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CEI2010: Philadelphia Cultural engagement Index (United States, 2010)
Year 2011
Commissioned by Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Author/s Wolfbrown
Methodology The study focuses on the 20-mile geographical radius around downtown Philadelphia, which
encompasses all or parts of eight counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The study
employed a hybrid sampling approach. First, data was collected through two online consumer
panel providers, Market Tools and Survey Sampling Inc. This sample was then analysed for
both geographic and demographic representation. Field researchers were then sent to areas
where online response was low – principally lower-income areas but also upper income areas.
The total number of responses for 2010 for the main CEI sample was 3,036.
Objectives The objectives of the CEI are:
� to provide the cultural community with a new, wider lens through which to see itself
� to create a measurement system that can detect changes in patterns of engagement
over time
� to expose opportunities for increasing cultural engagement
� to stimulate innovation among arts and cultural organizations
Cultural domains /
Other issues
� to focus public attention on culture as an indicator of quality of life
The CEI is based on two types of measurement, one behavioural (i.e., frequency of
participation) and one attitudinal (i.e., importance or “salience” attached to the activity); for each
of the 54 activities investigated.
The 54 activities were organized into 12 clusters:
� Kinetic/Oral (10 activities: make up my own dance steps, dance socially, rehearse or
perform theatre)
� Narrative (6 activities - mostly writing)
� Digital (4 activities- share something you created online, download music for your own
collection, remix material you found online)
� Visual Arts and Crafts (6 activities – paint, draw, make crafts, make videos, take
photos with artistic intentions)
� Music (3 activities- make up original tunes or compose music, play a musical
instrument, take music lessons)
� Art/Film (3 activities – visit art museum or art galleries, attend film festival, attend an art
or craft fair)
� Performing Arts (4 activities - Attend performances by dance companies, Attend plays
or musicals with professional actors, attend comedy clubs, poetry slams, open mike
nights)
� History and Nature (3 activities – visit historic sites or history museums, visit zoos or
aquariums, visit public gardens or arboretums)
� History, Science and Heritage (participatory and media-based) (5 activities - do
gardening or landscaping for fun, prepare ethnic foods of your heritage)
� Reading (3 activities – read books for pleasure, read magazines or newspapers, visit a
public library)
� Spiritual/Worship (both participatory and observational) (3 activities – Sing, see praise
dancing, hear music performed as part of a worship service)
� Popular Media – consumption (3 activities – listen to music on a local radio station,
watch dance or dance competitions on TV, Listen to Internet radio)
Within each discipline, a cross-section of activities was investigated to capture the full range of
engagement, including inventive, interpretive, curatorial and observational modes of
participation.
Several general questions explored the respondent’s overall values and beliefs about culture
and five indicators of civic engagement were included (e.g., voting behavior), in order to
examine the correlations between cultural and civic engagement.
To allow for comparison and to facilitate weighting, respondents were asked to indicate their
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