article summary
Using novel, nationally representative survey data, this study provides insights on U.S. public opinion of artists during the first two years of the COVID pandemic. The researchers find a decline in the percent of adults who engaged with artists in their local communities over these years, but that perceptions of artists’ roles in local communities remained steady; the opinion that artists make communities better places to live varies by socio-demographics and is positively associated with perceptions of artists as workers, collaborators, and as bringing attention to community concerns; and that over half of the U.S. adult population suggests that artists can uniquely contribute to healing from the pandemic.
Read more about the research and findings in U.S. public perceptions of artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This work was supported by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Investment for Growth fund and by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts