U.S. public perceptions of artists during the COVID-19 pandemic

From this article:

There is a lack of understanding about public opinions of artists in the United States, thereby impeding stakeholders’ ability to empirically inform policy decisions and advocacy relevant to artists. Using novel, nationally representative survey data, this study provides insights on U.S. public opinion of artists during the first two years of the COVID pandemic. We find a decline in the percent of adults who engaged with artists in their local communities over these years, but that perceptions of artists’ roles in local communities remained steady; the opinion that artists make communities better places to live varies by socio-demographics and is positively associated with perceptions of artists as workers, collaborators, and as bringing attention to community concerns; and that over half of the U.S. adult population suggests that artists can uniquely contribute to healing from the pandemic. This study demonstrates means to empirically inform policy decisions and advocacy relevant to artists.

Novak-Leonard, Jennifer L., Skaggs, Rachel (October 2023) U.S. public perceptions of artists during the COVID-19 pandemic International Journal of Cultural Policy