Active
 

~--Just over 3 percent of the respondents reported that their primary leisure activity was active participation in
 

a variety of sports, including jogging.
 

Such activities are active, away-from-home.
 

Participation cluster no. 7: Visual arts
 

exhibit and class attendance--Just over 4
 

percent of the respondents are involved in
 

such leisure activities, which are primarily passive and away-from-home.
 

Participation cluster no. 8: Home, fami~_ and friends--Persons whose primary
 

leisure activities are centered around
 

social life within the home are also a
 

small group, comprising less than 4 percent of the total sample. This cluster
 

of activities is obviously at-home but
 

may include both active and passive forms
 

of activity.
 

Participation cluster no. 9: Folk music/
 

arts and crafts/performance activities-­

Over 6 percent of the respondents fall
 

into this cluster of activities as their
 

principal area of leisure activity. Folk
 

activities include attendance at folk and
 

ethnic festivals, folk dance and music
 

performances, fairs, and carnivals. This
 

kind of activity is primarily passive and
 

away-from-home in orientation.
 

Participation cluster no. i0: Active
 

individual and family pursuits--The diverse activities in this cluster include
 

a variety of creative activities, do-ityourself hobbies, home repair, picnicking,
 

playing with children, etc. This cluster
 

of activities was second only to "undirected participation" in popularity.
 

About one respondent in six reported that
 

his or her primary leisure activity fell
 

in this cluster. This cluster is active
 

and at-home in orientation.
 

Characteristics of participants. The initial phase of the investigation was devoted to answering three questions:
 

i. How much participation was there in
 

the specific activities in each cluster?
 

2. How intense was the participation in
 

particular activities--i.e., how much
 

time was spent by participants in a given
 

activity, or how often did participants
 

engage in given activities? 3. To what
 

13
 
extent did participation in a given activity imply or at least promote participation in one or more different activities?
 

Each of these questions is both theoretically significant and important for practical reasons. The comparison of characteristics of participants and nonparticipants
 

in a given cluster of activity identifies
 

the personal traits that are most often
 

associated with particular kinds or patterns of leisure activity and interests.
 

On a more practical level, knowing the
 

kinds of people that are predisposed to
 

engage in a particular kind of leisure activity is helpful in the design and application of measures to improve these activities and enhance their appeal or their
 

value. Similarly, information on the intensity of participation, in terms of either time spent or preparations and effort, provides important insights into
 

the commitment to particular activities
 

of interests. The greater the amount of
 

time, effort, or requisite preparation to
 

engage in a particular activity, the
 

greater the significance of such involvement to the values and lifestyle of the
 

participant. On the practical side, such
 

information makes it possible to distinguish activities that demand considerable
 

expenditures of time, effort, and resources. Finally, if participation in a
 

given activity is found to imply participation in one or more different activities, the latter participation might be
 

predicted from evidence of the former.
 

In practical terms, if the clusters of
 

activities that have been found can be
 

analyzed further into causal sequences,
 

that information can be used to devise
 

strategies that will encourage development of improved leisure facilities in
 

general and promote fuller appreciation
 

of arts-related activities in particular.
 

The amount of participation in the South,
 

measured in terms of the percentage of
 

respondents who reported being engaged in
 

a specified leisure activity during the
 

previous twelve months, averages 64 percent for the twenty-three nonarts-related
 

activities and 24 percent for the twenty-


two arts-related activities. Respondents
 

were also asked to report either the average hours per week or the number of times
 

per year (as appropriate) that they engaged in a specified activity. The results are generally consistent with those
 

related to the rates of participation.
 

The average hours-per-week of participation in the eighteen nonarts activities
 

come to 4.45, as compared with only 1.18
 

hours per week for the six arts-related
 

activities for which this measure is appropriate. The same difference is found
 

among the activities for which average
 

times per year is the appropriate measure
 

of intensity: 4.8 times per year, on
 

average, for the five nonarts-related activities as compared with only 1.5 times
 

per year for the sixteen arts-related activities. In summary, involvement in
 

arts-related activities in the South is
 

less common and less intense than is participation in nonarts-related activities.
 

Arts-related activities commonly make
 

greater demands upon their participants
 

than do many of the nonarts-related activities. For example, only six of the twenty-two arts-related activities can commonly be engaged in at home; the bulk of
 

them involve a trip to a concert or lecture hall, theater, or museum. In contrast, eighteen of the twenty-three nonarts-related activities can easily be engaged in on a daily basis, either at home
 

or in one’s immediate surroundings
 

(watching TV programs, reading, listening
 

to the radio, and sewing).
 

Involvement in arts-related activities
 

also appears to be less frequent on average. Two illustrations will clarify:
 

Persons who attend choral concerts do so,
 

on average, just over three times per
 

year. In contrast, those who attend
 

sports events do so about five times per
 

year. Similarly, persons who visit exhibits of painting, graphic arts, photography, crafts, or sculpture do so an
 

average of 3.4 times per year, compared
 

with the average of 6.6 times per year
 

for persons who attend movies.
 

The search for prerequisite activities
 

from which participation in other activities might be predicted met with little
 

success. Of the 990 possible pairs of
 

the 45 specific activities, only 17 pairs
 

were found to indicate probable cause-andeffect sequences, but even among these
 

the direction of causation is problematic.
 

The most revealing of these linkages is
 

between church activity and a variety of
 

less common activities that appear to
 

stem from active church membership. These
 

include going to the opera, attending
 

symphony or choral concerts, singing in a
 

choir, participating in folk dancing or
 

art classes, and involvement in clubs,
 

fraternities, or volunteer work. In all
 

of these linkages, at least four of every
 

five persons who are engaged in the less
 

common activity (going to the opera, etc.)
 

are also involved in the more common one
 

--church membership. Two additional common activities are also associated with
 

certain less common activities. Watching
 

and listening to classical music on TV is
 

strongly associated with acting and with
 

attendance at operas and symphony concerts.
 

Similarly, engaging in the more common
 

activity of visiting crafts exhibits is
 

strongly associated with the less common
 

14
 
activities of acting and taking art
 

classes. However, these few associations
 

do not support the notion that participation in particular activities necessarily presages participation in others. The
 

more significant finding that emerges
 

from this analysis is that the bulk of
 

leisure activities, including those that
 

are clearly arts-related, are engaged in
 

independently, reflecting combinations of
 

interest and opportunity that are unique
 

to each individual.
 

Nearly half (47.4 percent) of the respon-


In addition, men are far more likely than
 

women to De involved in active sports or
 

in active music or performing arts. Women,
 

on the other hand, are more likely than men
 

to be primarily involved in active individual and family pursuits or in the visual
 

arts. On the whole, women in the South appear to be somewhat more constrained than
 

men in the range of leisure pursuits in
 

which they are either interested or able
 

to engage.
 

Age. Only two of the ten clusters of participation display a strong linear trend
 

dents can be classified in the "undirected" with advancing age: television viewing
 

cluster of participation. This finding
 

provides strong confirmation that the vast
 

majority of leisure activities can be pursued with evident satisfaction by individuals who do not adhere closely to any particular sequence of requisites or consequences. The freedom to choose daily leisure activities more or less at random may
 

be one of the more psychologically significant features of the structure of parti­

.cipation. This kind of freedom stands in
 

marked contrast to the rigid sequences of
 

requisite training or experience that characterizes scholastic advancement or typical career paths in the world of work.
 

To the degree that leisure activities per~
 

mit spontaneity and casual exploration
 

without requiring strong commitments, they
 

provide an important release from the constraints and frustrations associated with
 

the demands of formal education and work-


related pursuits.
 

Correlates of leisure participation
 

%’he next step in the survey was to analyze
 

the background characteristics of the survey respondents in these clusters in order
 

to determine what kinds of people tended
 

to be particularly involved in specific
 

kinds of leisure activity. The characteristics identified for this purpose are:
 

sex, age, race, number of children, community size, religion, education, income,
 

and occupation. The researchers were able
 

to examine the associations between primary involvement in each cluster of leisure activity and specific socioeconomic
 

or demographic characteristics of the participants. In addition, they were able to
 

consider the correlates with existing demand for particular leisure activities and
 

with perceived barriers to participation
 

in such activities.
 

Sex. The most significant finding about
 

the difference between the sexes is that
 

men are far more likely than women to pursue a wide "undirected" range of leisure
 

.activities, not reflecting any identifiable or coherent structure of interests.
 

and active sports. The former activity
 

increases steadily in popularity with the
 

advancing age of the respondents, while
 

the latter decreases rapidly. Involvement
 

in the "active individual and family"
 

cluster also declines steadily with advancing age, but only up to the age group
 

65 and over; in that group, the rate of
 

participation in such activities rises
 

sharply. For the most part, these findings are not surprising, given the physical demands of active sports and the obvious appeal of more sedentary activities
 

as people grow older. The decline (up to
 

age 65) in participation in active individual and family pursuits is more puzzling. It may reflect a gradual loss of
 

interest in specific hobbies that were
 

pursued in one’s youth, or lack of time
 

and energy due to the pressure of other
 

commitments. In addition, it may reflect
 

a tendency to pursue activities away from
 

home, insofar as such activities are often
 

more affordable as persons advance into
 

the prime working ages.
 

Children. As might be expected, a larger
 

number of children in the home is associated with declining rates of participation
 

in a variety of away-from-home leisure
 

activities, particularly attendance at
 

arts performances of all kinds. The problem of cost alone could be an important
 

factor here. In addition, there appears
 

to be a marked difference between smaller
 

families (with one or two children) and
 

larger ones with respect to more common
 

leisure pursuits. Larger families place
 

a strong emphasis on active individual and
 

family pursuits, television viewing, and
 

other home entertainment. But this pattern of association is not uniform; families with two children, for example, are
 

less likely to focus their leisure activities on home media and on family and
 

friends than are families with no children or with a single child.
 

Race. With respect to leisure activities,
 

the principal differences between blacks
 

and whites may be a function of different
 

age distributions or different socioeconomic status distributions; race ~er se
 

15
 
Table 3 Survey respondents classified by principal participation clusters 

47.4% 1.6% 1.9% 

40.4 0.9 

2.3 

1.5 

36.5 

47.o 

57.8 

45.5 

i!I ii!!ii!ii!!ill 2.2 

i. 8 

o.1 

0.7 

~.6 

0.8 

2.6 

0.7 

2.7 

42.6 

5 2.3 

40.1 

o. 1 

i. 0 

O. 2 

1.o 

i. 3 

2.8 

40.2 

48. i 

35.1 

0.4 

i. 7 

O. 5 

4.5 

i. 6 

O. 0 

41.4 

46.1 45.1 

51.10~ 3 

51.2 

3.7 

i. 0 1.2 

O. ~ 

O. 

2.6 

O. 2 1.5 

2.8 

2.7 

41.4 

47.8 

32.3 

55.3 

i. 6 

O. 

i. 8 

o .o 

42.6 

45.3 

47.6 

44.4 

56.6 

72.8 

o. o 

1.4 

2.4 

2.8 1.2 

o.o 

~6 

4.2 

1.~ 

i. ’3 

0.5 

o. o o.o 

4 2.8 

35.8 

46.5 

46.0 

5 i. 0 

55.0 

1.2 

o. o 

1.3 

2.7 

o. 7 

i. 1 

3.2 

~O ~ 

~Oi~ 

o. o 

5.5 

1.1 

1.5 

~. 3 

46.3 

73.9 

43.6 

37.9 

42.6 

44.3 

O. 6 

O. 0 

3.4 

O. 9 

O. 0 

2.3 

5.0 

O. 0 

O. 0 .............................. 

i. 0 

2.3 

3.7 

16
 
Table 3 provides two kinds of in6.5% B~ ~ng ~cross the columns, the
 

the 46
 

~~ ~ha~a~e~stics a~ng
 

do
 

6.0 

5.5 

5.1 

10.3 

5.3 

4.2 

3.2 

4.7 

4.9 .... 

