CEI Key Findings

Summary Observations

• Investments in culture are also investments in civic engagement and quality of life
• A richer picture of cultural engagement appears when a broader definition of culture is used
• Personal practice correlates with higher levels of audience-based activity
• Communities of color are vitally engaged
• Engaging more adults with modest education levels suggests emphasis on personal practice activities
• The presence of children in the household appears to increase, not decrease, cultural engagement
• Keeping older adults engaged in personal practice is a key challenge
• Cultural role models are a key to increasing cultural engagement

  Key Findings

• 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.

Most compelling, the research points to correlations between personal practice activities and audience-based activities.

• Respondents that took music lessons more frequently were also more likely to attend live music performances.
• Respondents who reported taking photographs with artistic intentions more frequently had higher levels of cultural engagement for visiting art museums.
• Those who expressed an interest in exploring family history had higher levels of engagement visiting history or science museums.

For additional findings, please return to the main CEI page