The Public

	Key Findings Data Highlights – Results from Public Opinion/Perception Survey Demographics – The Sample There was a slight majority of females. The majority of the sample was White/Caucasian (87.3%); 11.6% were African American/Black; all other racial categories accounted for 1.1%. The average age was 45 years old. The sample was evenly distributed across age groups: 18-29 (25.0%), 30-44 (26.7%), 45-59 (23.6%) and over 60 (24.8%). 58% was married; the others were single or never married (23.7%); divorced (9.9%) or widowed (6.5%). Of the households surveyed, the majority did not have children living at home (63.0%). 37% had one child or more living at home most of the year. Approximately half (53.2%) of the sample had household incomes of $20,000 or less; 10.6% had household incomes of $20,001 to $30,000; 15.1% had household incomes of $30,001 to $50,000; 14.0% had incomes between $50,001 and $75,000; 7.2% had household incomes over $75,000. The majority of respondents worked full time (56%); 20.4% had retired, 7.8% worked part time and 8% described themselves as "keeping house." The average amount of schooling was slightly more than 12 years; 19.3% were college graduates; and 17.2% never completed high school. The average number of years that a respondent had lived in Ohio was 38 years. Childhood Experience and Exposure to the Arts Visited or Attended: Percent "Yes" visited a natural history or science museum 74.0 attended a professional sporting event [1] 73.7 visited an historical society, site or museum 73.2 visited an art museum 70.5 attended a festival that featured crafts, art, antiques, music or ethnic traditions 68.6 attended a professional music, dance or theatre performance 48.0 attended a literary or poetry reading 12.4 Participated or Studied: Percent "Yes" participated in organized team sports 60.6 participated in a band, choir, or theatre group 54.5 studied a musical instrument or sang privately (outside of school) 35.2 studied painting, drawing or sculpting 26.3 studied dance 15.1 Attendance Respondents were asked how often in the last year they had attended various types of arts and non-arts events. The top ten responses that individuals reported attending at least twice in the last year were: restaurant, shopping mall, library, movie, festival, historic site, sports event, art museum or gallery, amusement or theme park and health club or gym. Barriers to Attendance When asked to provide reasons for not attending arts events, 89.7 % of the respondents were able to provide a specific reason. The most common reasons were financial, family obligations and time constraints. For the chart detailing some of the responses, see below. Chart detailing some of the responses Lack of Interest never planned not interested procrastination something more important didn't want to wasn't really into it Time and similar time work and time work those hours busy schedule travelling for work driving time (location) Money and similar too expensive price, ticket availability buy tickets too far in advance Other Obligations children, lack of babysitter family conflict prior obligation scheduling conflict Access location and time of event physical disability don't like to drive sold out transportation parking and crowds Miscellaneous weather health sick family member nobody to go with don't go places at night anymore not family oriented personal issues spouse didn't want to go The Average Ohioan... Thinks Ohio is a good place to live. Gives the arts and culture in Ohio a "B." Thinks that tax dollars should be used to support the arts in Ohio. Spends some or a lot of time watching primetime television and engaging in recreational reading and outdoor activities. Spends no time at all participating in organized sports; singing or playing a musical instrument; working on craft such as knitting, sewing, ceramics; and creative writing. Has attended or visited in the last year: A sit down restaurant (46 times) A mall or shopping plaza (36 times) A health club or gym (23 times) A library (19 times) A movie (8 times) A historic site or park (7 times) A professional or college sporting event (4 times) A festival (3 times) A gospel or religious music concert (3 times) An art gallery or art museum (3 times) A jazz or blues concert (once) A classical music concert (once) A science or history museum (once) Has not attended or visited in the last year: An ethnic dance or folk music performance An R&B or hip-hop performance A public literary or poetry reading A ballet A social spot such as a nightclub or bar The Arts and Ohio The above are highlights of the State of the Arts Report public opinion survey. For complete results, see: publicopiniondataanalysis/SOAR (PDF Document) Further Information [1] While not an arts or cultural event, sports were included to provide comparison data.