Arts Engagement and Democratic Citizenship: An Empirical Investigation of Cultural Participation, Civic Attitudes, and Public Life

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between arts engagement and democratic citizenship, investigating how participation in cultural activities influences civic attitudes, community involvement, and public discourse. The research employed a mixed methods design combining large-scale survey data from 8,462 adults across diverse communities with in-depth qualitative interviews of 124 participants representing varied patterns of cultural engagement. The study assessed multiple dimensions of arts participation including visual arts attendance, performing arts engagement, literary activities, and active artistic practice, examining relationships with civic outcomes including political participation, community volunteerism, social trust, and tolerance for diversity. Findings reveal significant positive associations between arts engagement and multiple indicators of democratic citizenship, with particularly strong effects for participatory arts involvement and engagement with challenging or unfamiliar artistic forms. Mediation analyses indicate that arts engagement influences civic outcomes partly through enhancing empathic capacity, perspective-taking abilities, and comfort with ambiguity and complexity. The research identifies socioeconomic disparities in cultural access that moderate the arts-citizenship relationship and explores how community-based arts initiatives can democratize cultural participation. Results contribute to theoretical understanding of how cultural engagement shapes civic life and offer implications for cultural policy aimed at strengthening democratic participation through expanded arts access.