Help us help you advocate for our Creative Ecosystem
The last Arts & Economic Prosperity Study (AEP6) allowed us all to demonstrate in hard numbers why funding creativity matters. For example, we learned that in Connecticut for every $1 spent on the arts $7 is generated. We use that figure to demonstrate the value of financially supporting the arts, resulting in positive funding at the State and Federal levels. By helping us collect a wide, equitable, and diverse set of data, we can provide you with the numbers you need to advocate for your organization and our communities.
Volunteer as an Individual
Reach out to us: AEP6@newhavenarts.org
We need people like you to go out to events and ask attendees to complete a short survey. And don’t worry—you don’t need survey experience! You can go to one or many events, and we have a wide variety of fun options to choose from. It’s a great opportunity for artists and art lovers alike to connect with and support arts and culture organizations in your local area.
Become a Partner Organization
Reach out to us: AEP6@newhavenarts.org
Distribute and collect surveys at your events. We make it simple with online or paper options in multiple languages. Your efforts will improve the quality of the data we collect and help our whole Creative Ecosystem advocate for resources nationwide.
Who?
The Arts Council of Greater New Haven in partnership with the City of New Haven and Americans for the Arts.
What?
AEP6 is the sixth economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in the U.S. This study is conducted approximately every five years to gauge the economic impact (on employment, government revenue, and household income) of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and the event-related spending by their audiences. Previous studies were published in 1994, 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017. (Due to the unique nature of the realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the AEP6 study was postponed for 16 months.)
Where?
The Arts Council of Greater New Haven is responsible for surveying in the following towns: Milford, Orange, Woodbridge, Bethany, East Haven, Hamden, Meriden, New Haven, North Haven, Wallingford, and West Haven.
When?
Ongoing until April 2023
Why?
In 2017, the previous study, AEP5, documented that the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $166.3 billion in economic activity (spending by organizations plus the event-related spending by their audiences) which supported 4.6 million jobs and generated $27.5 billion in government revenue. The AEP series demonstrates that an investment in the arts provides both cultural and economic benefits.
How?
We’re looking for arts and culture groups to help raise awareness and participate in survey collection. All partners, big and small, will impact the research and findings. Americans for the Arts is committed to addressing equity and inclusion as a critical component of the methodology, organizational participation, and collection of data for AEP6 by centering and representing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American) identifying communities—a segment of the nonprofit arts and culture sector that has been underrepresented in past studies.
The Audience Survey
Audience surveys will be collected from attendees at performances, events, exhibits, venues, and facilities during the 12 months from May 2022 through April 2023. The survey is available in multiple formats and translations, with paper and online options to participate.
- Questions 1-7 are the core economic impact questions about the expenditures related to attending the event.
- Question 8 is a scale that captures the respondents’ level of agreement with four statements that will add a social impact component to the data collection.
- Questions 9-13 capture the respondents’ demographic characteristics (optional).
Learn more at American for the Arts
