The aDvANCE Project: A Study of Career Transition for Professional Dancers [2003] (ICPSR 35598)
American Perceptions of Artists Survey 2002 (ICPSR 35571)
Annual Arts Basic Survey, 2013 [United States] (ICPSR 36412)
This data collection is comprised of responses from two sets of survey questionnaires, the basic Current Population Survey (CPS) and a survey administered as a supplement to the February 2013 basic CPS questionnaire. The supplement, on the topic of public participation in the arts in the United States, was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The CPS, administered monthly, collects labor force data about the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 years old or older living in the United States. Moreover, the CPS provides current estimates of the economic status and activities of this population which includes estimates of total employment (both farm and nonfarm), nonfarm self-employed persons, domestics, and unpaid helpers in nonfarm family enterprises, wage and salaried employees, and estimates of total unemployment. The basic CPS data are provided on labor force activity for the week prior to the survey. In addition, CPS provides respondents' demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, marital status, educational attainment, family relationship, occupation, and industry.
In addition to the basic CPS questions, the February 2013 Annual Arts Basic Survey (AABS) questions were asked of the CPS respondent and spouse as well as another randomly selected household member aged 18 or older and his/her spouse. About one-quarter of the sampled households were asked the supplement questions. Interview numbers 3 and 7 were asked the supplement questions. If the selected person had a spouse or partner then questions were also asked of the spouse/partner. The supplement contained questions about the sampled member's participation in various artistic activities from February 2012 through February 2013. Questions were asked about the type of artistic activity attended including attending a live music, theater, or dance performance. Questions also included attending a live book reading or a poetry or storytelling event, an art exhibit, going to the movies or to see a film, or taking any lessons or classes in music or music appreciation. Interviews were conducted during the period of February 17-23, 2013. The total sample size of the 2013 AABS was 150,827 Americans, ages 18 and older.
Annual Arts Basic Survey, 2015 [United States] (ICPSR 36424)
This data collection is comprised of responses from two sets of survey questionnaires, the basic Current Population Survey (CPS) and a survey administered as a supplement to the February 2015 basic CPS questionnaire. The supplement, on the topic of public participation in the arts in the United States, was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The CPS, administered monthly, collects labor force data about the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 years old or older living in the United States. Moreover, the CPS provides current estimates of the economic status and activities of this population which includes estimates of total employment (both farm and nonfarm), nonfarm self-employed persons, domestics, and unpaid helpers in nonfarm family enterprises, wage and salaried employees, and estimates of total unemployment. The basic CPS data are provided on labor force activity for the week prior to the survey. In addition, CPS provides respondents' demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, marital status, educational attainment, family relationship, occupation, and industry.
In addition to the basic CPS questions, the February 2015 Annual Arts Basic Survey (AABS) questions were asked of the CPS respondent and spouse as well as another randomly selected household member aged 18 or older and his/her spouse. About one-quarter of the sampled households were asked the supplement questions. Interview numbers 3 and 7 were asked the supplement questions. If the selected person had a spouse or partner then questions were also asked of the spouse/partner. The supplement contained questions about the sampled member's participation in various artistic activities from February 2014 through February 2015. Questions were asked about the type of artistic activity attended including attending a live music, theater, or dance performance. Questions also included attending a live book reading or a poetry or storytelling event, an art exhibit, going to the movies or to see a film, or taking any lessons or classes in music or music appreciation. Interviews were conducted during the period of several days in February 2015. The total sample size of the 2015 AABS was 151,788 Americans, ages 18 and older.
Artists Training and Career Project, United States, 1989-1990 (ICPSR 35599)
The Artists Training and Career Project, conducted by the Research Center for Arts and Culture (RCAC), studied the training and career choices and patterns of actors, craftspeople, and painters through national surveys of a sampling of artists in each discipline. Topics include training and preparation for painting and craft careers, acceptance in the marketplace, critical evaluation, public response, involvement in professional organizations, and career satisfaction. As a complement to the surveys, RCAC also conducted personal narrative interviews with artists and related experts. The survey of craftspeople was conducted in 1990 and included 1,257 respondents. The survey of painters was conducted in 1991 and included 889 respondents. As well, the survey of actors was conducted in 1992. Funding for the study was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).
Also archived at ICPSR and available for research purposes are 1381 ACTORS' EQUITY surveys (AEA) and 528 non-EQUITY (non-AEA) (total 1909). These surveys are in hard copy, and there may be costs associated with access to these materials. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in using the data.