6.3 

2.4 

14.9 

a sta£is~ical technique used to 

similar types 

o~ a~ivi~ies, A detailed descr ipthe factor analyses can be 

f~u~ ~n the two research reports 

this report is based, 

2.0 6.4 

3.1 

4.9 ~7 7.8 4.2 lS~ 

10.6 7.3 

5.6 7.6 i~.~ 

7.2 7.3 .... 0.0 

1.4 7.1 

4.1 6.8 20,,2 

8.3 

5.0 

5;~ 6.1 

7.4 

27~2 

3.4 9.0 

4.0 7.7 ...... 

5.3 3~3 3.2 

6.7 5.0 

6.4 5.1 

i. 1 8.1 

o.o 5.~ 

i. 1 ~ 6.9 

6.6 ~ 4.5 

4.0 3.1 

4.9 9.8 

17
 
may not account for many of the differences
 

that are observed. The differences that
 

do emerge are of considerable interest.
 

To begin with, the leisure activities of
 

blacks are far more likely to be concentrated on television viewing, other home
 

media, and active sports than are those
 

of whites. Whites, on the other hand,
 

are far more likely than blacks to participate in the visual arts or in active
 

music and performing arts. The two major
 

racial groups do not differ significantly
 

from one another with respect to the
 

other clusters of participation, though
 

whites are somewhat more likely to engage
 

in a wide "undirected" variety of pursuits
 

and are somewhat less active in the areas
 

of family and friends or folk activities.
 

Other racial groups display significant
 

differences from both the white and the
 

black groups. Their participation in leisure activities is heavily concentrated
 

in three clusters: active sports, visual
 

arts, and folk activities. Other groups
 

are also more likely than either whites
 

or blacks to engage in individual and family activities, and less likely to attend
 

arts performances, watch TV, or use other
 

home media as primary leisure pursuits.
 

Community. The principal factor associated with size of community is convenience
 

of access to particular kinds of leisure
 

activities, especially those that require
 

elaborate facilities. Not surprisingly,
 

attendance at performing arts, active participation in the performing and visual
 

arts, and active sports all decline uniformly w~t~ declining size of the community. The mauor exception to this pattern
 

is folk activities, in which participation
 

rates are especially high in small towns.
 

Participation in the "undirected" cluster,
 

in television viewing, in other home media, or in active individual and family
 

pursuits does not display any clear-cut
 

relationship to community size, despite
 

the obvious limitations of access to "big
 

city" events that are characteristic of
 

smaller communities and rural areas.
 

Religion. Adherents to different religions display few differences with respect to participation in leisure activities. Protestants are somewhat more likely than Catholics to belong to the "undirected" participation cluster and to engage in folk activities or music and
 

other performing arts. But Catholics are
 

somewhat more likely to attend the performing or visual arts, engage in active
 

sports., or pursue active individual and
 

family hobbies or other interests. The
 

differences are generally small, however,
 

and most of them may be accounted for by
 

differences between the major religious
 

groups with respect to such characteris18
 

tics as their occupational distribution
 

or their relative concentration in communities of different size.
 

Education. The effects of formal education on patterns of leisure activity are
 

also confounded by the associations that
 

exist between education and occupation,
 

income, or even age and size of community
 

of residence. Nevertheless, a few of the
 

observed differences among persons with
 

varying amounts of formal education are
 

noteworthy. Foremost is the heavy concentration of college-educated participants
 

in the performing and visual arts. Equally apparent is the declining interest in
 

television viewing as the level of formal
 

education rises. Perhaps more surprising
 

is the fact that participation in active
 

sports and in folk activities is as strong
 

among the highly educated (those with
 

post-graduate college education) as among
 

high school graduates. Active participation in individual and family pursuits,
 

listening to the radio, and playing records are highest among the less educated
 

and decline as the level of schooling
 

rises. In general, however, participation
 

rates tend to rise with increased education, and the general levels of participation are especially high among the college-educated. Education appears to be a
 

powerful stimulus to participation in active, away-from-home activities.
 

Income. Money explains few if any of the
 

differences in patterns of leisure activity in the South. Not one o~ the ten participation clusters is strongly and uniformly related to the level of income, although a few associations are apparent.
 

For example, persons at the upper end of
 

the income range (incomes over $30,000)
 

are far more likely than poorer persons to
 

attend performing arts events and far less
 

likely to focus their leisure activities
 

on individual and family pursuits. At
 

the opposite end of the income scale, the
 

poorest individuals are far more likely
 

to focus their leisure activities around
 

television viewing and the active individual and family cluster. But in all
 

these cases, levels of participation
 

among persons with intermediate incomes
 

display considerable variation. This
 

finding is important in a negative sense:
 

except perhaps at the extremes of poverty
 

and wealth, income differences do not account for prevalent differences in pat-


terms of leisure activity in the South.
 

Occupation. Farmers display the most distinctive pattern of leisure activity;
 

their participation is heavily concentrated in the "undirected" cluster, with
 

secondary concentration in television
 

viewing and in the "active individual and
 

family" cluster. Retired persons are
 
twice as likely as any other occupation
 

group to focus their leisure activities
 

on TV watching. The leisure activities of
 

housewives are not as narrowly concentrated as those of farmers and the retired,
 

but they do manifest a heavy concentration
 

in the area of individual and family pursuits. ~erhaps the most encouraging finding is the impressive range of leisure pursuits among students: among the nine occupation groups identified in the survey,
 

students rank lowest in television viewing
 

and highest in active sports and folk activities, as well as ranking among the top
 

three groups with respect to their proportiens in five of the remaining seven clusters of participation.
 

Patterns of partipipation in
 

leisure activities
 

Representations of the outstanding features of the ten clusters of current participation in leisure activities in the
 

South are provided in Figures I-X. The
 

data for these figures will be found in
 

Table 3.
 

In order to interpret the figures, the
 

following should be kept in mind. First,
 

the white (negative) and black (positive)
 

bullets to the left and right of the
 

vertical center line represent deviations
 

from the average rate of participation for
 

men and women in the survey. That average
 

rate of participation (in percent) is
 

shown at the top of the bold vertical line.
 

The horizontal line at the bottom of the
 

chart shows the scale (in percent) for
 

measuring the deviations in either direction. White bullets represent population
 

characteristics associated with proportionally lower-than-average membership in
 

the specified cluster of participation.
 

Black bullets represent population characteristics associated with proportionally
 

above-average cluster membership. For
 

example, in Figure I, for both sexes, the
 

average rate of "undirected" participation
 

was 47.4 percent. The two black bullets
 

farthest to the right indicate that two
 

population groups (holders of Ph.D. degrees and farmers!) are much more likely
 

to emphasize a variety of activities in
 

their leisure time than the average for
 

all men and women in the survey. As shown
 

by the distance of these bullets from the
 

vertical center line, the undirected participation rate of Ph.D. holders is about
 

25 percentage points higher than the average, or about 72 percent. In the opposite
 

direction, the "undirected" rate for persons of"other" religion (i.e., other than
 

Protestant or Catholic) was about 15 percentage points below the average, or about
 

32 percent.
 

The ten figures display only the rates for
 

those population characteristics that are
 

associated with relatively very low or
 

very high participation. As shown in
 

Table 2, the disaggregations that were
 

possible in the survey data provide separate information for a total of 46 population groups or characteristics. Therefore, about 34 such groups are not
 

represented on any of Figure I to X. The
 

values for those characteristics fall somewhere between the extremes that are shown
 

and are generally quite close to the
 

average for both sexes.
 

19
 
As already noted, the most salient features of Figure I are the exceptionally
 

high rates of undirected participation in
 

leisure activities found in two quite different population groups: holders of Ph.D.
 

degrees and farmers. It is tempting to
 

speculate that the former group enjoys
 er~ ~
 both the tastes and the resources to sus- Cat~ ~
 

tain a highly diversified range of leisure
 

activities, while the latter group is severely limited in both its access to many
 

kinds of leisure activitiy and in the
 

amount of leisure time available. If this
 

is true, these two population groups pro- from
 

bably experience quite different patterns
 

of leisure activity, despite the fact that rate s
 

they both fall under the "undirected"
 

cluster. (Major demographic variables
 

with no outstanding deviation from the
 

cluster average are sex, number of children, and community size; data for these
 

and all other characteristics are shown
 

on Table 3.)
 

Figure I Participation cluster 1, undirected participation 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group
 

18-29 years
 

40-49 years
 

50-64 years
 

Race
 

Other
 

Religion
 

Other
 

None
 

Education
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,000 or less
 

$8,001 - $i0,000
 

Occupation
 

Farming
 

Housewives
 

Deviation in
 -20 -i0 +i0 +20 +30 percentage points
 

20
 
As shown in Figure II, the two population
 

groups that are especially active in attending the performing arts are persons
 

of "other" religion (i.e., other than Protestant or Catholic) and college graduates. Persons with Ph.D. degrees and
 

those with high incomes are also far more
 

likely to attend performing arts than are
 

the general public. The range of proportions of membership is unusually large in
 

this cluster: the average participation
 

rate for men and women was only 1.7 percent, but among persons of "other" religion and college graduates, it was 16.5
 

percent and 9.3 percent respectively.
 

(Major demographic variables with no outstanding deviation from the cluster average are sex, age group, number of children,
 

and race; data for these and all other
 

characteristics are shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure II Participation cluster 2, performing arts attendance 

Selected characteristics
 

Community size
 

2,500 - 9,999
 

Reliqion
 

Other
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

High school..graduate
 

College graduate
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

Over $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Blue collar
 

Farming
 

Service work
 

Deviation in
 -2 +2 +4 +6
 percentage points
 

 ̄ +14.8
 

 ̄ +7.7
 

+8
 

21
 
The most interesting feature of the cluster of active participation in music and
 

the performing arts (Figure III) is the
 

number and variety of population groups
 

who report no such participation. Each
 

of the eight groups represented by bullets
 

on the left in Figure III reports no participation in these activities. Community
 

size appears to be the most important factor in prompting participation: residents
 

of communities of 500,000 population or
 

more have participation rates over twice
 

the rate for the entire sample. This
 

finding further suggests that the facilities and resources for such activity are
 

not generally available except in larger
 

cities. (Major demographic variables with
 

no outstanding deviation from the cluster
 

average are sex, age group, number of
 

children, and race; data for these and
 

all other characteristics are shown on
 

Table 3.)
 

Figure I II Participation cluster 3, active music and performing arts 

Selected characteristics
 

Community size
 

500,000 or more
 

2,500 - 9,999
 

Religion
 

None
 

Education
 

8-11 years
 

College graduate
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$8,001 - $i0,000
 

$12,001 - $15,000
 

Over $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Professional
 

Sales & clerical
 

Farming
 

Service work
 

Retired
 

Deviation in
 

percentage points -2 -i +i +2 +3
 

22
 
The pattern of participation in conventional television viewing reflected in
 

Figure IV is especially noteworthy because
 

the extremely high and low rates reveal a
 

good deal about both the viewers and the
 

programs offered. The highest viewing
 

rates are reported among blacks, persons
 

with eight to eleven years of schooling,
 

and retired persons. In contrast, the
 

lowest rates are reported among persons
 

of "no,’ religion, holders of Ph.D. degrees, and students. The fact that the
 

average participation rate for men and
 

women in TV viewing was 12.5 percent (second only to undirected activities and individual and family activities) indicates
 

the great importance of television in
 

absorbing the leisure time of southerners.
 

