Abstract
While the reasons for the controversy overpublic arts funding are well-understood,less clear is the set of variables thatassociates with strong opposition orsupport for arts subsidies. Using data fromthe General Social Survey, this paperbuilds a model to predict opposition basedon ideological, economic, and demographiccharacteristics. The most importantpredictors of opposition are found to bepolitical views, gender, income, privatedonations to the arts, and region ofresidence. The results in this papersuggest that the benefits of public artsfunding accrue primarily to those in thehighest income class, and that supportvaries somewhat according to the level ofgovernment providing the funding.
``The far right is waging a war for the soulof America by making art a partisan issue.And by trying to cut these arts programs,which bring culture, education, and joyinto the lives of ordinary Americans, theyare hurting the very people they claim torepresent.''
Barbra Streisand, in a speech delivered atHarvard University (1995)
The National Endowment for the Arts hasbecome a play thing ... for an elitegroup.
Newt Gingrich, in an interview on C-SPAN(Lamb, 1994)
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Brooks, A.C. Who opposes government arts funding?. Public Choice 108, 355–367 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017544928115
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017544928115