This report presents the findings of a study of the views and attitudes toward the arts and culture of the people of Anchorage, Alaska, and of their own participation in arts activities. The study was conducted for the Anchorage Arts Council to obtain the data that would enable the Arts Council, the arts and cultural organizations in Anchorage, and the city and borough governments to judge the interests and involvement of the citizens in arts and culture and to plan and develop programs and policies that will best serve the cultural needs of the growing community.

The data were obtained through personal, in-home interviews conducted in September 1974 with a scientifically projectable sample of 522 adult residents of Anchorage 18 years of age and over. This sample was drawn to represent accurately the total adult population of the Greater Anchorage Area Borough (not including residents of military bases), and the results shown here are validly projectable to the borough's entire population.

Demographically, the Greater Anchorage Area Borough differs significantly from the U. S. population, especially in regard to age and household income. Anchoragites are on the average much younger than the population. The average household income in Anchorage is higher than that of the U. S. population, in line with the higher cost of living.

The key findings revealed in the responses of the Anchorage public in this study are: The people of Anchorage hold very strongly positive attitudes toward the arts and culture, attitudes clearly associated with a strong desire for an improved quality of life in the Anchorage community. The arts are valued to a very great extent in terms of do-it-yourself participation in addition to, or in many cases instead of, attendance as an audience or viewer.

In line with such participation, there is widespread interest in crafts, with large numbers participating and even larger numbers wanting to take classes in crafts. Factors hindering greater attendance at the arts and culture are focused on problems of time, cost and convenience, with parking difficulties constituting a major convenience problem.

Newcomers to the Anchorage area, a substantial portion of the population, evince some discernible differences in interests and backgrounds in the arts and culture from those who have lived in the community longer periods of time, and greater efforts must be made to draw these people to cultural activities. Substantial numbers of people, particularly young people, feel that children and teenagers in Anchorage need more opportunities for rewarding things to do, especially in such areas as arts and crafts, and the public strongly supports the teaching of the arts in the core curriculum of the Anchorage schools.

People in Anchorage feel that government support should be provided to arts and cultural organizations if financial help is needed, and they think such support should especially come from the local government. There is strong support for the building of an arts center with definite, if diverse, opinions on where such a center should be located; the data indicate that such a center should render a range of both audience and participation services to the people of Anchorage. People believe that the arts occupy a central role in Anchorage life, fulfilling needs on a level with the most essential community services.

CONTENTS
Introduction.
Summary and highlights of the findings.

  1. How its inhabitants view Anchorage:
           Leisure and recreational opportunities.
           Planning and preservation.

  2. Patterns of leisure-time activities:
           Amount of time spent in leisure-time activities.
           Activities enjoyed most.

  3. Participation in arts and crafts activities:
           Classes in arts and crafts.
           Preferred times and locations for classes.

  4. The performing arts:
           Music.
           Theatre.
           Dance.

  5. Factors affecting attendance at the performing arts:
           Availability.
           Accessibility.
           Scheduling. 
           Sources of information.
           Ticket costs.
           Barriers to increased attendance.
           Amateurism vs professionalism.

  6. The visual arts:
           Barriers to increased attendance. 
           Amateurism vs professionalism.

  7. Knowledge of and attendance at specific activities:
           Attendance at the various activities. 
           Composition of attenders. 
           Interest in repeated or first-time attendance.
           The Anchorage Arts Council.

  8. Arts and Children: 
           Attendance at the performing arts. 
           Arts in the schools.

  9. The support of cultural organizations:
           Perceived financial condition of cultural organizations.
           Attitudes toward support.

10. The arts and the community: 
           Interest and enjoyment in the arts.
           Importance of arts and cuture in the community.

Appendix.

This report presents the findings of a study of the views and attitudes toward the arts and culture of the people of Anchorage, Alaska, and of their own participation in arts activities. The study was conducted for the Anchorage Arts Council to obtain the data that would enable the Arts Council, the arts and cultural organizations in Anchorage, and the city and borough governments to judge the interests and involvement of the citizens in arts and culture and to plan and develop programs and policies that will best serve the cultural needs of the growing community.