(Major demographic variables with no outstanding deviation from the cluster average are sex, number of children, and community size; data for these and all other
 

characteristics are shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure I V Participation cluster 4, television viewing 

Selected characteristics
 

A@e group
 

18-29 years
 

50-64 years
 

65 and over
 

Race
 

Black
 

Religion
 

Other
 

None
 

Education
 

8-11 years
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,000 or less
 

Occupation
 

Retired
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 -15 -I0 -5
 percentage points
 +5 +i0 +15
 

23
 
Figure V reveals that several population
 

groups are quite inactive in listening to
 

music, plays, or poetry on records, radio,
 

or TV. However, persons of limited education, moderate income, and blue-collar
 

employment display much higher participation rates in this form of passive leisure
 

activity than the average for all men and
 

women in the sample. (Major demographic
 

variables with no outstanding deviation
 

from the cluster average are sex, age
 

group, and number of children; data for
 

these and all other characteristics are
 

shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure V Participation cluster 5, music, plays, and poetry on radio, records, and TV 

Selected characteristics
 

Race
 

Black
 

Community size
 

i00,000 - 499,999
 

Religion
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

8-11 years
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,000 or less
 

$i0,001 - $12,000
 

occupation
 

Blue collar
 

Farming
 

Service work
 

Deviation in
 -2 -i +i +2
 +3 +4
 percentage points
 

24
 
The patterns of participation in active
 

sports offer few surprises. Figure VI
 

shows that males, young persons (including
 

students), and persons of "other" race or
 

religion (i.e., other than whites or
 

blacks and other than Protestants and Catholics) are more likely to participate in
 

active sports than the rest of the survey
 

sample. At the other extreme, older persons, persons with minimal amounts of formal schooling, farmers, and retired persons do not participate significantly in
 

this cluster of activities. (Major demographic variables with no outstanding deviation from the cluster average are number of children, community size, and
 

income; data for these and all other characteristics are shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure Vl Participation cluster 6, active sports 

Selected characteristics
 

Sex
 

Male
 

Age group
 

18-29 years
 

40-49 years
 

50-64 years
 

65 and over
 

Race
 

Other
 

Religion
 

Other
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Occupation
 

Farming
 

Retired
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 

percentage points
 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6 +8


25
 
The visual arts cluster of involvement is
 

especially pronounced among persons of
 

"other" race (i.e., other than white or
 

black) and among college graduates (Figure
 

VII). It is more rare among blacks and
 

among workers in three major occupation
 

groups: blue-collar workers, farmers, and
 

service workers. Education beyond high
 

school would appear to be an important
 

precursor for sustained interest in the
 

visual arts in later life. (Major demographic variables with no outstanding deviation from the cluster average are sex,
 

age group, number of children, and religion; data for these and all other
 

characteristics are shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure Vl I Participation cluster 7, visual arts exhibit and class attendance 

Selected characteristics
 

Race
 

Black
 

Other
 

Community size
 

2,500 - 9,999
 

Education
 

College graduate
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,000 or less
 

$8,001 - $i0,000
 

Over $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Blue collar
 

Farming
 

Service work
 

Housewives
 

Deviation in
 -6 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6
 percentage points
 

26
 
The patterns for the home media, family,
 

and friends" participation cluster are
 

like those for "undirected participation"
 

in that they suggest that a highly diversified range of activities falls into this
 

grouping. As shown in Figure VIII, the
 

highest membership in this cluster is
 

among young adults, among those professing
 

"no" religion, and among service workers
 

and students. The low extremes in participation, on the other hand, are found
 

among an equally varied number of population groupings, including persons age 50
 

and over, persons of "other" race, persons
 

with minimal amounts of schooling, holders
 

of Ph.D. degrees, farmers, and retired
 

persons. (Major demographic variables
 

with no outstanding deviation from the
 

cluster average are sex and number of
 

children; data for these and all other
 

characteristics are shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure VII I Participation cluster 8, home media, family, and friends 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group
 

18-29 years
  ̄ +5.4
 

50-64 years
 

65 and over
 

Race
 

Other
 

Community size
 

i00,000 - 499,999
 

Religion
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

College graduate
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
  ̄ +i"3
 

$5,001 - $8,000
 

Occupation
 

Farming
 

Service work  ̄+3.8
 

Retired
 

Students  ̄ +3.7
 

Deviation in
 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6
 percentage points
 

27
 
Participation in folk activities (Figure
 

IX) is more readily summarized: the highest rates by far are reported by persons
 

of "no" religion and by persons of "other"
 

race. Students, persons of moderate incomes, and residents of small communities
 

(under i0,000 population) also have much
 

higher membership in this cluster of participation than the 6.5% average for all
 

men and women in ~he sample. At the opposite extreme, the lowest participation
 

occurs among persons with minimal amounts
 

of formal education, those with higher
 

incomes (in the $20,000 to $30,000 range)
 

and retired persons. (Major demographic
 

variables with no outstanding deviation
 

from the cluster average are sex, age
 

group, and number of children; data for
 

these and all other characteristics are
 

shown on Table 3.)
 

Figure IX Participation cluster 9, folk music/performancelarts and crafts activities 

Selected characteristics
 

Rac e
 

Other
 

Community size
 

2,500 - 9,999
 

Reli@ion
 

Other
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

College: 1-3 years
 

Income
 

$12,001 - $25,000
 

$20,001 - $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Housewives
 

Retired
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6 +8
 percentage points
 

28
 
The tenth cluster of participation, "indi- and persons with incomes of over $30,000
 

vidual and family activities," is one of per year. Professionals and farmers are
 

two clusters in which the two sexes dif­ also much less likely to focus their leifered significantly enough to be repre- sure activities within this cluster than
 

sented individually on the charts. (The the average. These findings suggest that
 

other cluster is "active sports".) The
 members of these groups are not likely to
 

fact that the male rate of participation orient their leisure time around indiviin these activities was about i0 percent, dual and family activities. In the case
 

as compared with a participation rate of of farmers, however, one can only specu24 percent among women, indicates that late that since so much of their daily
 

southern women are far more likely than
 work is family-centered, what little lei-


men to be restricted in their primary lei­ sure they have is more likely to be spent
 

sure activities to those that are concen­ in other activities. Those who focus
 

trated within the home or its immediate their leisure activities in this cluster
 

environs. As shown in Figure X, house- appear to do so because of economic cirwives are even more likely to be restric­ cumstances (incomes of under $i0,000 per
 

ted in this way, with participation rates year) or home-care responsibilities
 

in this cluster of nearly double the (housewives). (The only major demographic
 

average rate for all men and women. variables with no outstanding deviation
 

from the cluster average are community
 

On the other hand, the lowest membership size and religion; data for these and all
 

in this cluster was among men, persons 50 other characteristics are shown on
 

to 64 years old, holders of Ph.D. degrees, Table 3.)
 

Figure X Participation cluster 10, active individual and family pursuits 

Selected characteristics
 

Sex
 

Males
 

Females
 

Age group
 

50-64 years
 

Number of children
 

3 or more
 

Race
 

Other
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

Ph.D. degree
 

I ncome
 

$5,000 or less
 

$8,001 - $i0,000
 

Over $30,000
 

occupation
 

Professional
 

Farming
 

Housewives
 

Deviation in
 

percentage points -15 -I0 -5 +5 +i0 +15
 

29
 
The relationship between work and leisure
 

has been the subject of considerable research and controversy. There has been
 

much concern with the extent to which
 

people’s work and leisure may be said to
 

be complementary, contradictory, or merely independent. The evidence needed to
 

determine the nature of these relationships cannot be obtained without a thorough examination of the activities that
 

are carried out not only in leisure time,
 

but in the realm of work. However, the
 

large number of respondents whose patterns
 

of leisure activity are "undirected," together with the fairly widespread distribution of membership in the arts-related
 

clusters among persons in the different
 

occupation groups, suggests that the leisure pursuits of most southerners are
 

less constrained than might have been
 

supposed.
 

Deeper interpretation of these findings
 

requires more than the available evidence.
 

It is at least arguable however that none
 

of the nine background characteristics examined provides a satisfactory explanation
 

for any particular pattern of leisure activity. In other words, these results are
 

not encouraging for the ability to predict
 

patterns of leisure activity on the basis
 

of background variables. They indicate,
 

on the contrary, that no single-factor
 

explanation, be it income or location or
 

education, suffices to account for the
 

leisure pursuits of most respondents. Finally, the diversity of leisure interests
 

among the young, particularly the students
 

in the South, is a powerful indication
 

that greater participation in all activities can be expected among future adults.
 

As is noted later, prior exposure to or
 

involvement in a given activity is a key
 

factor in motivating continued involvement
 

later in life. The widespread leisure
 

interests of southern students may presage
 

a similar breadth of adult leisure activities in the future.
 

Regional differences in participation
 

This part of the report concerns the NRCA
 

surveys of 1973, 1975, and 1978, which
 

provide data for comparison between persons in the South and persons living in
 

the rest of the United States. As opposed
 

to the 45 activities listed in the HumRRO
 

survey and the respondent clusters described earlier, the Reed and Marsden
 

study of the NRCA surveys established
 

eight broad groupings of leisure activities. The eight groupings, in turn, reflect the eight possible combinations of
 

three dichotomous dimensions: "active
 

versus passive," "away-from-home versus
 

at-home," and "arts-related versus nonarts-related." A ninth residual group
 

includes a variety of interests or activities that cannot be classified according
 

to these dichotomies because they cross
 

the distinct boundaries that divide them.
 

The following discussion of the principal
 

findings about regional differences in
 

leisure participation considers these
 

nine groupings in the following order:
 

Arts-related, active, away-from-home
 

(includes dancing ballet, acting, Working
 

in theater, playing in a musical group,
 

choral singing)
 

Arts-related, active, at-home (includes
 

playing a musical instrument, painting,
 

drawing, sculpture, creative writing,
 

crafts, photography, etc.)
 

Arts-related, passive, away-from-home
 

(includes attendance at theater, dance,
 

concerts, ballet performances, visits to
 

museums, movies, popular music performances, etc.)
 

Arts-related, passive, at-home (includes
 

listening to music of all kinds)
 

Nonarts-related, active, away-from-home
 

(includes outdoor activities, competitive
 

sports, social activities, weekend trips,
 

picnics, volunteer work, etc.)
 

Nonarts-related, active, at-home (includes
 

gourmet cooking, needlework, gardening,
 

collecting, handicrafts, reading, home
 

repair, etc.)
 

Nonarts-related, passive, away-from-home
 

(includes spectator sports)
 

Nonarts-related, passive, at-home (includes TV watching, listening to radio,
 

resting)
 

Other nonarts activities (includes relaxing after work, developing personal skills,
 

keeping in shape, etc.)
 

3O
 
Figure XI Participation in active

arts-related activities 

South 

Non-South 

Away-from-home 

Mean 

Choral I 13.5% 

All other 

At-home 

Me an Arts-related, active, away-from-home. An 

important difference between the South and 

non-South ~ith respect to these activities 

is the greater popularity of chora! singing in the South (see Figure XI) . The 

higher rates of participation of southerners in choral singing compensates in large 

part for their lower rates of participation in most of the other activities that 

fall into this category, with the result 

that total participation rates in the category are about the same in both regions. 

Arts-related, active, at-home. In general 

southerners are much less active than nonsoutherners in this broad category of leisure pursuits. Figure XI shows that the 

1978 rates of participation outside the 

South were about one-fourth higher than in 

in the South. Specifically, participation 

rates in the South were about one-fourth 

lower for photography and hobbies, nearly 

one-third lower for various artistic pursuits, and about one-tenth !ower for playing a musical instrument. The prevailing 

view of the importance of prior exposure 

in establishing a sustained interest suggests the possibility that many southerners may have had less early exposure 

than non-southerners to such activities. 

The regional difference in the proportion 

who play a musical instrument was much 

smaller in 1978 than in either the 1973 

or 1975 surveys. This suggests a possible 

convergence between the South and the nonSouth with respect to certain arts-related 

activities and interests. 

31 
Figure Xll Participation in passive 

ads-related activities 

Arts-related, passive, away-from-home.
 

Figure XII shows that the general pattern
 

of lower participation rates among southerners as compared with non-southerners
 

also applies to this category. The differences are substantial: on average, non-


southerners are over one-third more active
 

than southerners. Equally significant is
 

the fact that the regional difference in
 

rates of participation is remarkably uniform across a wide range of specific activities, including attendance at musical
 

performances or art shows or visits to
 

art, science, and history museums. There
 

is less difference in the rate of movie
 

attendance; here, non-southerners are
 

about one-sixth more active than southerners.
 

Arts-related, passive, at-home. Southerners are almost as likely as persons outside the South to listen to various kinds
 

of music at home (radio programs and records), but they are much less likely to
 

listen to classical music or Broadway
 

musicals and much more likely to listen
 

to country-western and religious music.
 

Taking al! forms of music together, persons outside the South are only about
 

one-tenth more likely to listen than
 

southerners. But if country-western and
 

religious music are omitted, non-southerners are one-fourth more likely to listen
 

than southerners. These differences indicate the persistence of strong regional
 

tastes and character, at least in the musical area.
 

