Public Participation in the Arts Continues to Grow

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that consumers spent $12.1 billion on admissions to performing arts events in 2002. This amount was $2.5 billion more than spending on tickets to movie theaters, but $1.5 less than outlays to sporting events.

The $12.1 billion that consumers spent on admissions to the performing arts in 2002 translated into $42 per person. This amount was more than the $33.30 per person spent on movie tickets. Between 1992 and 2002, per capita spending on performing arts admissions grew by $7.50, or 24% (when adjusted for inflation). This growth exceeded the 19% gain for movie theatre tickets.

The most recent Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) showed that nearly 1/3 of adults reported going to at least one jazz, classical music, opera, musical, play or ballet performance during the 12 months ending August 2002. About 1/4 of adults said they visited an art museum or gallery. Combined, 39%, or 81 million people, attended these types of events. This is 5 million more than in 1992. In addition, 76% of adults, or 157 million people, made the arts a part of their lives in the 12 months ending in August 2002. This includes: reading literature, visiting historic sites, performing and creating art, owning art, and taking art classes. Nearly two thirds of American adults attended arts and cultural events.

Singing in groups is the most popular public arts activity. An estimated 10% of the adult population, or over 20 million people, reported singing in a choir, chorus, or other ensemble. This remains true in the 2002 survey, with 9.8 million adults participating. Singing had more than double the amount of participants than any other type of personal performance except for dance.

Photography is the most popular non-public arts activity. An estimated 17% of the adult population, 33 million people, participated in the arts by taking photographs for artistic purposes. Weaving, sewing, and other needlework was the most popular among the visual arts activities.

Creative writing was also a popular form of personal arts participation, with 12% of the adult population, 24 million people, writing creatively for purposes other than school or work.

Classical music had an 11% participation rate (22 million people), including 2.5 million people who performed classical music in public. More than 5 million acted in public performances of non-musical plays, 3.3 million sang in musical plays, and 1.8 million adults performed jazz.

63% of adults reported reading literature, and 47% had visited an historic park or an arts fair in the past year.

In 2002, more respondents took classes in the performing arts (6 million) than in the visual arts (5 million). For visual arts, participation is most often in the form of attending an art museum, gallery, arts fair or festival.