Digital data for The Artists Training and Career Project: Actor were not provided for the NADAC or CPANDA version of this data collection.
CBS News/60 Minutes/Vanity Fair National Poll, May #1, 2013 (ICPSR 35000)
Census of Population and Housing 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 [United States]: Public Use Microdata Sample: Artist Extract Files (ICPSR 35534)
Consumer Expenditure Survey (ICPSR 39136)
The Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) program provides data on expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics of consumers in the United States. Expenditure categories include various arts-related spending categories on admissions for activities such as plays, theater, opera, concerts, as well as movies, parks, and museums. Additionally, spending on reading materials like newspapers, magazines, books, and digital book readers is covered. The survey also captures expenditure data on other arts-related items such as musical instruments, photographic equipment, audio-visual equipment, and items related to toys, games, arts, and crafts.
CE data are primarily used to revise the relative importance of goods and services in the market basket of the Consumer Price Index. The CE is the only Federal household survey to provide information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes. CE data are collected by the Census Bureau for BLS in two surveys: the Interview Survey for major and/or recurring items and the Diary Survey for more minor or frequently purchased items. Here is an overview of the CE program and its methods.
The CE program provides these data in tables, LABSTAT database, news releases, reports, and public use microdata files, including household arts spending, by demographic characteristics.
Consumer Expenditure Survey Summary Tables, United States, 2010-2024 (ICPSR 36170)
The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two surveys: the quarterly Interview survey and the annual Diary survey. Combined, these two surveys provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The CE collects all on all spending components including food, housing, apparel and services, transportation, entertainment, and out-of-pocket health care costs.
The CE tables are an easy-to-use tool for obtaining arts-related spending estimates. They feature several arts-related spending categories, including the following items:
Spending on Admissions
- Plays, theater, opera, and concerts
- Movies, parks, and museums
Spending on Reading
- Newspapers and magazines
- Books
- Digital book readers
Spending on Other Arts-Related Items
- Musical instruments
- Photographic equipment
- Audio-visual equipment
- Toys, games, arts and crafts
The CE is important because it is the only Federal survey to provide information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes, as well as the characteristics of those consumers. It is used by economic policymakers examining the impact of policy changes on economic groups, by the Census Bureau as the source of thresholds for the Supplemental Poverty Measure, by businesses and academic researchers studying consumers' spending habits and trends, by other Federal agencies, and, perhaps most importantly, to regularly revise the Consumer Price Index market basket of goods and services and their relative importance.
The most recent data tables are for 2024 and include: 1) Detailed tables with the most granular level of expenditure data available, along with variances and percent reporting for each expenditure item, for all consumer units (listed as "Other" in the Download menu); and 2) Tables with calendar year aggregate shares by demographic characteristics that provide annual aggregate expenditures and shares across demographic groups (listed as "Excel" in the Download menu).
Also, see Featured CE Tables and Economic News Releases sections on the CE home page for current data tables and news release. The 1980 through 2024 CE public-use microdata, including Interview Survey data, Diary Survey data, and paradata (information about the data collection process), are available on the CE website.
Creative Community Index [Silicon Valley, 2002 and 2005] (ICPSR 35580)
The Creative Community Index, a research initiative produced by Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley, measured cultural participation and creativity in the Silicon Valley in 2002 and 2005. The first wave of the study, in 2002, consisted of two surveys: one survey measured the breadth and frequency of cultural participation by residents of Santa Clara County, and another survey gathered a range of data about the current health and vitality of nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the region. The second wave, in 2005, surveyed Silicon Valley residents, nonprofit cultural organizations, local area leaders, and local artists.
The Survey of Silicon Valley Residents [2002] surveyed 361 adult residents of Santa Clara County, California in January and February 2002, and the Survey of Silicon Valley Residents [2005] surveyed 1,007 adult residents of Santa Clara County, California in April 2005. Respondents for both years were asked about their behavior and beliefs regarding arts and culture in their community. The Survey of Cultural Organizations [2002] collected data from 135 organizations in 2001. The organizations were asked a series of questions about their artistic products and programs, organizational capacity, and funding sources in an effort to gather a range of data about the current health and vitality of nonprofit arts groups in the region. The Survey of Silicon Valley Leaders [2005] surveyed adult residents of Santa Clara County between March and April 2005. The survey asked former and current members of American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley about their organization's ability to attract and retain creative workers to Silicon Valley, as well as their participation, as an individual and with children, in arts and related activities.
