The evidence-base for how the arts create social impact

There are hundreds of evaluation and research projects which have sought to establish the link between arts engagement and social impact, and a number of meta-literature reviews which have looked at the quality of the evidence. On this page we have summarised some of the key findings:

What the research shows

• Certain types of regular, active arts participation have been shown to have positive benefits for older adults’ health and wellbeing.

• Some types of arts activities lead to therapeutic outcomes and wellbeing for patients.

• Social arts activities can have positive social development impacts in early childhood.

• Some types of arts engagement have positive correlations with academic engagement and self-efficacy outcomes for school-age children.

• Some people are motivated to engage in arts-related physical exercise where mainstream activities (e.g. going to the gym, team sports) do not have a motivating impact

Sometimes, arts activities can support social cohesion, prosocial behaviours and increased connection and empathy.

KEY SOURCES

We have gathered some of the key findings from the following sources and included these below:

• S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

  G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project, London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

• Evaluations we have done and other studies we have come across in our research.

Early childhood

In early childhood, regular music and dance/movement engagement has been proven to have positive social development outcomes for toddlers.

…BUT the effects cannot always be isolated from the social component - in other words, we don’t know how much of the impact is due to the artistic activity and how much is due to the social aspect of the activity.

…AND we need more research into variations between active vs passive participation, and long-term effects and variability of interventions. For example:

• 6-year old children who took music lessons in voice or keyboard saw little improvement in social skills over a year

• Children who participated in drama-based education program saw decreases in disruptive behaviour and improvements in self-regulatory behaviours, but no significant changes in pro-social behaviour over the course of a year

Sources: 

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project, London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

M. Menzer (2015) The arts in early childhood: social and emotional benefits of arts participation,Washington DC: National Endowment for the Arts.

L. Hetland & E. Winner (2001) “The Arts and Academic Achievement: What the Evidence Shows”, Arts Education Policy Review102(5): 3-6. 

School-age children

After controlling for prior academic motivation and demographics, high levels of arts engagement amongst school-aged children in school arts-related subjects positively predicts:

• Adaptive motivation, academic buoyancy, academic intentions

• School enjoyment, class participation

• A sense of meaning and purpose, life satisfaction

• Self-esteem

Research also shows that:

• Classroom drama can improve verbal skills

• Dance can improve visual-spatial skills

…BUT 

• Arts engagement tends NOT to have a high correlation with improved academic attainment such as formal attainment in standardised tests

• Arts participation has a positive but low impact on academic learning, and the mechanisms leading to positive impact via the arts are not known

• Some extra-curricular activities can lead to negative behaviours as well, e.g. increased alcohol use with some extra-curricular activities

• External arts tuition negatively predicts adaptive motivation, academic intentions, school enjoyment, class participation, homework completion, self-esteem, and life satisfaction.

Sources: 

A. Martin et al (2015) ‘The Role of Arts Participation in Students’ Academic and Non-Academic Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study of School, Home and Community Factors,’ Journal of Educational Psychology2013 105(3): 709-727.

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick& P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project, London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

H. Bungay & T. Vella-Burrows (2013) “The effects of participating in creative activities on the health and well-being of children and young people: a rapid review of the literature,” Perspectives in Public Health 133(1): 44-52. 

K. Petrie et al (2004) “Effect of Written Emotional Expression on Immune Function in Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Randomized Trial”, Psychosomatic Medicine 66: 272-275.

T. Särkämöet al (2008) “Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke,” Brain 131: 866-876.

Education Endowment Foundation (2018) Arts participation.

Everitt and R. Hamilton (2003) Arts, health and community: a study of five arts in community health projects.

R. Ings et al. (2012) Be creative be well: arts, wellbeing and local communities, an evaluation, London: Arts Council England.

S. Hacking et al. (2008) “Evaluating the impact of participatory art projects for people with mental health needs,” Health and Social Care in the Community.

Patients

Music listening can have a positive effect on anxiety, stress and pain reduction among patients.

Integrating visual arts in hospital design found clinical benefits. Visual arts can help to reduce anxiety and depression amongst cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Creative writing on an emotional topic 30-min a day for 4-days led to an improvement in HIV-viral loads immediately and over a 6-month period.

Reflective writing can help physicians to develop empathy for patients.

…BUT 

• Music listening over two months is associated with improvement in focused attention, verbal memory, levels of depression in post-stroke recovery; but hard to know if this is specifically because of the music or just an enjoyable stimulus in general.

Sources: 

R. Staricoff (2004) Arts in health: a review of the medical literature,Research Report 36, London: Arts Council England

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project,London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

H. Bungay & T. Vella-Burrows (2013) “The effects of participating in creative activities on the health and well-being of children and young people: a rapid review of the literature,” Perspectives in Public Health 133(1): 44-52. 

K. Petrie et al (2004) “Effect of Written Emotional Expression on Immune Function in Patients With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Randomized Trial”, Psychosomatic Medicine66: 272-275.

