THROUGH THE
Sallyport
Cheering for the Arts
New Kinder Institute survey reveals widespread support for the arts in Harris County We love our football in Texas. And basketball, too. And baseball and soccer and, well, you get the picture. So the results of a new survey on the arts in Houston, conducted by Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, may be surprising. The first Houston Arts Survey revealed that, if given the choice of preserving either the arts or sports, 56 percent of Houstonians would choose the arts, compared with 35 percent who would preserve sports. “The survey participants express broad-based support for investments that will enhance the visibility and quality of the arts in this region, even if it means an increase in taxes,” said Stephen Klineberg, professor of sociology and co-director of the Kinder Institute. “The respondents are clear in their belief that the arts are important to Houston, that their
Percent of Respondents
availability and excellence are critical to the area’s quality of life and that arts instruction should be a part of every child’s education.” The study found that Houstonians are more likely than Americans in general to attend live arts performances and that the most important attendance predictors are education, household income and exposure to the arts in childhood. Ethnic background makes no difference at all in attendance rates: African-Americans, Latinos and Asians are just as likely as Anglos to report that they attended a live performance in the arts during the preceding 12 months. “The usual suspects — mainly costs, traffic, safety and no time — were among the reasons respondents do not attend arts performances,” Klineberg said. Americans today are far more likely to access the arts at home through the media than at live performances, but the respondents indicate that “If Houston had to choose between having either excellent music and theater or great sports teams and stadiums, which would you most want to preserve? In other words, viewing or listening to the arts at home is more which would you miss most — music and theater (56%) or sports teams and stadiums likely to increase than to decrease their interest (35%) — if one or the other were to disappear from Houston?” in attending live arts performances. “If Houston is to succeed in the 21st centuMusic and theater Sports teams and stadiums ry, it will need to nurture a far more educated work force, improve its overall quality of life and 100% capitalize on its burgeoning ethnic and cultural diversity,” Klineberg said. “The survey findings 80% bode well for the future of our region.” The 60% study was funded by Houston Endowment Inc. 63% 60% 53% 53% and aided by an advisory panel of leading na51% 50% 40% 42% 41% tional and local arts experts. 36%36%
28%
20%
27% —Lynn Gosnell
0% Male
Female
Never involved with the arts as a child
Involved for two years or less
Involved for more than two years
Read more: ››› kinder.rice.edu/shea
Rice Magazine
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No. 15
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2013
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