Cultural Participation Survey 1998 (ICPSR 35237)
Conducted by the Urban Institute, the Cultural Participation Survey 1998 was the first in a series of surveys evaluating the Community Partnerships for Cultural Participation (CPCP) initiative. In the CPCP initiative, a total of ten community foundations around the country received grants from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund to induce more people to attend arts and cultural events, encourage people who attend to contribute their time and money as well, and attract people who do not usually attend. The Urban Institute was commissioned to evaluate the initiative through surveys of households and organizations in five of these communities.
The Cultural Participation Survey 1998 measured leisure time activities, organizational involvement attendance at arts and culture events, and personal participation in arts and cultural activities by individuals in five geographic areas: the Kansas City metropolitan area; Humboldt County, California; Mayfair (San Jose), California; Milpitas, California; and Gilroy, California. From November 10, 1998 through December 12, 1998, a total of 2,406 computer-aided telephone interviews were conducted across all five geographic areas.
Dunham's Data: Katherine Dunham and Digital Methods for Dance Historical Inquiry, Personnel Check-In, 1937-1962 (ICPSR 38544)
The Check-In Dataset is the second public-use dataset in the Dunham's Data series, a unique data collection created by Kate Elswit (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London) and Harmony Bench (The Ohio State University) to explore questions and problems that make the analysis and visualization of data meaningful for dance history through the case study of choreographer Katherine Dunham.
The Check-In Dataset accounts for the comings and goings of Dunham's nearly 200 dancers, drummers, and singers and discerns who among them were working in the studio and theatre together over the years from 1937 to 1962. As with the Everyday Itinerary Dataset, the first public-use dataset from Dunham's Data, data on check-ins come from scattered sources. Due to information available, it has a greater level of ambiguity as many dates are approximated in order to achieve accurate chronological sequence. By showing who shared time and space together, the Check-In Dataset can be used to trace potential lines of transmission of embodied knowledge within and beyond the Dunham Company.
Dunham's Data: Digital Methods for Dance Historical Inquiry is funded by the United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC AH/R012989/1, 2018-2022) and is part of a larger suite of ongoing digital collaborations by Bench and Elswit, Movement on the Move. The Dunham's Data team also includes digital humanities postdoctoral research assistant Antonio Jiménez-Mavillard and dance history postdoctoral research assistants Takiyah Nur Amin and Tia-Monique Uzor.
For more information about Dunham's Data, please see the Dunham's Data website. Also, visit the Dunham's Data research blog to view the interactive visualizations based on the Dunham's Data.
Dunham's Data: Katherine Dunham and Digital Methods for Dance Historical Inquiry, Repertory, 1937-1962 (ICPSR 38545)
The Repertory Dataset is the third public-use dataset in the Dunham's Data series, a unique data collection created by Kate Elswit (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London) and Harmony Bench (The Ohio State University) to explore questions and problems that make the analysis and visualization of data meaningful for dance history through the case study of choreographer Katherine Dunham.
The Repertory Dataset catalogues the various titles and descriptions in Dunham's repertory by which a piece might be known, the years in which it was performed, and all of the singers, dancers, and drummers who were listed as performing in it. The Repertory dataset documents other aspects of each work such as composers of the music, the varying numbers of performers, places of inspiration where available, and whether pieces were performed in concert venues, nightclubs, or both. It also tracks fluid relationships among nearly 300 numbers identified in Dunham's repertory from the 1930s onwards by examining the various scales at which Dunham repurposed choreographic elements over time and for different performance venues, and therefore the alternative ways that works might connect individual performers.
Dunham's Data: Digital Methods for Dance Historical Inquiry is part of a larger suite of ongoing digital collaborations in Movement on the Move.
General Social Survey, 2012 Merged Data, Including a Cultural Module [United States] (ICPSR 35478)
The General Social Survey (GSS) collects information from the general public on a wide variety of subjects, including attitudes toward social issues, religion, education, jobs and the economy, government and other institutions, politics, and policy issues. The 2012 merged data used a rolling panel design. The first panel is the 2008 GSS as the base year. The second panel is a subsample of the GSS cases from 2008 that was selected to be reinterview for the GSS in 2010 along with a new cross-section of cases. The third panel is the same subsample of 2008 GSS cases reinterviewed for the GSS in 2012 along with a new cross-section of cases. The 2012 GSS merged data file has the third wave of the 2008 respondents (N=1295), the second wave of the 2010 respondents (N=1,551), and the first wave (a cross-section) of 2012 respondents (N=1,974).