T.Särkämöet al (2008) “Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke,”Brain131: 866-876.

Older adults

Participatory arts activities (music, singing, dance) are associated with improvements in:

• Mental health and wellbeing

• Physical health

• Engagement with others

• Attitudes towards ageing among society

Likelihood of developing dementia later in life is lower for those engaged in leisure activities, with cognitive activities being most important e.g.: reading, board games, playing a musical instrument, dance.

Use of fiction helps health care professionals develop empathy and understanding of the lived experiences of people with dementia.

Artistic activities can increase tolerance amongst workers, including via collaborative creative workshops with people living with dementia in care homes

…BUT

• when it comes to managing dementia, there are mixed results, with some interventions reducing negative behaviours, improving cognition, but many with no improvement.

• Some staff in the collaborative creative workshops felt threatened by the depth of the experiences, which can lead to discomfort with changing perception of residents less so as patients.

Sources: 

Mental Health Foundation (2011) An evidence review of the impact of participatory arts on older people, London: Mental Health Foundation.

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project, London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

M. Livesey et al (2012) “Benefits of choral singing for social and mental wellbeing: qualitative findings from a cross-national survey of choir members,” Journal of Public Mental Health 11(1): 10-26.

J. Kattenstroth et al. “Six months of dance intervention enhances postural, sensorimotor, and cognitive performance in elderly without affecting cardio-respiratory functions,” Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience 5: 1-16.

J.Verghese et al. (2003) ”Leisure activities and the risk of dementia,” New England Journal of Medicine 348: 25: 2508-2516.

Economic benefits

Arts engagement (especially visual arts) amongst children has a strong correlation with later innovation and entrepreneurship.

Industries with stronger links to creative industries have stronger innovation performance.

Small, local and grassroots community and participatory arts programs have more sustainable positive results for community regeneration.

…BUT without longitudinal studies, we don’t know:

• if higher levels of innovation are sustained after 6 months

• if increased real estate prices leads to economic wellbeing for residents

Sources: 

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project,London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

G. Marlet & C. Van Woerkens (2007) “The Dutch creative class and how it fosters urban employment growth,” Urban Studies 44(13): 2605-2626.

S. Sheppard (2017) The economic impact of MASS MoCA in 2017, Williamstown, MA: Williams College Centre for Creative Community Development.

S. Seifert & M. Stern (2013) Cultural ecology, neighbourhoodvitality, and social wellbeing – a Philadelphia project, National Endowment for the Arts.

Wellbeing

Arts and cultural participation may improve subjective wellbeing:

• In one study, cultural access was the second most important determinant of psychological subjective wellbeing after multiple morbidities, ahead of occupation, age, income and education

• In Scotland there were higher reports of life satisfaction and good health among people with arts/cultural participation

• There is a correlation between participation in playing music and crafts and subjective wellbeing

Community arts activities are associated with healthy living habits and improved understandings of health:

• Some arts-based health promotion projects get people active who would not typically be interested in typical exercise

• Arts activities in health promotion has been shown to contribute to healthy eating & mothering, more positive mental health, increased absorption of health information

…BUT without longitudinal studies, we don’t know if healthy habits are sustained. Mental health improvements are difficult to benchmark and measure without control groups.

Sources: 

J. Bailey & S. Penhall (2018) The Impact of the VicHealth Active Arts Strategy, 2014-18.

E. Grossi et al. (2012) “The interaction between culture, health and psychological wellbeing: data mining from the Italian culture and wellbeing project,” Journal of Happiness Studies 13: 129-148.

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project, London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

B. Kisida et al. (2016) “Measuring Critical Thinking: Results From an Art Museum Field Trip Experiment,” Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 9(1): 171-187.

Social cohesion

Participation in the arts may promote prosocial behaviours e.g. volunteering, attending community meetings.

Arts participation can raise awareness and change public attitudes e.g. on climate change.

For marginalised groups, cultural engagement might be an effective tool for finding voice, identity and recognition. 

Arts and cultural participation can help healing after traumatic societal events.

Reading literary fiction improves Theory of Mind compared to reading nonfiction, pop fiction or nothing at all. Teenagers engaging with literature go through a process of “identification and evaluation” which helps shape understanding of themselves.

…BUT:

• The causal nexus between arts participation and prosocial behaviours is unclear

• In some instances, listening to music from a particular culture can be divisive and reinforce cultural differences.

• Culture can also be a negative force in inter-group conflicts.

Sources: 

E. Grossi et al. (2012) “The interaction between culture, health and psychological wellbeing: data mining from the Italian culture and wellbeing project,” Journal of Happiness Studies 13: 129-148.

S. Tsegaye et al (2016) Everything We Know About Whether and How the Arts Improve Lives, Createquity.

G. Crossick & P. Kaszynska (2016) Understanding the value of arts & culture: The AHRC cultural value project, London: Arts & Humanities Research Council.

B. Kisida et al. (2016) “Measuring Critical Thinking: Results From an Art Museum Field Trip Experiment,” Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 9(1): 171-187.