Cultural Engagement Index (CEI)

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