32
 
Figure XI I I Participation in nonarts activities 

South
 

Non-South
 

53.1%
 

away-from-home
 

Active
 

Active
 

at-home
 

Passive
 

away-from-home
 

Passive
 

at-home
 

Other
 

Nonarts-related activer away-from-home.
 r 
 Southerners are only about one-tenth less
 

involved in these pursuits than non-southerners (Figure XIII). This small aggregate difference masks larger differences
 

in the distribution of activities within
 

this broad grouping. For example, southerners are much less likely to be active
 

in competitive sports or nature studies;
 

they are only slightly less active in outdoor activities, social activities, and
 

weekend trips; and they are much more active in church and club activities.
 

Nonarts-related~ active~ at-home. Here,
 

regional differences in participation are
 

small in general, but most of these differences indicate lower rates of participation among southerners. With respect
 

to participation rates in such diverse activities as needlework, gourmet cooking,
 

gardening, and general home maintenance,
 

South and non-South are approximately
 

equal. However, southerners are much less
 

likely to be involved in working with collections or in physical exercise.
 

Nonarts-related, passive, away-from-home.
 

Attendance at spectator sports, the only
 

activity in this category, reveals two
 

interesting trends. First, the rates of
 

participation declined between 1973 and
 

1978 both in the South and outside the
 

South. Second, the decline was much
 

steeper outside the South, so that the
 

attendance rates outside the South were
 

only slightly higher than in the South by
 

1978.
 

Nonarts-related, passive, at-home. No
 

significant clearcut regional differences
 

were found for participation in activities
 

such as television viewing or listening
 

to nonarts broadcasts on the radio. The
 

available data indicate only that "just
 

resting" is somewhat more common among
 

southerners, and listening to the radio
 

is slightly more popular among persons
 

outside the South.
 

Other nonarts activities. Finally, total
 

regional differences are slight in participation in the diverse leisure activities whose descriptions cross over the
 

distinctions between "active" and "passive" or "at-home" and "away-from-home."
 

Southerners are more likely than persons
 

outside the South to simply "relax after
 

work" or to "develop one’s personality"
 

or to "help others." Persons outside the
 

South, on the other hand, are somewhat
 

more interested in "doing new things,"
 

"developing skills and abilities," or
 

"keeping in shape physically."
 

33
 
Limited participation:
 

taste versus barriers
 

An understanding of the nature of limited
 

participation in arts and other leisure
 

activities in the South is important for
 

several reasons. First, it is useful to
 

differentiate, as far as possible, between
 

deep-seated and possibly unacknowledged
 

difficulties (often expressed as personal
 

preference or lack of time or interest)
 

which we shall discuss in this section;
 

and external barriers that can be remedied
 

by direct actions or policies, which will
 

be discussed under "unmet demand" in the
 

next chapter. Second, information on differences in degree of nonparticipation
 

among population groups would help to
 

identify appropriate targets for remedial
 

policies. Finally, comparisons between
 

South and non-South with respect to reasons for nonparticipation can provide evidence for regional differences that might
 

call for different remedial policies.
 

In this section we will discuss limited
 

participation that stems from respondents’
 

own interests or priorities, according to
 

their answers in the HumRRO survey. The
 

principal reason for limited participation
 

in leisure activities overall is clearly
 

lack of time or interest (38 percent).
 

Four additional factors account for another 40 percent of the reasons: "family or
 

friends not interested," "particular activity not available," "cost of particular
 

activity too high," or "poor access to activities of particular interest." The
 

bulk of the remaining reasons for limited
 

participation reflects personal handicaps
 

or dislikes, such as child care responsibilities, physical disabilities, unwillingness to "dress up to go out," and dislike of crowds. It is significant that
 

dissatisfaction with the quality of performances or with the programs offered accounts for only about 4 percent of the
 

reasons for limited participation in all
 

kinds of leisure activity combined. In
 

other words, people seem to be satisfied
 

with the kinds of leisure activity that
 

are generally available. However, there
 

is room for improvement, as indicated by
 

three additional factors that account
 

for nearly 30 percent of the reasons:
 

unavailability of particular facilities
 

or programs, poor access, and high cost.
 

In Figure XIV, reasons for limited participation are broken down into the four
 

broad categories of arts-related leisure
 

activities in order to study participation
 

in the arts more closely.
 

Lack of time or interest was the major
 

limitation in active at-home arts activities (playing a musical instrument,
 

34
 

doing arts or crafts, creative writing)
 

with considerations of cost second in importance. (Cost would entail the purchase
 

of tools, looms, kilns, musical instruments, and other necessary equipment.)
 

Other factors, such as child-care responsibility, while not singled out, might be
 

the underlying cause for lack of time.
 

While lack of interest or time plus
 

unavailability of desired activities
 

accounts for over half of the reasons for
 

limited participation in passive at-home
 

arts activities (listening to classical
 

music, plays, jazz, or opera on TV or
 

radio) an additional 6 percent of respondents cited poor quality of programs/
 

performances or personal dislike of the
 

programs offered. A different mix of
 

program offerings could displease at least
 

as many listeners as it pleased, but these
 

data clearly indicate that further eyperimentation With alternative program offerings might increase total public interest.
 

Arts-related pregrams are in direct competition with a wide variety of other
 

kinds of programs on television, ranging
 

from soap operas to children’s programs
 

and sitcoms, most of which are designed
 

to provide entertainment for a mass audience. Prior exposure to the arts, combined with a modicum of early education
 

as to their significance, is strongly correlated with continued interest in the
 

arts in adult life. Conversely, adults
 

whose prior introduction to the arts has
 

been minimal are unlikely to overcome
 

their limited exposure and switch to arts-


related programs.
 

A similar pattern emerges with respect to
 

active away-from-home arts activities
 

(acting, singing, dancing, playing music,
 

taking arts-related courses), though lack
 

of time or interest becomes more important
 

in this instance than availability or
 

access. Among the large proportion of
 

"all other reasons" given in this category,
 

feelings of personal inadequacy or "lack
 

of talent" seemed paramount, as opposed
 

to the "lack of training" that was more
 

often cited by respondents outside the
 

South.
 

Lack of time or interest is much less pronounced in explaining limited participation in passive away-from-home arts activities (attending theater, ballet, or concerts, or visiting museums or exhibits)
 

with only 19 percent citing these reasons
 

as compared with nearly 40 percent citing
 

"not available" and "poor access" for
 

these activities.
 
 

Figure XIV Principal reasons for limited participation 

Reason
 a~t~i~ies  ̄ A~ts-related leisure activies
 

Poor quality of available 3.9% 

"~ ~ 

6.3% 

2 4% 3.8% 

Child care responsibility 2.0% 

14.2% 

Poor access to activities 

of particular interest 

~ 

1 7% 

Cost of particular activity 

too high 

Particular activity not available 

9.5%. 

10.7% 

1.1% 

16.0% 

13.4 % 

i0.0% 

9.6% 

23.5% 

11.6% 

15,8% 

Family or friends not 

interested 

27,8% 

18.7% 

Lack of time or interest
 

12.4%
 

All other reasons
 

35
 
Reasons for limited participation which
 

are rooted in the individual are necessarily subjective in nature. Moreover, since
 

reasons for nonparticipation are always
 

the result of conjecture, it is possible
 

that remedial actions which would remove
 

these internal barriers would nonetheless
 

fail to engage the respondents’ actual participation in specific arts-related activities. Nevertheless, prior experience has
 

demonstrated that some persons who lack
 

interest in particular forms of leisure
 

activity or who are unable to appreciate
 

them can and do acquire such interests if
 

they are properly introduced to the subject. This is particularly evident in
 

the case of both the passive and active
 

arts-related activities, especially those
 

that must be pursued outside the home,
 

where prior exposure appears to have a
 

lasting effect in prompting active interest and participation in later life.
 

Chapter summary and conclusions
 

It is apparent that both the rates of participation and the degree of involvement
 

in arts-related activities are weaker than
 

in nonarts-related activities in the South.
 

Church membership and church-related activities are of great importance among southerners in prompting their involvement in
 

a variety of leisure activities, including
 

volunteer work, various church-related social activities, and choir singing.
 

Except for the strong influence of chhrch
 

membership, few specific activities or
 

interests are strongly predictive of specific patterns of leisure activity. In
 

other words, the leisure pursuits of most
 

southerners do not conform to any particular structure of closely knit or interdependent activities, but display considerable diversity and independence.
 

Examination of the socioeconomic and demographic background characteristics of
 

the population in relation to their rates
 

of participation in the ten activity clusters reveals few significant links or differences. Exceptions are the associations
 

between youth and active sports activities
 

and between older age and sedentary leisure pursuits. The associations that are
 

apparent, as in the cases of education and
 

income, exert most of their influence at
 

the extremes. That is, the main differences that are evident occur between the
 

least educated and the most educated segments of the population, or between the
 

poorest and wealthiest. Between these extremes, the associations are relatively
 

weak and inconclusive.
 

36
 

The three NRCA surveys indicate that general rates of participation in all leisure
 

activities are somewhat lower in the South
 

than outside the South. This gap appears
 

to be larger in the area of arts-related
 

activities. The principal exception to
 

these differences are the church-related
 

activities, particularly choir singing
,
 where southerners are far more active
 

than persons outside the South.
 
 

DEMAND FOR LEISURE ACTIVITIES IN THE SOUTH
 

The dimensions of demand
 

The need for an understanding of the structure of demand for leisure activities reflects a concern with how available leisure resources and opportunities correspond to the interests and preferences of
 

the general public. Questions about demand also reveal the extent to which public leisure interests are controlled by
 

prior experiences, or the lack of such
 

experiences. This study determined the
 

proportions of the respondents who expressed a desire for participation in
 

specified kinds of leisure activity,
 

whether or not they were currently participating in those activities. Ideally,
 

such an investigation would reveal the
 

nature of demand without concern for the
 

practical limitations of time, cost, or
 

physical access.
 

The clusters of activity that emerged from
 

the factor analysis of patterns of demand
 

(cf. Table i) differ somewhat from those
 

that. emerged from the corresponding analysis of pattern of actual participation.
 

Table 4 shows the ten Reed and Marsden
 

categories from the NRCA study and whether
 

the particular leisure activities desired
 

can be classified as "active" or "passive"
 

and whether they primarily involve participation "at-home" or "away-from-home."
 

In other words, the distinctions were
 

again applied here to the results of the
 

HumRRO survey.
 

Despite the obvious differences between
 

these demand clusters and the participation clusters discussed in the preceding
 

chapter, certain comparisons between the
 

two sets can be made. Leisure desires
 

tend to be somewhat more directed toward
 

specifiable kinds of activity than are
 

actual patterns of leisure participation.
 

The proportion of survey respondents whose
 

leisure interests are in the "undirected"
 

cluster falls from just under 50 percent
 

for actual participation to just over 30
 

percent for desired leisure activity. It
 

may simply be difficult to indicate one’s
 

desires in this area without at the same
 

Table 4 Demand for increased participation in leisure activities 

No. Demand cluster 

1 Unspecialized demand 

2 Theater/music (not including jazz)/ 

dance performance attendance 

3 Home media and sports involving radio, 

TV, and records 

4 Jazz concert attendance and home 

listening 

5 Participatory music and religionrelated activities 

6 Visual arts activities and exhibit 

attendance 

7 Family-centered activities 

8 Community service/performing arts 

activities/TV viewing 

9 Popular/folk/arts and crafts exhibit, 

fair, and carnival attendance 

i0 Active sports and outdoor activities 

Away-


from-


Active Passive At-home home
 

/
 
time specifying a particular kind of preferred activity. Nevertheless, the respondents do seem to have rather definite
 

notions as to the kind of leisure pursuits
 

they would like to enjoy, as’distinct from
 

those they actually experience. Beyond
 

the unspecialized cluster, family-centered
 

leisure activities appear to be the most
 

popular, both in terms of current rates
 

of participation and in desired leisure
 

activities. Popular preferences as measured by desire for increased participation diverge sharply from actual patterns
 

of participation when we compare the other
 

eight clusters of activities. There is
 

evidence, for example, that desire for
 

increased participation in such activities
 

as the visual and performing arts and in
 

visiting exhibits of visual and folk arts
 

greatly exceeds the rates of actual participation in these kinds of leisure activity. Furthermore, it is apparent that
 

arts-related activities in general are of
 

much greater interest to southerners than
 

is reflected in their current rates of
 

participation. To repeat, the different
 

composition of the two sets of response
 

clusters vitiates precise comparison, but.
 

by rough estimate, only about one-sixth
 

of the respondents appear to be currently
 

active in one or another kind of arts-related leisure activity, whereas about
 

40 percent of them express a desire for
 

greater participation in such activities.
 

