Report

Research into Action: Pathways to New Opportunities, the Cultural Alliance's most recent research report, offers specific insights into how the Philadelphia region's diverse population engages with the arts and the report provides specific strategies for cultural organizations looking to build stronger audience connections.

"Despite the economic challenges facing cultural organizations, our research still reveals excellent prospects for expanded audience participation," said Peggy Amsterdam, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance President. "Steps to success will be different for every organization, but the focus needs to be on engaging people in a meaningful and personal experience."

Highlights from the report include:

• The importance of non-white audiences: African-Americans and Hispanics report the highest level of cultural activity a compelling finding as virtually all population growth through 2020 in the region will come from non-white residents. 
• The importance of children and families: Adults with children have more active creative lives than those without children, but less than half see arts organizations as “children-friendly.” 
•  Our bucket is leaking: In 18 of 20 cultural disciplines, Greater Philadelphia’s attendance levels are above the national average, but in a study of 17 cultural organizations, 2 out of 3 new patrons did not return to any of those cultural organizations the following year. 
• Role models are powerful: Adults who report having had mentors inside and outside their families were twice as culturally engaged as those who had no role models.

Target Resource Group conducted an analysis of 1.64 million transactions that took place from 2003 to 2008 at 17 regional museums and cultural organizations. The analysis outlines migratory patterns, i.e., when patrons
began and ended paid patronage, and how patronage lapsed and was reactivated over the study period. Transactions included in the study were single admission and subscription purchases, memberships, and individual donations.

The study reveals strong success in attracting new patrons each year, but serious challenges in retaining these patrons beyond a one-time experience (or transaction). The key finding from the study is that in the Philadelphia
region, two out of three patrons who attended a cultural event did not come back to any of the 17 organizations the next year.

The study found three dominant categories of customer behavior:

• One-timers, the dominant category, represent patron households that made one and only one transaction with any of the 17 organizations in the study within the study period.
• Return-after-lapse are patrons who resumed paid transactions after an absence from any of the 17 organizations for a year or more.
• Loyalists, the smallest category, are households that invested in paid transactions with any of the 17 organizations each year of three or more years of the study period.

For additional information and resources, please browse the following links:

• Key findings
• Full report

Maureen Craig, brand strategist and consumer insight consultant, conducted 12 focus groups with regional residents to learn their attitudes, perceptions and practices regarding arts and culture. Six focus groups took place in BalaCynwyd, PA and six in Center City Philadelphia. Participants were screened to be moderate consumers of culture: neither rejectors, nor enthusiasts. Below is the breakdown of the groups’ composition. All groups were ethnically diverse with the exception of the four groups which were selected for specific ethnic composition:

Focus group composition
High school to some college, 25-54, with kids
High school to some college, 25-54, without kids
African American, 25-39
African American, 40-54
Asian, 25-54
Hispanic, 25-54
Age 18-24
Age 55+
Age 25-54, college educated+, with kids
Age 25-54, college educated+, without kids
Highly engaged: creative practice, 25-54
Highly engaged: science/history

The study explored the Cultural Engagement Index field survey findings more deeply to hear -- in residents' own words -- their thoughts, feelings and ideas about cultural participation.

Focus group respondents empasized the following:

• The importance of the social element of arts and culture experiences (going out and enjoying time with friends and family).
• The sometimes intimidating nature of arts and culture venues (not knowing the standards for how to behave, the need to sit still and be quiet).
• The desire to have high-quality experiences that were relevant to them (cultural activities that lived up to expectations and the price tag of the experience).

For additional information and resources, please browse the following links:

• Key Findings
• Presentation given by Maureen Craig, brand strategist and consumer insight consultant
  

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) was commissioned by the Philadelphia Cultural Management Initiative to analyze regional demographic trends and forecast socioeconomic characteristics through 2020, and to assist in understanding the impact of changing demographics on participation in the arts.
The report includes findings for 80 separate planning areas in a 10-county region: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden Gloucester and Mercer counties in New Jersey; and New Castle County in Delaware.