Besides the standard GSS topics, such as attitudes toward social issues, religion, education, jobs and the economy, government and other institutions, politics, and policy issues, the 2012 GSS data included a "Cultural Module," a battery of questions focused on culture and the arts. Questions asked if the respondent attended various performances or exhibits, who they attended with, if the performance attended was free, factors that impacted the decision to attend or not attend. The merged data also include demographic information including age, sex, race, and income. This data collection also contains questions asked in the 2008 GSS and the 2010 GSS.
Health and Retirement Survey 2014: Module 9 - Culture and Arts (ICPSR 36647)
The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) has been a leading source for information on the health and economic well-being of adults over age 50 in the United States for over 20 years. As the world changes, the HRS follows the impact of these changes on the older population.
In 2014, HRS conducted an experimental module on culture and arts to supplement its survey. This module, Module 9, asks respondents about the types of arts activities they participate in. The survey data includes information about whether in the past year, the respondent went to cultural events such as to a movie, an art museum, gallery, crafts fair, or live performance. There are follow-up variables on the frequency respondents attended these events and with whom they attend. The module also includes data on reading habits. Additionally, respondents were asked if they did the following activities:
- Paint, sculpt, make pottery, or do ceramics
- Sing or play a musical instrument
- Act in theatre or film
- Dance, including social dancing
- Write stories, poetry, or plays
- Weave, crochet, quilt, do needlepoint, knitting, sewing, or make jewelry
- Do leatherwork, metalwork, or woodwork
- Do photography, graphic design, or filmmaking?
The last portion of the module includes data on respondents' appreciation of the arts.
High School Longitudinal Study, 2009-2013 [United States] (ICPSR 36423)
The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) is nationally representative, longitudinal study of 9th graders who were followed through their secondary and postsecondary years, with an emphasis on understanding students' trajectories from the beginning of high school into postsecondary education, the workforce, and beyond. What students decide to pursue when, why, and how are crucial questions for HSLS:09.
The HSLS:09 focuses on answering the following questions:
- How do parents, teachers, counselors, and students construct choice sets for students, and how are these related to students' characteristics, attitudes, and behavior?
- How do students select among secondary school courses, postsecondary institutions, and possible careers?
- How do parents and students plan financing for postsecondary experiences? What sources inform these plans?
- What factors influence students' decisions about taking STEM courses and following through with STEM college majors? Why are some students underrepresented in STEM courses and college majors?
- How students' plans vary over the course of high school and how decisions in 9th grade impact students' high school trajectories. When students are followed up in the spring of 11th grade and later, their planning and decision-making in 9th grade may be linked to subsequent behavior.
This data collection also provides data for some arts-related topics, including the following: student participation in outside of schools arts activities; credit hours of arts classes taken; GPA from arts classes; and parent-led arts experiences.
For the public-use file, a total of 23,503 students responded from over 900 high schools both public and private.
Information on Artists [1989, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011] (ICPSR 35585)
Local Area Arts Participation Study 1992 (ICPSR 35586)
Performing Arts Research Coalition 2002: Household Surveys (ICPSR 35589)
School Pulse Panel Survey (ICPSR 39412)
The School Pulse Panel (SPP), sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), within the United States Department of Education, collects insightful data on U.S. public schools. Originally focusing on the 2021-22 school year to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and staff, the survey has since broadened its scope to address various evolving educational topics. Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the SPP continues into the 2024-25 school year, surveying school principals monthly on key issues such as staffing, attendance, after-school programs, learning recovery, digital literacy, mental health, and more.
The September 2021 SPP survey asked about schools' offering performing arts activities (for example, band, choir, orchestra, or drama) and how these activities were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For detailed information on the survey content and methodology, visit the NCES website.
State-Level Estimates of Arts Participation Patterns (2012-2015) [United States] (ICPSR 36464)
The State-Level Estimates of Arts Participation Patterns (2012-2015) highlights selected arts-participation rates for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. These summary statistics were derived from the following studies: ANNUAL ARTS BASIC SURVEY, 2015 [UNITED STATES]; ANNUAL ARTS BASIC SURVEY, 2014 [UNITED STATES]; and SURVEY OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS (SPPA), 2012 [UNITED STATES].