Correlates of demand
 

Sex. The main differences between the
 

sexes with respect to desire for additional leisure activity corresponds quite
 

closely with those already observed with
 

respect to current participation. Men are
 

more likely than women to desire more
 

sports, outdoor activities, and home media.
 

Women are far more interested than men in
 

increasing participation in the visual
 

arts and attendance of performing events.
 

Increasing family-centered leisure activities (nonarts and nonsports) is of considerable interest to both sexes, but among
 

the women such interest ranks second only
 

to the unspecialized cluster, whereas
 

among men it ranks fourth. If we combine
 

percentages from all of the principal
 

arts-related clusters of leisure activity,
 

about one-fourth of the men and over half
 

of the women express a desire for greater
 

involvement. In contrast, nearly one-


sixth of the men but only 4 percent of the
 

women express a similar desire for increased participation in sports and other
 

outdoor activities. While both sexes express strong commitment to family-centered
 

leisure activities, it is apparent that
 

the specific kinds of activity that are
 

actually pursued in family settings are
 

the result of a measure of compromise.
 

Age. The relationships between age and
 

desire for additional participation in
 

particular kinds of leisure activity are
 

much more revealing than those found between age and actual rates of participation. There is a strong positive association between advancing age and desire for
 

greater participation in the "unspecialized" cluster of activities. The same relationship was found between age and actual
 

rates of participation, except for a substantial decline among persons sixty-five
 

and over. It is possible that older persons may retain a strong desire for a rich
 

variety of leisure experiences but that
 

their actual rates of participation are
 

constrained by problems of access or by
 

physical or economic limitations. An interesting speculation is that the elderly
 

are more interested in having a wide range
 

of leisure activities, ew~n if these experiences are necessarily superficial, than
 

in focusing their leisure activities on
 

one specific area.
 

Only one additional cluster of demand displays a similar pattern of association
 

with age. It is the desire for greater
 

attendance at performing arts concerts.
 

Two clusters of demand for leisure activity display a strong negative association
 

between desire for increasing participation and increasing age. Not surprisingly, the desire for involvement in sports
 

and outdoor activities declines sharply
 

beyond age thirty, although it remains
 

fairly constant at a reduced level thereafter. More puzzling is the steady decline in desire for increased participation in the home media. In this case,
 

the explanation may be that such desires
 

are already satisfied at relatively little
 

cost or effort. For example, 98 percent
 

of all households now own at least one TV
 

set, so that there can be little further
 

demand for that particular medium, content of programs aside. A similar explanation may account for the decline in
 

desire for participatory music and religion-related activities as people grow older. Presumably, anyone having such interests has been able to satisfy them adequately by the time he or she has reache~
 

middle age.
 

Children. The number of children in the
 

home seems to have little bearing on the
 

pattern of desire for greater participation in leisure activities, except that
 

the larger families display a stronger
 

desire for greater involvement in family-


centered activities and the home media-­

precisely the kinds of activities in which
 

they already engage most often. Desire
 

for greater involvement in the visual arts
 

and in performing arts concerts is lowest
 

among the larger families, while desire
 

for greater involvement in sports and
 

38
 
outdoor activities has no clear-cut relationship to number of children. These
 

findings suggest that the leisure activities of larger families are family-


centered out of choice as much as necessity; they also help to explain the
 

phenomenal success of leisure facilities
 

that provide a variety of family-oriented
 

activities.
 

Race. The two principal racial groups
 

(blacks and whites) are substantially
 

alike in their desire for greater involvement in unspecialized leisure pursuits.
 

The two groups diverge quite sharply however in their expressed desire for more
 

specific kinds of leisure activity.
 

Blacks are more likely than whites to de-


the kinds of leisure activity that are
 

available in communities of different size
 

are compatible with the desires and interests of the residents of those communities. For example, residents of rural
 

areas express little interest in increasing their participation in jazz or other
 

performing arts concerts--activities that
 

are most common to larger urban centers.
 

But they are also much less interested in
 

increasing their involvement in sports
 

and outdoor activities than are residents
 

of large urban centers. In this case,
 

one can speculate that rural inhabitants
 

enjoy ample access to such activities and
 

the demand is readily satisfied. So, with
 

respect to community characteristics, it
 

is apparent that many southerners have
 

sire increased participation in the follow- either chosen or adapted to their place
 

ing three clusters: "jazz," "participatory music and religion-related activities,"
 

and "service/performing arts/TV." Whites,
 

in contrast, are more likely than blacks
 

to desire greater involvement in "performing arts concerts, ....home media, ....popular/
 

folk/arts and crafts exhibits," and
 

"sports and outdoor activities." Persons
 

of races other than white or black do not
 

display distinctive patterns so far as
 

their desires for increased participation
 

are concerned, except possibly for their
 

strong desire for greater involvement in
 

the performing arts concerts and in popular/folk/visual arts exhibits. The latter
 

interest stands in contrast with the relatively low rates of participation of this
 

racial group in such activities. This
 

suggests an area of unmet need, but one
 

that would be difficult to satisfy in the
 

absence of large concentrations of persons
 

of "other" races in a particular area, or
 

through "festivals" that draw audiences
 

from long distances.
 

Community. Respondents’ desires for increased participation in particular kinds
 

of leisure activity bear little relation
 

to the size of the community in which they
 

reside. It is true that residents of the
 

of residence and that they are generally
 

able to enjoy the leisure pursuits they
 

prefer without feeling unduly limited by
 

the available opportunities or resources.
 

Religion. Catholics are somewhat more
 

likely than Protestants to desire increased participation in the visual arts
 

and performing arts clusters. They are
 

somewhat less likely to desire increased
 

involvement in family-centered activities,
 

at least in comparison with the Protestant
 

group. Adherents to other religions are
 

more desirous than either Catholics or
 

Protestants of increasing their participation in the visual and performing arts.
 

They are also far more interested in
 

greater involvement in the "participatory
 

music and religion-related activities"
 

cluster of leisure activities. But on the
 

whole these differences are not large. As
 

noted with respect to religious differences in the chapter about actual rates of
 

participation, the differences that are
 

apparent may reflect the effects of other
 

characteristics that are associated with
 

religion, such as size of community.
 

Education. In general, the differences
 

with respect to patterns of desired lei-


largest cities (500,000 population or larg- sure activity among persons with different
 

er) are much less likely to desire special- amounts of education conform to their difized activities while they are much more
 

likely to desire greater participation in
 

sports and outdoor activities. At the
 

other extreme, rural residents are much
 

more likely to desire increased involvement in family-centered activities.
 

In this case, the leisure preferences of
 

rural residents appear to be quite similar
 

to those of larger families, and it may be
 

noteworthy that many larger families are
 

found in rural areas. Big-city residents,
 

on the other hand, show some evidence of
 

wanting to "get away from it all."
 

Comparing patterns of actual participation
 

with those of desired increases in participation, one can argue that, in general,
 

ferences in actual patterns of leisure
 

participation. Here again, there is support for the view that most southerners
 

participate in the kind of leisure they
 

prefer, at least most of the time. For
 

example, the highly educated respondents
 

(those with schooling beyond four years
 

of college) express desires for increased
 

participation in such activities as jazz
 

and performing arts concerts and in the
 

visual arts. They are also strongly interested in greater involvement in sports
 

and outdoor activities. But it is precisely those highly educated groups that
 

already enjoy the highest rates of participation in these kinds of leisure activity. It would be hazardous to reach the
 

39
 
Table 5 Survey respondents classified by principal demand clusters 

6.0% 

34.0 

29.3 

14.0 

8.0 

4.1 

7.8 

14.4 

23.6 

4 0.0 

4 6.7 

55.3 

16.2 

ii. 8 

8.9 6.o 

5.3 

10.6 

4.3 .... 4.1 3.o 

0.3 

32.1 

3 2.9 

20.4 

22.2 

8.9 8.3 

13.6 

12.5 

5.6 6.5 

6.1 

10.5 

3 i. 5 

2 5.5 

i i. 0 

12.0 

~ 5~ 

5.0 

8.6 ..... 

21.9 

32.8 

3 i. 1 

40.9 

31.7 

4 ~6 

6 i 8 

~9 

9.2 

ii.0 

9.5 

12.3 

12.5 

7 ~ 5 

~ 5i~ 

8.9 ..... 

5.8 

4.3 

4.4 

7.0 

2 9.0 

32.3 

21.7 

27.1 

12. i 

10.5 

13.5 

9.7 

5.2 

20~4 

4.7 

6.1 

17.9 

4.9 

56.2 

35.9 

33.2 

2 4.5 

~. 4 

11.9 

12.8 

i0.6 

~. 8 

8.9 : 

6.9 .... 

4.0 

212 2 ." 78 

18.1 

27 .. 63 

2.5 

63 ." 12 

0.0 ...... 

31.0 

34.3 

21.9 

31.6 

31.9 

34. i 

26.4 

33.9 

i0.0 

9.2 

17.7 

i0.8 

ii. 8 

11.5 ..... 

9.7 

4.5 

13.0 .... 

1.4 

5.3 

7.4 

6.3 

4.7 .... 

6.9 

2.2 

29.8 

23.8 

29.5 

47.1 

36.3 

34.7 

52.7 

11.5 

4.4 .... 

15.0 

20.0 

29.2 

3.5 

6.5 

5.5 

12.6 

6.0 

3.8 

4.6 

0.0 

11.9 

5.9 

0.4 

15.8 

40
 
14.2%
 

11.7
 

16.7
 

9.7
 

19.7
 

14.6
 

15.3
 

17.7
 

10.5
 

16.9
 

21.4
 

22.9
 

10.9
 

15.1
 

11.9
 

14.6
 

11.0
 

12.5
 

16.7
 

21.8
 

10.9
 

16.0
 

6.4
 

5.5
 

19.3
 

17.3
 

16.5
 

12.2
 

9.7
 

4.4
 

3.8
 

18.9
 

15,7
 

17.3
 

17.8
 

14 .i
 

14.5
 

9.5
 

8.3
 

11.3
 

18.0
 

15.7
 

5.8
 

14.9
 

21.4
 

12.2
 

2.9
 

8
 

3.2%
 

2.8
 

3.5
 

1.7
 

3.2
 

6.7
 

2.8
 

3.7
 

2,7 ̧
 

2.1
 

3.0
 

6.4
 

9.2
 

2.1
 

9.0
 

2.8
 

2.1
 

5.0
 

2.8
 

3.0
 

3.6
 

3.4
 

2.4
 

1.2
 

2.2
 

4.2
 

2.9
 

3.7
 

4.0
 

1.2
 

0.0
 

6.0
 

3.6
 

5.3
 

1.7
 

4.5
 

2.3
 

0.9
 

2.2
 

3.1
 

0.9
 

4.4
 

0.0
 

3.1
 

2.4
 

5.4
 

4.0
 

9
 

6.0%
 

4.6
 

7.3
 

7.8
 

5.5
 

5.0
 

7.8
 

1.5
 

7.6
 

6.7
 

5.9
 

6.1
 

2.4
 

6.5
 

9.0
 

5.3
 

7.2
 

7.0
 

7.8
 

4.6
 

7.6
 

6.2
 

4.2
 

3.0
 

2.8
 

5.8
 

5.5
 

7.2
 

6.9
 

14.6
 

1.8
 

3.1
 

9.5
 

5.7
 

6.8
 

6.6
 

5.7
 

7.9
 

8.4
 

i0.i
 

5.6
 

2.9
 

0.0
 

6.8
 

7.2
 

6.1
 

4.0
 

i0
 

9.6%
 

15.0
 

4.2
 

14.8
 

10.4
 

4.8
 

4.6
 

4.6
 

10.6
 

10.4
 

8.4
 

3.5
 

I0.2
 

4.0
 

15.9
 

9.6
 

8.3
 

6.9
 

5.7
 

12.2
 

8.9
 

2.3
 

I0.4
 

0.2
 

3.1
 

8.4
 

14.8
 

13.3
 

15.0
 

29.4
 

5.9
 

3.3
 

5.0
 

11.8
 

8.8
 

i0.3
 

14.8
 

15.5
 

13.7
 

11.6
 

9.6
 

5.5
 

5.1
 

2.7
 

7.1
 

19.0
 

iTable 5 provides the same kinds of
 

information as Table 3, and it is
 

read in the same way.
 

