NEA research shows surprising findings in three new Reports on the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts announced new research findings about the impact of the arts and cultural industries on the nation’s GDP in three new reports from 2012.

These reports “will help arts providers and others more effectively understand and develop strategies to engage individuals and communities in the arts.“

They are:

1. When Going Gets Tough: Barriers and Motivations Affecting Arts Attendance
2. A Decade of Arts Engagement: Findings from the Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, 2002-2012
3. The Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account (ACPSA)

…for the first time the NEA can show a comprehensive view of a single year in the life of the arts and cultural sector from three different angles: supply, demand, and motivations for consumer behavior.

~arts.gov news

Read the full press release here.

UK: Record High for Creative Industries

As reported by BBC News, the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published figures (.pdf)that show the UK’s creative industries added £76.9bn to UK economy in 2013. In addition, creative industries accounted for 5.6% of all UK jobs.

The UK’s creative industries are recognised as world leaders around the globe and today’s figures show that they continue to grow from strength to strength.

~UK Culture Secretary Sajid Javid

Clearly, it is time for all policy makers to recognize the enormous economic contribution the creative sector generates in job creation and overall GDP.