Highlights from the study include:

• The 10-county region is expected to grow 9% between 2000 and 2020, and virtually all of this increase is projected to come from people of color.
• Philadelphia (with the exception of Center City) will continue to lose population, while the suburbs in Burlington, Gloucester, and Chester counties will gain the most new residents.
• By 2020, one in five of the region's residents will be over the age of 65.

Browse the following links to learn more:

• Key Findings
• Presentation given by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
  

Culture and the Arts is a study of attitudes and behaviors of cultural audiences that compares Greater Philadelphia residents' patterns of cultural consumption to national patterns.

The Culture and the Arts Survey examines three areas: attitudes and behaviors of cultural audiences, trends in attendance at visual and performing arts events, and motivators and barriers affecting participation. The 2008 edition of the study included 660 Greater Philadelphia residents and allows us to compare local and national patterns of cultural consumption. The survey focuses on attendees of traditional cultural events and sites. Both frequent and infrequent attendees were included in the sample.

The study demonstrates:

• The high cultural involvement of Philadelphians relative to the national sample. Cultural participation in Philadelphia tracks above the national average in 18 if
• The importance of marketing through multiple forms of media for cultural events.
• The strong desire of cultural attendees to enjoy the event with others.
• The importance of the artistic genre or performance in motivating people to attend.

For additional information and resources, please browse the following links:

• Methodology, Key Findings & Implications
• Presentation given by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates

 

Review of Capitalization Needs & Challenges of Philadelphia-Area Arts & Cultural Organizations

 

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is pleased to share this important research report.

Commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the William Penn Foundation. Getting Beyond Breakeven: A Review of Capitalization Needs and Challenges of Philadelphia-Area Arts and Culture Organizations is an effort to better understand and illuminate the fiscal conditions and structural needs of the region's nonprofit cultural community. The report was written by TDC, a Boston consulting firm with a long history of work in the cultural sector.

The report explains the nature of undercapitalization and its impact on achieving artistic mission, and describes critical differences in business models for different types of cultural organizations. Getting Beyond Breakeven explains the root causes of some of our historic financial and structural challenges, while also providing an opportunity to develop tools that will enable us to better prepare for a healthy future.
 

The Cultural Engagement Index (CEI) is a new research tool that will enable the cultural community to track trends in consumer cultural engagement over time. The first CEI survey was conducted during the summer of 2008 and its findings were released in March 2009.

Key Findings From the first CEI include:

• Across different age groups, Cultural Engagement is highest for younger age cohorts 18-34. Engagement then falls off for older cohorts because of a decline in personal practice activities.
• Across lifestyle groups, adults with children have more active creative lives than those without children.
• Cultural Engagement levels for African Americans and Hispanics are consistently higher than those for Whites.
• Cultural Engagement levels for those who cite cultural role models in and out of the family report twice the levels of engagement than those who cite no role models.
• Higher civic engagement is directly correlated with higher cultural engagement. Respondents who participated in all five civic activities listed (socialize with neighbors, attend religious services, do volunteer work, have a library card and have voted in the last year) scored three times higher than those who reported no civic engagement activities.
• Males and females have different engagement patterns: Men are more active making original videos or film, composing music, and remixing material found online. Women are more engaged in painting and other original art creation, writing about their lives in journals or blogs, and attending professional dance performances.

“This study, for the first time, looks at the whole spectrum of cultural engagement, and the relationship between people’s personal practices and their attendance at traditional concerts, museums and other attractions,” said Peggy Amsterdam, President of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. “The findings offer interesting insight on innovative ways to reach new audiences and build attendance at cultural organizations.”

The CEI is designed to be re-administered over time, so that changes and trends in cultural participation can be tracked and assessed. The index, much like the Consumer Price Index or Consumer Confidence Index, will be benchmarked this first year at 100. The index is based on a consumer survey of approximately 3000 regional residents. Their answers to a series of questions about cultural activity were then scored and weighted, and the aggregate responses set to 100.