The following tables are provided:
- Tables 1 and 1a-1d - Events Attended: Reports AABS 2015 data on attendance at visual and performing arts events.
Includes - attending a live music, theater, or dance performance; attending a live book reading, poetry, or storytelling event; going to see an art exhibit; going to a movie; and touring/visiting buildings, neighborhoods, parks, or monuments for their historical, architectural, or design value.
- Table 2 - Literature Read: Shows AABS 2015 data on literary-reading rates.
Includes - reading novels, short stories, poems, or plays.
- Table 3 - Performed or Created Artworks: Shows AABS 2014 data on personal performance and creation of artworks.
Includes - making pottery, ceramics or jewelry; making leatherwork, metalwork, or woodwork; making weaving, crocheting, or other textile art; playing a musical instrument; acting; performing or practicing dance; doing social dancing; performing or practicing singing; creating films or videos; taking photographs for artistic purposes; creating other visual arts (e.g., paintings, sculpture, or graphic design; and doing creative writing.
- Table 4 - Arts Consumed via Electronic Media: Features SPPA 2012 data on arts consumption via electronic media.
Includes - Use TV, Radio, and/or the Internet to watch, listen to, and/or download any: jazz; Latin, Spanish, or salsa music; classical music; opera; rock, pop, country, folk, rap, or hip-hop; musicals or stage plays; ballet, modern, or contemporary dance; other dance programs or shows; programs about visual arts such as painting, sculpture, graphic design, or photography; programs or information about books or writers, or other books, short stories, or poetry read out loud.
Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 1982-2008 [United States] (ICPSR 35527)
Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 1997: [United States] (ICPSR 4205)
Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), 2012 [United States] (ICPSR 35168)
This data collection is comprised of responses from two sets of survey questionnaires, the basic Current Population Survey (CPS) and a survey administered as a supplement to the July 2012 basic CPS questionnaire. The supplement, on the topic of public participation in the arts in the United States, was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The CPS, administered monthly, collects labor force data about the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 years old or older living in the United States. Moreover, the CPS provides current estimates of the economic status and activities of this population which includes estimates of total employment (both farm and nonfarm), nonfarm self-employed persons, domestics, and unpaid helpers in nonfarm family enterprises, wage and salaried employees, and estimates of total unemployment. The basic CPS data are provided on labor force activity for the week prior to the survey. In addition, CPS provides respondents' demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, marital status, educational attainment, family relationship, occupation, and industry.
In addition to the basic CPS questions, interviewers asked supplementary questions on public participation in the arts of two randomly selected household members aged 18 or older from about one-half of the sampled CPS households. Interviews were conducted during the period of July 15-21, 2012. The supplement contained questions about the sampled member's participation in various artistic activities from July 1, 2011 through July 1, 2012. If the selected person had a spouse or partner, then the respondent answered questions on behalf of their spouse/partner. Therefore, the spouse/partner responses are proxies. If a respondent was answering for themselves and on behalf of their spouse or partner, the respondent and spouse/partner questions followed the same path through the instrument. Spouse/partner questions were asked on core participation (Core 1 or Core 2), leisure activities (Module D), and the first four questions of Module A. The total sample size of the 2012 SPPA was 35,735 American adults, ages 18 and over.
The 2012 SPPA included two core components: a questionnaire used in previous years to ask about arts attendance; and a new, experimental module on arts attendance. In addition, the survey included five modules designed to capture other types of arts participation as well as participation in other leisure activities. Respondents were randomly assigned to either of the survey's core questionnaires, and then were randomly assigned to two of the remaining five SPPA modules. Questions were asked about the type of artistic activity, the frequency of participation, training and exposure, musical and artistic preferences, school-age socialization, and computer and device usage related to artistic information. The topics were separated into the five modules (each module was administered to only a portion of the sampled cases):
- Module A: Other Attendance and Music Preferences (reading, film, or sporting event attendance; other live performances; and music listening preferences)
- Module B: Accessing Art through Media (using media for participation in artistic events and frequency of participation in past year)
- Module C: Creating Arts through Media (participation in certain types of other leisure or artistic activities, public artistic performances, and using media to share activities in past year)
- Module D: Creating, Performing, and Other Activities (sport activities, other art activities, and musical performance activities in past year)
- Module E: Arts Learning (art related lessons or classes, respondent age during lessons/classes, location of lessons/classes, respondents' parents' education, and the participation of the respondents' school age children)
Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA), United States, 2022 (ICPSR 38936)
The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA) 2022 collection is comprised of responses from two sets of surveys, the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the SPPA supplement to the CPS administered in July 2022. This supplement asked questions about public participation in the arts within the United States, and was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The CPS, administered monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau, collects labor force data about the civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 15 years or older living in the United States. The CPS provides current estimates of the economic status and activities of this population which includes estimates of total employment (both farm and nonfarm), nonfarm self-employed persons, domestics, unpaid helpers in nonfarm family enterprises, wage and salaried employees, and estimates of total unemployment. The basic CPS items in this data provide labor force activity for the week prior to the survey. In addition, the CPS provides respondents' demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, marital status, educational attainment, family relationships, occupation, and industry.
