Stan Rosenberg

Using Data to Advance the Arts: A Legislator’s Perspective

Posted by Stan Rosenberg, Oct 27, 2016 0 comments


Stan Rosenberg

If it’s true, as some say, money is the mother’s milk of politics, then I would argue that data, anecdotes and experience are the meat and potatoes of good policy. And since policymakers are driven to do the right thing and want to meet the expectations and needs of their constituents, they will choose the will of their voters over those of special interests whenever they have the data, anecdotes, and experience to back up those decisions. This is especially important when advocating for the arts.

Americans for the Arts’ Research Department has made policymakers’ jobs a bit easier by placing a variety of tools and services literally at our fingertips.

Although not exclusively for policymakers, the Research Department provides a treasure trove of information that could help any policymaker, at any level of government, advocate for cultural and arts-related programs.

For example, on the Research section of this website, Vice President of Research and Policy Randy Cohen’s ARTSblog contributions contain, among other items, a number of posts that distill Americans for the Arts’ public opinion surveys into easily digestible bits that could help any policymaker bolster his or her case for a particular arts project.

On July 13, 2016, Mr. Cohen posted the highlights from the recent survey “Americans Speak Out About the Arts.” Some of the results that caught my eye include:

  • 88% of Americans surveyed agree that the arts are part of a well-rounded education and 90% believe that the arts should be taught in grades K-12;
  • 73% of those surveyed said the arts are a “positive experience in a troubled world”;
  • 82-88% said that arts institutions add value to communities and are important to local businesses;
  • More than half said that the arts help unify communities and help people of differing cultural backgrounds understand each other better—67 percent believe “the arts unify our communities regardless of age, race, and ethnicity” and 62 percent agree that the arts “helps me understand other cultures better”; and
  • Those surveyed said that they would be twice as likely to vote for a candidate who increases arts spending from 45 cents to $1 per person than to vote against them.

This sort of information can help create a context for policymakers when they advocate for the arts and arts-related programs with their colleagues and constituents. But Americans for the Arts’ Research Department goes further by providing longitudinal studies that show how changes in funding and policy can affect arts organizations over the span of many years.

Beginning in 2004, Americans for the Arts has produced its Creative Industries reports—all 11,000 of which are online for free for every state and county and every federal and state legislative district. As a state legislator, I love this type of district-based data. It shows specifically how the creative industries are alive and well in my district—and gives me even more reason to be supportive.

The “National Arts Index: An Annual Measure of the Vitality of Arts and Culture in the United States, 2002-2013,” is one such study, and an especially interesting one because it covers the Great Recession and recovery years of 2007-2011.

The Great Recession hit the arts industry hard, as it did most sectors of the economy. But the National Arts Index shows some positive trends despite the financial insecurity of the past few years.

For example, this study shows that, although the recovery has been slow and uneven, as in most sectors of the economy, the number of nonprofit arts organizations grew annually despite the recession. Another somewhat unexpected result of this study is that the demand for college arts degrees increased while the number of high school art and music classes taken by college-bound seniors declined. The study suggests a variety of reasons for this result, but also makes the point that such an increase indicates that business leaders are looking for an educated and creative workforce.

All of this is excellent information for policymakers to build their case for supporting the arts and arts-related programs. But just because policymakers have access to a body of knowledge, which, thanks again to Americans for the Arts’ Research Department, includes information on how the arts impact such issues as health care, health in the military, national service, tourism, jobs, overall economic activity, etc., doesn’t mean that good policies will automatically follow. The best chance for progress occurs when knowledge is focused and directed toward action.

This is where Americans for the Arts’ State Policy Pilot Program comes in.

Launched in 2014, this three-year program is designed to help individual states advance the arts by providing ongoing collection and reviews of state data, networking opportunities, and knowledge sharing among the participating states. The pilot program includes 10 geographically and demographically diverse states, my own state of Massachusetts among them, and supports each state team with technical assistance, web-based tools, and a grant of at least $30,000 for each state, making this one of the country’s largest arts education advocacy grant programs.

If a policymaker is looking for the meat and potatoes of good arts policy, Americans for the Arts’ Research Department is ringing the dinner bell.

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