By reading across the columns, the
 

distribution of each of the 46 population characteristics among the 10
 

demand clusters can be examined and
 

compared. Percents in horizontal


rows should total 100%; if they do
 

not, it is because of rounding.
 

If the columns are read vertically,
 

the rates of demand of the 46 population characteristics within each
 

of the i0 demand clusters can be
 

compared. The average rate at the
 

top of each column is the average
 

demand rate for the two sexes. Percents in the vertical columns should
 

not be added because the population-


group sizes differ substantially.
 

The 10 demand clusters were developed through factor analysis, a
 

statistical technique used to group
 

individuals with similar types of
 

demand. A detailed description of
 

the factor analyses can be found in
 

the two research reports upon which
 

this report is based.
 

41
 
same conclusion with respect to the correspondence between the leisure habits and
 

the leisure preferences of the less educated, if only because their actual leisure activities are more likely to be constrained by problems of cost or access.
 

However, it is a fact that the two clusters of leisure activity that are of greatest interest to the less educated respondents are "home media" and "family-centered
 

activities." It is therefore tempting to
 

conclude that the desired leisure pursuits
 

of the less educated people in the South
 

correspond quite closely to their actual
 

patterns of leisure activity.
 

Income. The last chapter showed that persons with different amounts of income display few consistent differences with respect to their actual patterns of leisure
 

activity, excepting possibly for the very
 

poor and the very wealthy. The same can
 

be said of their desired patterns of leisure activity. Persons with incomes over
 

$20,000 indicate much stronger desires
 

for increased participation in jazz and
 

performing arts concerts and in sports and
 

outdoor activities than do members of low
 

income groups. The latter groups, on the
 

other hand, are far more desirous of increased family-centered leisure activities. On the whole, however, the association between income levels and desires for
 

increased participation is relatively weak
 

and inconsistent. In general, it can be
 

concluded that except for the very poor
 

or the very rich, levels of income exert
 

little influence on either the actual or
 

the preferred kinds of leisure activity.
 

Occupation. Farmers, who showed a distinctive pattern in their actual participation rates, show a similar and distinctive pattern in their desired leisure
 

activities, ranking second only to the
 

retired in the proportions expressing a
 

desire to increase their unspecialized
 

activities. The only other clusters of
 

demand into which farmers predominantly
 

fall are home media and the visual arts.
 

This latter cluster of response represents
 

a possible area of unmet need for this
 

group, and their strong desire of unspecialized leisure suggests a felt need for
 

leisure stimuli that are probably unavailable in most rural settings.
 

Retired persons also display a distinctive
 

pattern of desire for leisure activities,
 

with over half of the group expressing a
 

preference for more unspecialized leisure
 

activities. The only other cluster that
 

incorporates significant numbers of retired persons is the family-centered activity demand cluster. Clearly, many retired persons feel a need for both a wider
 

range of leisure stimuli and a greater degree of family involvement.
 

Students desire the most eclectic range
 

and variety of leisure interests, without
 

a strong focus on any particular cluster
 

of activities. It is apparent that students as a group are strongly motivated
 

to extend their experience over as wide a
 

range and variety of leisure activities
 

as possible. Comparing their desired interests to their actual patterns of activity, students evidently succeed quite well
 

in doing just that.
 

Patterns of demand
 

The patterns of demand for leisure activity that have formed these particular ten
 

clusters can be represented graphically
 

as were the patterns of actual participation. It is important to remember that
 

the grouping of activities into demand
 

clusters differs from the grouping of activities into participation clusters.
 

Furthermore, some of the names of these
 

differ from the participation clusters in
 

order to reflect the actual composition
 

of demand. In Figures XV-XXIV on the
 

following pages, the patterns of demand
 

are expressed as bullets placed to the
 

right or left of a vertical center line.
 

The distance of a bullet from the center
 

shows the deviation in demand from the
 

average percentage of all men and women
 

in the sample who expressed a desire to
 

increase their activity in that specified
 

area. As with participation, only the
 

dozen or so population characteristics
 

associated with extremely low or extremely
 

high membership in a particular cluster of
 

demand are represented on the figures.
 
 

As is evident in Figure XV, young persons
 

in general and students in particular are
 

the groups that belong least in the unspecialized cluster of leisure activities.
 

In other words, these groups are most
 

likely to have highly structured leisure
 

interests involving specific types of activities. In contrast, older and retired
 

persons, as well as persons with minimal
 

education and farmers, are most likely to
 

desire a variety of leisure activities
 

without focusing on any one particular
 

pursuit. (Major demographic variables
 

with no outstanding deviation from the
 

cluster average are sex and race; data
 

for these and all other characteristics
 

are shown on Table 5.)
 

Figure XV is explained below; Figures
 

XVI to XXIV may be interpreted in the
 

same way.
 

For demand cluster i, the average rate
 

of demand for all categories of respondents is 31.6%. Figure XV lists
 

the characteristics whose demand rates
 

deviate most sharply from the overall
 

average and plots that deviation. Retired persons, for example, deviate
 

from the average demand rate by 21.1%;
 

this means their actual rate is 52.7%.
 

For actual demand rates of all other
 

characteristics, Table 5 should be
 

consulted.
 

Figure XV Demand cluster 1, unspecialized demand 

Average rate of
 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group
 

18-29 years
 

50-64 years
 

65 and over
 

Number of children
 

Two
 

Three or more
 

Community size
 

500,000 or more
 

Religion
 

Other
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

~-~,001 - $i0,000
 

Occupation
 

Farming
 

Retired
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 

percentage points
 

-17 .~ 


-ii. 2 

!
 

-9.8 

-13.5 

demand
 

31.6%
 

" 

 ̄ +i15.1 ] 

 ̄ +23.7 

 ̄ +24.6
 

! 

.5 

I

 ̄+21.1 

-3O -2O -lO +i0 +20 +30 

43
 
The demand for increased attendance at the
 

performing arts (Figure XVI) is especially
 

strong among persons whose religion is
 

other than Protestant or Catholic and
 

among highly educated persons. Demand is
 

low among farmers, blue collar workers,
 

and persons with low incomes. (Major demographic variables with no outstanding deviations from the cluster average are sex,
 

age group, number of children, and race;
 

data for these and all other characteristics are shown on Table 5.)
 

Figure XVI Demand cluster 2, theater/music (not including jazz)/dance performance attendance 

Selected characteristics
 

Community size
 

2,500 - 9,999
 

Rural
 

R~el ig ion
 

Other
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

College graduate
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$8,001 - $i0,000
 

Over $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Blue collar
 

Farming
 

Service workers
 

Deviation in
 -i0 -5 +5 +io +15
 percentage points
 

44
 
 

As Figure XVII shows, the cluster of demand for activities that involve listening to radio and records and watching TV
 

(including sports broadcasts) is equally
 

specific. Farmers and blue collar workers are the two occupational groups most
 

likely to want to increase their participation in these areas, together with persons of low income. Highly educated persons and service workers, on the other
 

hand, are least likely to desire such increased participation. (Major demographic
 

variables with no outstanding deviation
 

from the cluster average are sex, number
 

of children, race, community size, and
 

religion; data for these and all other
 

characteristics are shown on Table 5.)
 

Figure XVII Demand cluster 3, home media and sports involving radio, TV, and records 

~ AverSe ~e Of
 

d~mand
 Selected characteristics
 

18-29 years 

65 and over 

+5.2 

Education 

Some graduate school 

Ph.D. degree ~8.5~ 

Income 

Over $30,000 

Occupation 

Professional 

Sales and clerical 

Blue collar 

--~.6 

| 

I - | 

I 

~O~4.0% 

Service work --7.5 

Deviation in
 -i0 -5 +5 ÷i0 +15 +20
 percentage points
 

45
 
Interest in jazz music or concerts (Figure
 

XVIII) is more concentrated in three
 

groups: persons professing no religious
 

affiliation, holders of Ph.D. degrees, and
 

students. Farmers, retired persons, and
 

older and less educated persons all display little desire for increased exposure
 

to this kind of music. (Major demographic variables with no outstanding deviation
 

from the cluster average are sex, number
 

of children, and community size; data for
 

these and all other characteristics are
 

shown on Table 5.)
 

Figure XVIII Demand cluster 4, jazz concert attendance and home listening 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group
 

18-29 years
 

50-64 years
 

Race
 

Black
 

Religion
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,001 - $8,000
 

$i0,001 - $12,000
 

occupation
 

Farming
 

Retired
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 -i0 -5 +5 +!o +15
 percentage points
 

46
 
AS was noted in the first chapter, southerners are unique with respect to their
 

high level of participation in choir singing and other church-related leisure activities. Interestingly, the cluster of
 

people expressing desire for increased involvement in "participatory music and religion" mostly comprises persons of
 

"other" religion (neither Catholic nor
 

Protestant) as well as persons of low income, blacks, and students. Farmers,
 

older and retired persons, and Ph.D. degree holders are those most unlikely to
 

desire greater involvement in these leisure activities (Figure XIX). (Major demographic variables with no outstanding
 

deviation from the cluster average are sex
 

and community size; data for these and
 

all other characteristics are shown on
 

Table 5.)
 

Figure XIX Demand cluster 5, participatory music and religion-related activities 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group 

18-29 years 

65 and over 

Number of children 

Three or more 

Race 

Black 

Religion 

Other 

Education 

Ph.D. degree 

Income 

$5,000 or less ~÷7.0 

$5,001 - $8,000 

Over $30,000 

Occupation 

Farming 

Service work 

Retired 

Students 

Deviation in 

percentage points -i0 -5 +5 +i0 +15 

47
 
Interest in more visual arts activities is
 

widespread among many groups. Those who
 

belong in this cluster include women in
 

general, persons 30 to 39 years old, persons with two children, persons of "other"
 

religion, highly educated persons, persons of fairly low income, farmers, and
 

housewives. Males, the elderly, and persons with low levels of schooling (many
 

of whom are elderly) are least likely to
 

desire increased activity in the visual
 

arts (Figure XX). (The only major demographic variables with no outstanding
 

deviation from the cluster average are
 

race and community size; data for these
 

and all other characteristics are shown
 

on Table 5.)
 

Figure XX Demand cluster 6, visual arts activities and exhibit attendance 

Selected characteristics
 

Sex
 

Males
 

Females
 

Age group
 

30-39 years
 

65 and over
 

Number of children
 

Two
 

Three or more
 

Religion


Other
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

College graduate
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,000 or less
 

$8,001 - $i0,000
 

Occupation
 

Farming
 

Housewives
 

Retired
 

Deviation in
 -6 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6
 percentage points
 

48
 
With an average combined rate of demand
 

of 14.2 for increased family-centered
 

activities, this cluster is second only
 

to the "unspecialized" cluster in frequency of demand. As shown in Figure XXI,
 

desire for family activities is especially
 

strong among persons with two or more children, persons living in rural areas, and
 

housewives. At the opposite extreme,
 

farmers and highly educated persons are
 

least likely to desire greater involvement in such activities. (Major demographic variables with no outstanding
 

deviation from the cluster average are
 

sex, race, and income; data for these
 

and all other characteristics are shown
 

on Table 5.)
 

Figure XXI Demand cluster 7, family-centered activities 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group
 

30-39 years
 

Number of children
 

Two
 

Three or more
 

Community size
 

Rural
 

Religion
 

Other
 

None
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

occupation
 

Farming
 

Housewives
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 -15 -i0
 percentage points -5
 +5 +i0 +15
 

49
 
Membership in the "services and performing arts on TV" demand cluster is pronounced among blacks and persons of "other"
 

race, among adults 40 to 49 years old, and
 

among persons of low income ($5,000 or
 

less per year). Here again, the least desire for increased involvement in these
 

activities occurs among holders of Ph.D.’s
 

and farmers (Figure XXII). (Major demographic variables with no outstanding
 

deviation from the cluster average are sex
 

and community size; data for these and
 

all other characteristics are shown on
 

Table 5.)
 

Figure XXII Demand cluster 8, community service/performing arts activities/TV viewing 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group
 

18-29 years
 

40-49 years
 

Number of children
 

Three or more
 

Race
 

Black
 

Other
 

Religion


None
 

Education
 

Some graduate school
 

Ph.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,000 or less
 

$10,001 - $12,000
 

$20,001 - $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Clerical & sales
 

Farming
 

Deviation in
 -6 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6
 percentage points
 

5O
 
The expression of interest in increased activity in popular folk and visual arts is
 

especially strong among persons with some
 

graduate schooling, persons of "other"
 

race, and professional persons (Figure
 

XXIII). Holders of Ph.D. degrees, farmers,
 

and the elderly population as a whole tend
 

less to belong to this cluster. (Major
 

demographic variables with no outstanding
 

deviation from the cluster average are sex,
 

number of children, and community size~
 

data for these and all other characteristics are shown on Table 5.)
 

Figure XXIII Demand cluster 9, popular/folk/arts and crafts exhibit and festival attendance 

Selected characteristics
 

Age group 

65 and over 

Race 

Black 

Other 0+3.0 

Religion 

None 

Education 

Less than 8 years 

Some graduate school 

Ph.D. degree 

Income 

$5,000 or less 

$5,001 - $8,000 

Over $30,000 

Occupation 

Professional 

Blue collar 

Farming 

Deviation in 

percentage points -6 -4 -2 +2 +4 +6 

51
 
The strongest desire for increased involvement in active sports and other outdoor activities is found among males in large cities (population 500,000 or more) and
 

among students. The lowest membership in
 

this demand cluster is found among females
 

in general, among blacks and persons of
 

"other" race, among persons of "other" religion, among persons of moderate income
 

and minimal education, and among housewives (Figure XXIV). (Major demographic
 

variables with no outstanding deviation
 

from the cluster average are age group and
 

number of children; data for these and
 

all other characteristics are shown on
 

Table 5.)
 

Figure XXIV Demand cluster 10, active sports and outdoor activities attendance 

Selected characteristics
 

Sex
 

Males
 

Females
 

Race
 

Black
 

Other
 

Community Size
 

500,000 or more
 

Reli@ion
 

Other
 

Education
 

Less than 8 years
 

8-11 years
 

Some graduate school
 

~h.D. degree
 

Income
 

$5,001 - $8,000
 

Over $30,000
 

Occupation
 

Housewives
 

Students
 

Deviation in
 -i0 -5 +5 +IO +15 +20 

percentage points
 

52
 
Unmet demand
 

In the preceding chapter, the nature of
 

limited participation in leisure activities, especially arts-related activities,
 

was discussed. This section addresses
 

the external barriers that prevent persons
 

who have expressed desire to participate
 

in certain activities from doing so. As
 

noted earlier in Figure XIV, in addition
 

to "lack of time and interest," diverse
 

and specific barriers such as cost, access,
 

availability, and personal handicap or disability can affect participation in. arts-


related activities, especially among those
 

activities carried out away from home.
 

These findings strongly suggest the existence of a large potential audience for,
 

and a group of participants in, a variety
 

of concerts, dances, and arts and crafts
 

exhibits--an audience and group that are
 

not now adequately served. Availability
 

and access appear to be major barriers
 

to passive participation, while cost and
 

"lack of talent" are greater barriers to
 

active participation.
 

The principal finding on lack of participation was that limited prior education or
 

exposure almost certainly influences later
 

participation, regardless of the specific
 

reason cited by respondents; even among
 

those who gave "lack of time or interest"
 

as a reason for nonparticipation, there
 

may be a demand that is unmet because lack
 

of prior exposure prevents it from being
 

recognized as within the range of possible activity for that individual.
 

In order to study the nature of unmet demand among different population groups in
 

the South, therefore, lack of knowledge
 

about available opportunities was chosen
 

as a particular barrier whose effect is
 

pervasive. Lack of knowledge was estimated, in turn, by examining differences
 

among population groups in the perceived
 

availability of different kinds of arts-


related activities among respondents living in communities of the same size. This
 

procedure presupposes that size of community is itself the dominant factor accounting for differential access to different kinds of arts-related leisure activities. In other words, it presupposes
 

that if all population groups enjoyed the
 

same knowledge concerning available facilities and programs, the size of the place
 

in which they lived would be the sole
 

factor explaining differential access.
 

Regression analysis confirms this hypothesis. Size of residential community did
 

have a substantial effect on perceived
 

availability of different kinds of leisure
 

activities. The smaller the community,
 

the more limited the perceived access to
 

arts-related leisure activities or facilities. However, the analysis disclosed
 

four additional factors that were statistically significant: age, education,
 

.prior.active exposure, and prior passive
 

exposure. Awareness of available opportunities or facilities for arts-related
 

activity was found to increase with advancing age up to the mid-twenties, and to
 

decline thereafter. Awareness was also
 

positively associated with education; the
 

more educated respondents are better informed in general, are more open to the
 

different media of communication, and are
 

more aware of current activities and developments in all areas including arts-


related activities. Of course, the association between age and awareness is in
 

large part confounded by the correlation
 

between education and awareness, since
 

younger adults everywhere are likely to
 

have more education, on average, than
 

older adults.
 

The analysis strongly confirms the importance of prior exposure (either active
 

participation or involvement or passive
 

exposure through school) in prompting
 

continued interest in and awareness of
 

arts-related leisure activities later on
 

in adult life. Persons who had enjoyed
 

such exposure were consistently more likely to be knowledgeable concerning available opportunities for such activities
 

than were persons with no such prior exposure. Here also, the greater the amount
 

of general education a person has received,
 

the more likely he or she is to have received such exposure. Even though higher
 

education may be strongly technical or narrowly professional in orientation, most of
 

the students receiving such education are
 

likely to receive at least minimal exposure to a variety of arts-related cultural
 

stimuli.
 

Equally significant are the findings of
 

this analysis with respect to the other
 

socioeconomic characteristics. No socioeconomic factor is associated with knowledge about arts-related activities when
 

the effects of other variables are controlled statistically. In other words,
 

neither occupation, nor income, nor race
 

is significantly associated with such
 

knowledge, apart from the confounding effects of education and prior exposure.
 

However, the statistically insignificant
 

associations that are found among these
 

background variables are generally in line
 

with what might be expected on the basis
 

of the Drior association between education and exposure and knowledge of available opportunities for cultural activities. For example, students and retired
 

people are more aware of available cultural resources than housewives and blue collar workers; high-income people are more
 

aware than those with lower incomes; and
 

53
 
Table 6	 Barriers to current participation


in eight active arts activities
 

Non-


South 

39%
 

10%
 

7%
 

17%
 

20%
 

3%
 

4%
 

whites are more aware of opportunities
 

than are nonwhites. In all instances, the
 

underlying factor may be education or, in
 

the case of retired people, available leisure time.
 

The most important finding of this analysis is the absence of strong associations
 

between socioeconomic variables, such as
 

income and occupation, and perceptions of
 

available arts-related activities and opportunities. This negative result indicates that awareness of such activities
 

and related facilities is widespread
 

throughout southern society. It can be
 

surmised further that the cultural barrier
 

that exists because of ignorance is being
 

eroded rapidly with continuing improvements in general levels of education in
 

the South. This finding implies that
 

those population groups, such as women and
 

nonwhites, who expressed greater dissatisfaction with available cultural resources
 

did so for reasons other than simple ignorance of those resources. In other words,
 

their statements of unmet demands are real,
 

not imaginary, but only further analysis
 

would identify the precise nature of that
 

demand.
 

Regional differences. The comparison of
 

South and non-South with respect to unmet
 

demand for arts-related activities, supported by NRCA research, indicates that
 

such differences are minor, at least for
 

the more active arts-related activities
 

(Table 6). Unweighted averages of the
 

findings for eight active arts-related
 

activities are generally similar for both
 

regions. The eight activities are playing
 

a musical instrument in an orchestra,
 

singing in a choir, dancing or acting in
 

a theater group, doing painting, sculpture,
 

or drawing, writing creatively, or doing
 

craftswork.
 

Examination of the reasons given for non-


participation fails to reveal significant
 

differences between the South and the non-


South. Persons outside the South were
 

more likely to attribute their inability
 

to participate actively in these eight
 

artistic pursuits to lack of time, and it
 

is also apparent that southerners were
 

somewhat more likely to cite lack of facilities or considerations of cost as reasons for their nonparticipation. But
 

these differences are quite small; the
 

predominant feature of these data is their
 

similarity.
 

More detailed examination of unmet demand
 

for specific kinds of active artistic pursuits confirms this general impression of
 

interregional similarity. With respect
 

to playing an instrument in an orchestra,
 

the largest difference between the South
 

and the non-South was the barrier of
 

cost--17 percent of southerners as compared with only 10 percent of non-southerners cited this reason as the primary
 

cause of their nonparticipation. As for
 

dancing or acting in a theater group, 18
 

percent of southerners cited lack of
 

facilities, compared with I0 percent of
 

non-southerners. In both of these cases,
 

regional differences with respect to the
 

other reasons for nonparticipation were
 

much smaller and probably insignificant
 

statistically. Cost considerations were
 

the most important difference between
 

southerners and non-southerners with respect to unmet demand for painting, sculpture, or drawing: 13 percent of the southerners as compared with only 8 percent of
 

non-southerners cited cost as the principal
 

reason for their nonparticipation. But
 

for creative writing and doing crafts, the
 

principal difference between southerners
 

and non-southerners was "lack of time."
 

Non-southerners were more likely than
 

southerners to cite this factor as the
 

reason for their inability to participate
 

in either activity, despite wanting to do
 

so. On the other hand, southerners were
 

more likely to cite excessive cost as the
 

primary reason for their nonparticipation
 

in active craftswork.
 

54
 
 

 

Finally, singing in choirs stands out as As shown in Table 7, craftswork, the most
 

the single artistic activity that most popular of artistic pursuits in terms of
 

clearly differentiates southern from non- rates of current participation, would re-


southern respondents. Non-southerners main the most popular by far if all those
 

were far more likely than southerners to who wanted to pursue crafts could be added
 

attribute their inability to participate to those who are currently active. Under
 

in choir singing (despite a desire to do this hypothetical condition, participation’
 

so) to lack of time or lack of facilities.
 rates for craftswork would rise from 28
 

Taken together, these two reasons account to 46 percent among southerners and from
 

for 59 percent of the non-southerners’ non­ 41 to 58 percent among non-southerners.
 

participation, as compared with only 34
 By this measure, unmet need for this kind
 

percent among southerners. of artistic activity is relatively stronger in the South. Under the same condi-


As noted previously, if all those who tion, southern participation rates in
 

wanted to participate in these active art-
 three additional artistic activities would
 

istic pursuits were added to those who increase to over 20 percent: playing a
 

were already participating, total partici- musica! instrument (to 22 percent), singpation rates in both the South and the ing in a choir (to 25 percent), and paintnon-South would almost double, rising to
 ing, sculpture, and drawing (to 22 per21 percent in the South and 25 percent in cent). The corresponding percentages in
 

the non-South.
 the non-South rise to 28, 17, and 33. On
 

Table 7 Current participation and desired participation in active arts activities 

Rate of Rate of
 

current desire to
 

Activity participation participate
 

South Non-South South Non-South
 

8% 12% 14% 16%
 

Singing in a choir 13% 7% 12% 10%
 

Theater acting and dancing 2% 3% 6% 8%
 

Painting, drawing, or 11% 17% 11% 16%
 

doing sculpture
 

6% 11% 5% 8%
 

28% 41% 18% 17%
 

Mean 10% 13% 11% 12%
 

55
 
the whole, current regional differences
 

in participation rates would be preserved
 

if prevailing obstacles to participation
 

by those who would like to participate
 

were removed. Except for choir singing,
 

non-southerners would continue to have
 

higher participation rates than southerners in active artistic pursuits. These
 

figures also demonstrate that the magnitude of unmet demand for such activities
 

is about as large outside the South as
 

in the South.
 