“Clearly, this research suggests possible avenues for increasing cultural participation for cultural organizations,“ said Tom Kaiden, Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. “Consumers who report certain personal practice activities are more open to specific cultural activities, and cultural groups can target those connections to engage wider audiences.”

• To read about insights from the first CEI, view the Key Findings
• To learn more about the methodology of the CEI, view the Resource Guide (pdf, 120 kb)
• Download the actual survey instrument and methodology information (pdf, 208 kb)
• Follow the presentation slides given by researcher Alan Brown at the Launch Event
• View the full report (pdf, 5.3 MB)
• Read the Press Release with additional highlights from the first CEI

 

The arts and cultural sector is one of Southeastern Pennsylvania’s strongest assets. The 2008 Portfolio examines the vibrancy, value, and vulnerability of the cultural community for civic leaders, policymakers, cultural organizations, and the general public.

Building on the first edition released in 2006, the 2008 Portfolio offers more participating organizations, new topics and analyses, and a ten-year trend analysis. The Philadelphia Daily News called the 2006 Portfolio "so far, the most ambitious and impressive attempt to uncover hard data on revenue and expense figures, community engagement, governmental support, and audience attendance." (September 26, 2006)

We are pleased to offer this expanded edition of our highly-regarded report.
For additional 2008 Portfolio information and resources, please browse the following links:

Key Findings

Participating Organizations

View the 2008 Portfolio online at Issuu!

 

The 2008 Portfolio was made possible by PNC and the William Penn Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.

The regional non-profit cultural sector is a tremendous asset to the local economy. Cultural organizations and their audiences in Greater Philadelphia spend $1.3 Billion annually, according to Arts, Culture, & Economic Prosperity in Greater Philadelphia. The report documents 40,000 jobs generated by the economic activity of the cultural sector and $158 million in taxes returned to state and local communities.

The report also demonstrates that the general public strongly supports the sector, and participates in a variety of ways. Local resident attendance is 10% higher than the national average and 83% of regional residents attended an arts and cultural event last year. Additionally, 88% of attendees surveyed voted in the previous general election.

This report relied on data collected from 177 arts and cultural organizations and over 2,300 audience spending surveys collected from arts patrons. Economic modeling for the report was developed by economists at the Georgia Institute of Technology. To produce this report, the Cultural Alliance partnered with Americans for the Arts, Drexel University Arts Administration Graduate Program, the Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project, and the Pennsylvania Cultural Data Project (PACDP).

The Prosperity Report was made possible by the William Penn Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Design, printing and distribution was generously underwritten by 1706 Rittenhouse Square Associates.

View the Prosperity Report online at Issuu!

RAND compares Philadelphia to 10 other regions and makes recommendations to ensure the continued vitality of arts and culture organizations and their benefits for the region.

In a study with broad national implications, RAND researchers studied systems of support for the arts in Philadelphia and 10 other metropolitan areas to identify strategies for sustaining Philadelphia's arts sector.

The other metropolitan regions studied are:

• Baltimore
• Boston
• Charlotte
• Chicago
• Cleveland
• Denver
• Detroit
• Minneapolis-St.Paul
• Phoenix
• Pittsburgh

The report recommended that the arts sector in Philadelphia would benefit greatly from a strong local agency to coordinate cultural activities and help make arts an integral part of each community. The report also found that while the national nonprofit arts sector flourished in the last decade, the challenges of rising costs, shifting funding patterns, and a public increasingly skeptical of government growth or increased taxes necessitate new strategic approaches.

“Investing in the arts, a key recommendation of Arts and Culture in the Metropolis, is something we all must get behind. A community rich with arts attracts businesses, employees, families and tourists, who together, inject tremendous energy and resources into our communities.”

- Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, President, Bank of America Pennsylvania

Metropolis was made possible by the William Penn Foundation.