In addition to the basic CPS questions, interviewers asked supplementary questions on public participation in the arts of two randomly selected household members aged 18 or older from about one-half of the sampled CPS households. The supplement contained questions about the respondent's participation in various artistic activities over the last year. If the selected respondent had a spouse or partner, then the respondent answered questions on behalf of their spouse/partner and the spouse/partner responses are proxies.
The 2022 SPPA included two core components: Core 1 (C1Q1A-C1Q17A) and Core 2 (C2Q1A-C2Q1R) asked respondents if they attended any artistic events or live performances, and if so, how often and where. Questions were also asked about any books the respondent may have read.
In addition, the SPPA supplement included four modules designed to capture other types of arts participation. The four modules were separated by topic:
- Module A (MAQ1A-MAQ5D) asked respondents if they used electronic devices or electronic media to watch or listen to artistic performances and if so, how often. Questions were also asked about sharing information related to artistic performances.
- Module B (MBQ1A-MBQ4A) and Module C (MCQ1A-MCQ7) asked if the respondent performed any artistic activities (e.g., singing, dancing, playing instrument, painting, photography, etc), and if so, how often and where. Questions were also asked about participation in certain hobbies such as exercising, sports activities, hunting, gardening, etc., and if so, how often.
- Module D (MDQ1A-MDQ4H) asked if you've ever taken lessons in music, photography, filmmaking, visual arts, acting, theater, dance, creative writing, art history, art or music appreciation, creative coding, computer animation, or digital art. A follow-up question (MDQ2) is asked about if the classes were taken in school. Another follow-up question (MDQ3) is then 3-2 asked if they have done that activity within the last 12 months. A final follow-up question (MDQ4) is then asked if they learned that activity through other means not involving lessons or classes.
A Survey of the Arts in Everyday Life 2002 (ICPSR 35242)
A Survey of the Arts in Everyday Life 2002 examined the involvement of Chicago-area individuals in "informal" arts activities, such as acting in community theater, singing in a church choir, writing poetry at the local library, or painting portraits in a home studio. This survey was a significant component in the larger study "Informal Arts: Finding Cohesion, Capacity and Other Cultural Benefits in Unexpected Places," which was a two and a half year study of the informal arts in Chicago undertaken by Columbia College Chicago's Center for Arts Policy. The research was undertaken by Principal Investigator Alaka Wali Ph.D., ethnographers Rebecca Severson M.A. and Mario Longoni M.A., the survey statistician Kevin Karpiak, and dedicated interns and professional volunteers. Elena Marcheschi J.D. took on the overall responsibilities of Project Director. This survey is used frequently to reinforce and expand on ethnographic findings drawn from a series of case studies and at large fieldwork. The University of Illinois Survey Lab assisted in the survey design. As part of the strategy to triangulate the data sources, the survey instrument was designed to test researchers' findings and to gather additional data on areas such as participants' depth of involvement in civic life. The questionnaire contained 67 questions divided into broad topical areas such as organizational dynamics, networks, resources and barriers, and visibility of arts, in addition to demographics. The sampling goal was to get a census of all the participants at each case study location at a given moment in time. Most of the questionnaires were mailed to participants. Other questionnaires were either hand-delivered or emailed. During August 2001, 165 of the 310 recipients completed and returned the survey. Partial funding for this study was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Urban Institute/Arts and Culture Indicators in Community Building Project (ACIP), and Columbia College Chicago.