Other Free Encyclopedias :: Social Issues Reference :: Social Trends in America - Vol 1

Arts and Culture: Data Presentation

Cultural Activities Pursued by People -1985, 1992, and 1997

Percent of people 18 or older who participated in the activity.
1985 1992 1997
Reading literature 56 54 63
Historic park 35 35 47
Art museums 22 27 35
Musical play 17 17 25
Non-musical play 14 14 16
Classical music concert 13 13 16
Jazz concert 10 11 12
Ballet 4 5 6
Opera 3 3 3
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, Washington D.C. and the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts Research Division.

Percent of People 18 and Over Who Participated in Arts Activities, 1992 and 1997

1992 1997
Buying art 22 35
Weaving 25 28
Photography 12 17
Painting/drawing 10 16
Pottery 8 15
Modern dancing 8 13
Creative writing 7 12
Playing classical music 4 1
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, Washington D.C. and the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts Research Division.

Who Buys Books -By Age Group -1999

Percent of Book buyers Percent of Population
18-24 6 13
25-29 6 9
30-34 9 10
35-39 11 11
40-44 15 11
45-49 14 9
50-54 11 8
55-64 13 11
65-up 15 17
Source: "The Age of Book Buyers." USA TODAY, March 24, 1999, p. D1.

Profiling Movies: Attendance, Box Office Grosses, and Video Sales and Rentals, 1990-2000

Movie Admissions (bil.) Box Office Grosses($ bil.) Home Video Sales/Rentals ($ bil.)
1990 1.19 5.02 9.80
1991 1.14 4.80 10.10
1992 1.17 4.87 11.00
1993 1.24 5.15 12.50
1994 1.29 5.40 15.50
1995 1.26 5.49 16.00
1996 1.34 5.91 15.18
1997 1.39 6.37 16.26
1998 1.48 6.95 17.47
1999 1.47 7.45 18.97
2000 1.42 7.67 20.66
Source: "Media Forecast: Strong Spending." USA TODAY, July 25, 1997, p. 2B; Jim McCullaugh. "Special Interest Looks for Retail Respect." Billboard, October 31, 1992, data from the Motion Picture Industry of America; some home video figures are estimated.

Attendance at Performing Arts Events -1985, 1989-1997

Attendance is in millions.
Opera Broadway Shows Nonprofit Theaters Broadway Tours Symphony Orchestras
1985 6.7 7.3 14.2 8.2 24.0
1989 7.4 8.0 18.7 8.3 25.8
1990 7.5 8.0 15.2 11.1 24.7
1991 7.6 7.3 16.9 13.0 26.7
1992 7.3 7.4 16.0 13.0 26.3
1993 5.5 7.9 16.5 15.0 24.0
1994 6.0 8.1 20.7 16.0 24.4
1995 6.5 9.0 18.6 16.0 30.9
1996 6.5 9.5 17.1 18.1 31.1
1997 6.9 10.6 17.2 18.0 31.9
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States, Washington D.C., 1999; "Who Goes to Broadway." Retrieved November 16, 2001from the World Wide Web: http://www.livebroadway.com.

Electronics in the Typical Home -Selected Years, 1975-2000

Percent of Households With -
TV Cable VCR Personal Computer Internet Access
1975 97.1 12.6 - - -
1980 97.9 19.9 1.1 - -
1985 98.1 42.8 20.9 - -
1990 98.2 56.4 68.6 - -
1994 98.3 63.4 81.0 24.1 -
1995 98.3 63.4 81.0 27.0 -
1996 98.3 65.3 82.2 36.0 -
1997 98.4 66.5 84.2 43.0 -
1998 98.3 67.2 84.6 50.0 26.2
1999 98.2 67.5 84.6 50.0 31.0
2000 98.2 68.0 85.1 51.0 41.5
Source: Snider, Mike. "Safe at Home and All Plugged In." USA TODAY, January 8, 2002, p. D1. Broadcasting data from Television Bureau of Advertising; Computer and Internet data from Dataquest and U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Bureau of the Census Current Population Survey supplements.

Number of Museums Established, by Decade, 1900 to 1980

Figures are estimated.
Number
1900 150
1910 135
1920 375
1930 500
1940 470
1950 900
1960 2,000
1970 2,400
1980 950
Source: Mihm, Stephen. "Museums: Firsts, Facts and Figures." New York Times, April 19, 2000, p. 20.

Changes in the Rating of Films Between 1980 and 1998

Rating Percent Change in Films Released 1980 to 1998
G -31.2
PG/PG13 -7.6
R 14.1
X/Not Rated 140.7
Source: Sterritt, David. "Movie Ratings from G to X: Are They Out of Focus?" Christian Science Monitor, September 16, 1982; video game ratings retrieved January 16, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.esrb.org; Kaiser Foundation report Sex On TV retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www.kaiser.org; "How Many and How Much." Christian Science Monitor, December 24, 1998, p. B10.
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