Survey Finds Support for the Arts

While California’s Department of Finance is crunching the numbers for its year-end budget decisions, the California Arts Council will release today the results of a statewide public opinion survey that indicates that California residents endorse government support for the arts and are willing to pay for it.

The survey, the first of its kind for the state arts agency, indicates that 78% of Californians are willing to pay $5 more in state taxes if the money goes to the arts.

Survey findings also indicate that 81% believe that arts improve the academic performance of children and that 90% believe that the government should play a role in arts funding.

The study also finds that Californians think the arts are as important as academics and sports, and concludes that women, young people and those with higher education value the arts as personally more important to them than other groups.

Though overall arts attendance in the state has not increased over the last 12 months, young adults and Latinos appear to be increasing their attendance at arts events.

In an interview with The Times, California Arts Council director Barry Hessenius acknowledged that the encouraging results are being released at a crucial time for the agency.

In December, the Department of Finance makes its final decisions on the governor’s budget for fiscal 2002-2003, which will be announced Jan. 10.

Hessenius added that the results might help mitigate the effects of a request from the governor for all state agencies to cut 15% from their budgets through fiscal year 2001-2002, which ends June 30, because of the drastic economic impact of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“I’m optimistic that we’ve made a good case, and will not have to cut the full 15% [of the Arts Council’s $31-million budget],” Hessenius said.

“For a long time, people in the arts community have internalized the notion that, while people support the arts, they are considered a luxury, or a frill,” Hessenius added.

“The study shows that the public doesn’t think the arts are a luxury. And 68% think the arts are as important as academics or sports. I would have thought we’d be on par with sports--but not academics.”

Funded by the David & Lucile Packard and James Irvine foundations, the Arts Council commissioned the research organization BRS Group Inc. to conduct 1,200 random, 15- to 20-minute phone calls to members of the English-speaking public throughout the state, and is basing its statistics on that sample.

Focus groups were also conducted in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Fresno to assess attitudes toward the arts, with at least one focus group in each area that included bilingual Latinos.

While the survey was conducted before Sept. 11, Hessenius said he believes it would have seen the same positive results after the terrorist attacks.

“In fact, I think the numbers would have been better for us, because Americans turned to the arts for solace,” he said.