A new report released by the National Endowment for the Arts said that the number of American adults attending arts and cultural events has sunk to its lowest level since 1982, when the NEA began conducting the poll.
The study, which was organized with the U.S. Census Bureau, noted that the downward trend was partially due to the deteriorating economic conditions of the last two years, including the rise in the price of gas and an overall drop in consumer spending.
But it also emphasized larger shifts in the American public’s relationship to the arts. The report, which uses data collected in 2008, said that 34.5 percent of adults attended at least one arts event that year, down from 39.4 percent in 2002, the last time the survey was conducted.
Moreover, those who did attend arts events did so less frequently.
Down to 5.2 for year
The report found that the average number of attendances per individual was 5.2 in 2008, down from 6.1 in 2002.
Among the arts events that the report measures are museum shows, classical-music concerts, opera, ballet, theater and jazz concerts.
The NEA released preliminary results of the report in June 2009.
The full report includes arts data by state and region.
Overall, the Pacific and New England regions ranked high in the attendance of performing arts and visual arts events, according to the report. California ranked near the top among states for art museum attendance. In 2008, 31 percent of the state’s residents — more than 8 million people — visited an art museum or gallery.
The regions with some of the lowest arts attendance were the East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi) and the West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas).
“The 2008 survey results are, at a glance, disappointing,” said Sunil Iyengar, the NEA’s director of research and analysis, in a report summary.
He said one survey cannot explain all reasons for the nationwide decline, but noted that among the possible causes is decreasing arts education.
Iyengar said the NEA has commissioned five studies that will explore how factors such as Internet usage are affecting arts participation.
