Who engages in the arts in the United States? A comparison of three types of engagement using data from the General Social Survey

Abstract

Engaging in the arts is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While it is generally accepted that there is a social gradient in arts participation, previous studies of arts engagement in the US have not used comprehensive measures of engagement and often focus on single demographic or socioeconomic predictors of engagement rather than simultaneously testing a range of factors that may be related to one another. Using cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (GSS) in the US, we examined which demographic, socioeconomic, residential, and health factors were associated with attendance at arts events, participation in arts activities, and membership of creative groups. We combined data from 1993 to 2016 in three analytical samples with a sample size of 8,684 for arts events, 4,372 for arts activities, and 4,268 for creative groups. Data were analysed using logistic regression. More education was associated with increased levels of all types of arts engagement. Parental education demonstrated a similar association. Being female, compared to male, was also consistently associated with higher levels of engagement. Attendance at arts events was lower in participants with lower income and social class, poorer health, and those living in less urban areas. However, these factors were not associated with engagement in arts activities or creative groups. Overall, we found evidence for a social gradient in attendance at arts events, which was not as pronounced in engagement in arts activities or creative groups. Given the many benefits of engagement in the arts for education, health, and wider welfare, our findings demonstrate the importance of identifying factors to reduce barriers to participation in the arts across all groups in society.

Longitudinal changes in home-based arts engagement during and following the first national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

“…Associations between household income and arts engagement may also have been altered by the pandemic. Pre-pandemic studies have generally demonstrated more arts engagement with increasing income [16,21]. However, as in two recent studies [2,17], we found that individuals with a lower household income were less likely to be in the "disengaged" group.…”

Associations between participation in community arts groups and aspects of wellbeing in older adults in the United States: A propensity score matching analysis

“…Our findings are consistent with previous evidence that arts engagement is associated with enhanced experienced, evaluative, and eudaimonic wellbeing in older adults (20–22). We have built on this research by using more sophisticated statistical techniques, demonstrating that although arts group participation is associated with broader aspects of social and cultural capital and socioeconomic status (which are themselves associated with wellbeing) (10,27,29), the relationship also exists independent of these factors in older adults. To our knowledge, no previous studies have used propensity score matching to investigate associations between participation in arts groups and wellbeing in older adults.…”

“…However, previous research has a number of limitations. There is evidence for a social gradient in arts engagement, with factors such as income, education, and race/ethnicity associated with lower frequency of engagement and structural barriers to engaging in the arts (27,28). Previous studies have generally adjusted for these sociodemographic factors in ordinary least squares regression models.…”

Engagement in leisure activities and depression in older adults in the United States: Longitudinal evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

“…For older adults living in the community, attending cultural events may be subject to more socioeconomic barriers than active engagement in the arts (Bone et al, 2021), and inequalities in access to cultural events may increase with age (Fluharty et al, 2021). More than one in three older adults in the US have reported some difficulty attending cultural events, with many stating that they could not attend due to inaccessibility (Rajan & Rajan, 2017).…”

“…More than one in three older adults in the US have reported some difficulty attending cultural events, with many stating that they could not attend due to inaccessibility (Rajan & Rajan, 2017). These difficulties may also relate to cultural equity and relevance (Bone et al, 2021). By contrast, active arts engagement includes a wide range of activities, many of which are inexpensive or free, and can be done in the home, such as reading, writing, making music, and creating art.…”