February 4, 2025
Ohio: Arts Council Field Survey
The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) periodically conducts surveys exploring public perceptions of the arts in Ohio communities. Apart from being a requirement of OAC’s enabling statute, such surveys are a vehicle for welcoming broad citizen input into the work of the agency. Used in combination with other feedback loops (like grantee reports, program evaluations and constituent dialogues), the surveys reveal community needs, inform agency priorities and capture suggestions for improvement.
OAC recently published the results from its latest poll, the Ohio Arts Council Field Survey 2023. The data reflect 5,764 responses from all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Information was collected via an online survey distributed through social media, e-newsletters, paid ads and various promotional partners.
Questions examined Ohio residents’ views on and experiences with the arts. Certain questions mirrored those asked on prior surveys to help the agency spot trends over time. Highlights of the findings include:
- 94% of respondents believe that tax dollars should be invested in the arts. This affirms a long-term trend of growing community support for state investment in the arts.
- 97% believe that a vibrant arts community makes Ohio a better place to live.
- 97% said that the arts should be taught in all schools, in every grade level.
- 83% of respondents reported personal arts participation on a regular basis, with visual arts activities (drawing, painting, photography and crafts) being the most popular.
- 89% of respondents—nearly 9 in 10 Ohioans—had attended an arts related event or had visited an arts venue in the past year, with museums and live music performances being the most popular activities. This number, while significant, represents a decline of nearly 7% from the agency’s 2014 survey.
The agency acknowledges some limitations to the data. A demographically stratified sampling method was not used, and respondents opted in knowing that they were completing a survey about the arts, so some degree of self-selection bias is likely present in the results. However, the survey still reached a very broad spectrum of Ohio residents. Thirty-two percent of respondents self-identified as artists or arts administrators. The rest worked outside the arts or self-identified as retirees, educators, students or unemployed individuals. Respondents came from every region of the state, including Ohio’s rural and Appalachian counties.
For more information about the survey, contact OAC Operations and Public Affairs Director Justin Nigro.
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