DOI: 10.3886/icpsr37309
title: National Arts Index (NAI), United States, 1996-2017
title: Archival Version

description: The National Arts Index (NAI) was developed in the mid-2000s by Americans for the Arts as a way of tracking the health and vitality of arts and culture in the United States over time. Annual NAI reports were published in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. NAI's main features included: A policy index providing a summary annual score which aggregated 81 individual indicators of arts finance, capacity, participation, and competitiveness A compendium of data with detail on each indicator including its origin and an interpretation of its significance accompanied by a chart representing change in the indicator over time. Americans for the Arts seeks to build recognition and support for the extraordinary and dynamic value of the arts and to lead, serve, and advance the diverse networks and organizations and individuals who cultivate the arts in America.
description: The purpose of the National Arts Index (NAI) is to provide an annual measure of the vitality of arts and culture in the United States.
description: The P.I.s used the nation as the unit of analysis. To measure a wide range of national arts and culture activity, the P.I.s gathered several hundred micro-level specific measures of arts activity, resources, participation, and character, from which 81 useful national-level indicators of arts and culture were produced. The P.I.s set each of the indicators in a conceptual framework, the Arts and Culture Balanced Scorecard.
description: This study has 21 cases and 81 variables. Cases include years 1996-2017. Variables include national-level measures of: financial flows in arts and culture, capacity and infrastructure in arts and culture, participation in arts and culture, and the competitiveness of arts and culture. The national level indicators aggregated the 81 indicators into four major areas: Financial Flows: philanthropy, artist income, business revenue, payments for artistic services Capacity: artists, organizations, employment Arts Participation: consumption of arts activities, attendance, experiences Competitiveness: the position of the arts compared to other sectors; market share, how the arts compete for philanthropy, discretionary spending
description: The data in RAW spreadsheet and DATA spreadsheet are not weighted. The WEIGHT spreadsheet was applied to the INDEX spreadsheet which was used to produce the visualization, NAIChart.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable
description: Presence of Common Scales: Not applicable
description: Secondary data was obtained from different sources including: the federal government, private membership organizations, professional societies, trade groups, research institutions, and commercial data providers. Criteria for including a particular indicator for the NAI are: The indicator has at its core a meaningful measurement of arts and culture activity The data are national in scope The data are produced annually by a reputable organization Five years of data are available, beginning no later than 2003 and available through 2008 Measured at a ratio level (not just on rankings or ratings) Statistically valid, even if based on sample Expected to be available for use in the Index Affordable within project budget constraints
description: Datasets: DS1: National Arts Index (NAI), United States, 1996-2017
description: Arts-related data sources in the United States.
description: record abstractsFor more information on the National Arts Index, please read "Chapter 8 - Methodology" of any of the full NAI reports available for download at National Arts Index Reports Download Center.