Interest in arts participation research has grown steadily since the early museum visitor studies of the 1920s. In post-World War II America, while arts administrators continued to seek information about their patrons, a larger constituency of policy-makers, educators, and funders grew active in the area of arts research. Changing demographic, cultural, political and economic forces began to impact the demand for and supply of arts programs. During the 1970s an emerging focus became arts participation research - the study of both attenders and non-attenders - separate from and complementary to audience research. With a broader context, research began to examine arts participation patterns in relation to the supply of arts programs and facilities, and myriad other issues such as music preferences, art participation through broadcast and recorded media, and barriers to increased participation. Today, such research is employed by local arts administrators as a resource for advocacy, facility development, cultural planning, marketing and policy evaluation purposes. It is the goal of this publication to provide arts managers with an understanding of arts participation research at the national and local levels. To this end, a two-fold approach is taken. First, the historical development of arts participation research is summarized in order to gain perspective on current research. Second, readers are provided with an overview of how to conduct an arts participation study. Thus, the term guide is used to reflect the practical applications of the information provided.

This publication provides both a description of the development of arts participation research at the national and local level and an overview of how to conduct an arts participation study.