It is noteworthy that the largest proportional gains in rates of participation
 

(under the above hypothesis) would occur
 

in the areas of dancing and acting in both
 

the South and the non-South. Southern
 

participation rates would rise from 2 to
 

8 percent and non-southern rates would
 

rise from 3 to ii percent if all those who
 

wanted to participate were added to those
 

who currently participate in these active
 

artistic pursuits. Thus, the greatest
 

relative unmet demand, in both southern
 

and non-southern regions, is to be found
 

in the areas of dance and theater acting.
 

Analysis of unmet demand for selected
 

passive artistic activities pursued away
 

from home reveals similar regional differences. On average, twice as many non-


southerners as southerners currently attend dance performances, the theater, or
 

concerts; on average, 26 percent of non-


southerners and 13 percent of southerners
 

attend such events. Among those who do not
 

attend, however, the reasons given are
 

quite similar in both regions. Excessive
 

cost accounts for less than i0 percent of
 

the reasons in both the South and the non-


South, and inaccessibility or inconvenient
 

timing account for 8 and i0 percent respectively. However, southerners are more
 

likely than non-southerners to attribute
 

their nonattendance at such performances
 

to their not being available or to not
 

enjoying such performances. In particular,
 

southerners are much less likely than non-


southerners to say they enjoy theater
 

performances or concerts, making "unmet
 

demand" a dubious label. It is at least
 

plausible to surmise that these regional
 

differences can be reduced to one situational factor and one background factor.
 

The prevalent situation is still one in
 

which performances of this kind are less
 

available in the South and less likely to
 

attract a large audience. The significant background factor is somewhat more
 

conjectural, but the evidence suggests
 

that regional differences in prior exposure to the performing arts account for
 

much of the observed differences in ability to enjoy these performances. Finally,
 

it is possible that a regional difference
 

in attitude toward the arts exists, whereby southerners are less embarassed than
 

non-southerners to admit lack of interest
 

in these activities.
 

Chapter summary and conclusions
 

The kinds of leisure activities that southerners are most likely to want (as expressed in terms of a desire for increased
 

participation) are not radically different
 

from their actual patterns of leisure activity. For the most affluent and the
 

more highly educated segments of the populations, the absence of strong unmet demands for particular kinds of leisure activity can be interpreted as evidence that
 

the "good life" is a daily reality, not
 

only because of the satisfaction of their
 

material wants and needs, but because of
 

their ability to satisfy their cultural
 

and spiritual needs as well. Among the
 

less affluent and less educated groups in
 

southern society, a similar correspondence
 

between the actual and the desired suggests a less wholesome possibility: if
 

people with limited past exposure to particular kinds of leisure activity fail to
 

express any interest in such activities at
 

present, they may be failing to take advantage of available opportunities for personal growth and new experiences. If such
 

people have had no opportunity to experience and appreciate certain kinds of leisure activities, particularly the more "demanding" arts-related activities, they
 

literally do not know what they are missing.
 

However, this barrier of education and exposure, as well as more immediate, verifiable conditions, is amenable, at least in
 

principle, to policy intervention. If
 

young people can acquire interest and appreciation of arts-related pursuits as a
 

part of their early upbringing and their
 

formal schooling, older people should also
 

be able to do so, given the opportunity
 

and proper stimulus. The fact that many
 

retired persons take up such activities
 

is further evidence that they can be rewarding to people at all ages and with
 

different backgrounds and education.
 

A further distinction is necessary between
 

external barriers that reflect personal
 

handicaps or limitations and those that
 

relate to conditions surrounding the leisure activity in question. For example,
 

persons who are unable to participate in
 

activities or events away from the home
 

without great difficulty or cost (given
 

such factors as child-care needs or personal disabilities) must obviously rely
 

more heavily on home media such as TV,
 

radio, and recordings. Impending techno56
 
logical advances give promise of a wide
 

variety of programs tailored to more differentiated and specilized tastes in the
 

future, so that at-home arts-related programs can be expected to find an appreciative audience. On the other hand, barriers that reflect economic restraints,
 

such as the costs of attendance associated
 

with many plays, symphonies, concert performances, and the like, or barriers that
 

reflect traffic problems or problems of
 

geographic location, cannot be readily
 

overcome.
 

Long-term trends in American society in
 

general and in the South in particular
 

have greatly reduced most of the barriers
 

to participation in leisure activities,
 

including arts-related activities. These
 

trends include steady increases in the
 

educational attainment of the population,
 

including curriculum improvements; more
 

gradual but cumulative gains in available
 

leisure time; and major improvements in
 

transportation and communication facilities. In addition, the doubling of the
 

median incomes of families (in constant
 

dollars) between 1948 and 1978, together
 

with the fertility declines that occurred
 

from the late 1950s onward, implies a substantial increase (at least up to the late
 

1970s) in discretionary income that can
 

be used to satisfy a variety of consumer
 

preferences. The data from the general
 

background information about changes in
 

the structure of American society tends
 

to corroborate the findings of the study
 

that excessive cost was seldom found to
 

be an important barrier to participation
 

in many forms of arts-related leisure activities, even during recession periods.
 

Even if the pace of economic advance
 

experienced by this society during the
 

past thirty years cannot be sustained in
 

the future, there is every reason to expect continued reduction in barriers to
 

participation as a consequence of continued gains in education and communication.
 

The wide range of leisure pursuits and interests of southern students is a particularly encouraging finding, since it signals a continuing strong demand for a corresponding variety of leisure activities
 

in the future.
 

57 
TEST RESULTS OF THE STUDY HYPOTHESES
 

Dr. Richard J. Orend of the Human Resources Research Organization examined
 

seven hypotheses or general propositions
 

with the research findings. A summary of
 

these seven hypotheses, together with the
 

test conclusions, follows.
 

The level of participation and the demand for increased participation will be
 

higher in nonarts activities than in arts-


related activities. Both parts of this
 

proposition were confirmed by the results
 

of the survey. Greater involvement of
 

southerners in nonarts-related leisure
 

activities was evident both in terms of
 

participation rates and the amount of time
 

spent in such activities.
 

Participation in and desire to increase
 

participation in different kinds of leisure activities are related to the socioeconomic status and demographic characteristics of individuals, especially their
 

levels of education, their age, and their
 

income levels. This proposition was largely disconfirmed. In general, age and income turned out to be poor predictors of
 

actual participation in the different clusters of leisure activity. They were no
 

better in relation to desires for increased levels of involvement. The only
 

important exception to this rule was the
 

finding that interest and active participation in sports was largely confined to the
 

young, particularly young men, whereas
 

most older persons expressed interest in
 

largely sedentary leisure pursuits. Education, however, was significantly associated with participation rates and with the
 

desire for increased participation in several clusters of leisure activity, especially the visual and performing arts.
 

Individuals living in smaller communities will have lower rates of participation in arts-related activities and less
 

desire for increased participation in such
 

activities. This proposition was only
 

partly confirmed. Residents of small communities in the South were quite active in
 

choir singing, in playing musical instruments, and in attending lectures on arts-


related topics. However, they did not
 

display strong interest in increasing
 

their participation in arts-related
 

activities.
 

Race will be related to the types of
 

leisure activities that are chosen and to
 

the pattern of interest in increased participation. This was confirmed in part.
 

Whites were more likely to attend activities in both the performing and visual arts
 

clusters, whereas blacks were more highly
 

involved in choral and jazz concerts and
 

in the performing arts via the media. In
 

general, blacks were also less satisfied
 

with both the amount of leisure time available to them and with the available opportunities for leisure pursuits. However,
 

these "racial" differences are influenced
 

by the effects of other variables, especially education and prior exposure.
 

Occupation grouping will predict leisure
 

choices. This proposition was disconfirmed. The few associations between participation rates or desires for increased
 

participation and occupation that were
 

observed appear to reflect differences in
 

education or, in the case of farmers, differences in access to many kinds of leisure activity.
 

Perceived barriers to desired increases
 

in participation are an important key to
 

understanding current participation rates.
 

Furthermore, recognition of specific barriers is related to the socioeconomic
 

status and demographic characteristics of
 

the respondents. This proposition was
 

largely disconfirmed. The predominant
 

reason for non-participation (or limited
 

participation) in most leisure activities
 

was lack of interest on the part of the
 

respondent or, in the case of desire for
 

increased participation, lack of sufficient interest to overcome other barriers.
 

This lack of interest was expressed both
 

in terms of "preference for doing other
 

things," and "lack of time." As noted
 

previously, little association was found
 

between the kinds of barriers selected by
 

respondents as being important and the
 

respondents’ socioeconomic status. Economic barriers were not important except
 

in the case of extremely low income, where
 

activities involving purchase of lessons or
 

equipment were viewed as being impracticable.
 

The single best predictor of both current levels of participation and the desire to increase participation in particular kinds of leisure activity is prior participation. This proposition was confirmed insofar as current participation
 

patterns were concerned, but it was not
 

confirmed with respect to desired increases
 

in participation.
 

58
 
REPORTS IN THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR
 

THE ARTS RESEARCH DIVISION SERIES
 

Since 1976 the Research Division of the
 

National Endowment for the Arts has been
 

studying matters of interest to the arts
 

community and issuing reports based on its
 

findings. Copies of the reports may be ordered from the Publishing Center for Cultural Resources, 625 Broadway, New York
 

City 10012 at the prices noted below.
 

Checks should be made payable to "Publishing Center." Prices include postage and
 

handling; no state or local sales tax is
 

applicable.
 

#i Employment and Unemployment of Artists:


1970-1975. 32 pages. April 1976. $2.50
 

#2 To Survey American Crafts: A Planning
 

Study. 32 pages. July 1977. $2.50
 

#3 Understanding the Employment of Actors.
 

36 pages. September 1977. $2.00
 

#4 Arts and Cultural Programs on Radio and
 

Television. 92 pages. September 1977. $3.50
 

#5 Where Artists Live: 1970. 80 pages.
 

October 1977. $3.00
 

#6 Economic Impact of Arts and Cultural
 

Institutions: A Model for Assessment and
 

a Case Study in Baltimore. 96 pages.
 

November 1977. $3.50
 

#7 Minorities and Women in the Arts: 1970
 

32 pages. January 1978. $2.50
 

#8 The State Arts Agencies in 1974: All
 

Present and Accounted For. 160 pages.
 

April 1978. $4.50
 

#9 Audience Studies of the Performing Arts
 

and Museums: A Critical Review. 106 pages.
 

November 1978. $3.00
 

#i0 Self-Employment, Migration, and Household and Family Characteristics of Artists:
 

1970. 32 pages. November 1978. $2.00
 

#ii Conditions and Needs of the Professional American Theatre. 120 pages. January 1980. ISBN 0-89062-076-8 $4.50
 

#12 Artists Compared by Age, Sex, and
 

Earnings in 1970 and 1976. 54 pages.
 

January 1980. ISBN 0-89062-077-6 $2.50
 

#13 Craft Artist Membership Organizations
 

1978. 48 pages. January 1981. ISBN
 

0-89062-089-X $2.50
 

#14 Audience Development: An Examination
 

of Selected Analysis and Prediction Techniques Applied to Symphony and Theatre Attendance in Four Southern Cities. 48
 

pages. January 1981. ISBN 0-89062-097-0
 

$2.5O
 

#15 Economic Impact of Arts and Cultural
 

Institutions: Case Studies in Columbus,
 

Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Salt Lake
 

City, San Antonio, and Springfield. 102
 

pages. January 1981. ISBN 0-89062-106-3
 

$3.5O
 

#16 Artist Employment and Unemployment
 

1971-1980. 44 pages. January 1982.
 

ISBN 0-89062-135-7 $3.00
 

#17 The Arts Public in the South. 60
 

pages. March 1984. ISBN 0-89062-147-0


$4.0O
 

59
 
Produced and distributed by Publishing Center for Cultural Resources, 625 Broadway, New York City 10012. Price (incl. postage): $4.00.