Cultural News

2009 American Life & Culture Report

2009 American Life & Culture Report

Cultural Consumers

Must Have Creative Comforts Despite Economy New Study Finds Cultural consumers curate their lifestyles to make ends meet and keep life meaningful.

Des Moines, Iowa, October 21, 2009 - A new survey finds that cultural consumers - those who actively consume cultural goods (books, film, music, theatre) - are still spending on creative comforts even in the face of a frigid economy. Seventy-eight percent continue to buy books, 73 percent are paying for cable, 67 percent are attending live theater and 63 percent are renting and attending movies.

The 2009 American Life and Culture Report by Patricia Martin, a leading expert on culture and commerce, surveyed 2,300 consumers in collaboration with Meaningful Measurement.

"Cultural consumers are making room in their budgets for traditional entertainment by increasingly attending free events," said Patricia Martin, lead researcher on the study. "They are not living a diminished lifestyle, just carefully selecting experiences that further their personal growth and help them continue to live a meaningful life."

The study found that free concerts and live entertainment are available to 90 percent of consumers and 69 percent use them. Ninety percent have access to open green spaces and 73 percent take advantage of them.

Bravo Greater Des Moines, (Bravo), collaborated on the study. Bravo is a nonprofit organization committed to creating a thriving cultural scene that drives and sustains our world-class community; by increasing cultural awareness, advocacy and funding, as well as fostering collaboration among cultural organizations. "We began this survey last spring to see how the consumption of the arts and culture impacts the region, not only in terms of the economy but also in regards to what makes a city desirable as a place to live, work and play. What we have found, " says MD Isley, Bravo's Executive Director, "is that people living in the greater Des Moines area, are actively engaged in not only consuming different types of culture in Des Moines, but they are also making an impact by creating culture as well. Our hope is this study will stimulate conversation amongst business, arts and technology leaders to spark even greater cultural innovations to help Des Moines in becoming a world-class city."

Additional findings from the study include:

Cultural consumers far from socialists
Despite cries from conservatives, the research reveals that these politically progressive people have not adopted a socialist mindset - 98 percent agree with the statement, "My success depends on me." Furthermore, nine out of ten people believe that individual hard work leads to success.

Cultural consumers create echo effect that multiplies a message.
Cultural consumers are influential when it comes to leisure pursuits. They are active and spend a good deal of time out of the home attending events and circulating in their communities. They organize outings with groups. The younger swath maintains blogs (30%) and are social networkers.

Millennials create. Boomers consume.
Younger respondents are content creators; 82 percent said their peers consider them to be creative. More mature cultural consumers (46-65 year olds) create less, but still spend more than three hours a day online.

Cultural consumers have healthier, greener lifestyles
The majority (70%) routinely exercise, go to the doctor, and eat well. Despite higher costs, 63% buy organic food. If farmers' markets operate in their communities, they shop at them. As good stewards of the earth, 95 percent believe we should do all we can to address pollution. They recycle (94%), do everything they can to be green (83%), and will buy environmentally friendly products even if they cost more (73%).

For information on this report contact MD Isley at isley@bravogreaterdesmoines.org or Maggie Swanson at Maggie@patricia-martin.com.

About MD Isley

MD Isley is a strategist, promoter and developer of organizations, people and large scale projects. As Executive Director of Bravo Greater Des Moines, Isley has earned acclaim and gained a solid reputation for bringing the community and the cultural arts together. Prior to serving as Executive Director of Bravo Greater Des Moines, Mr. Isley held positions as Interim Director of Living History Farms; Founding Executive Director of the Des Moines Higher Education Collaborative-leading the development of the Pappajohn Education Center; where he managed its $7.5 million capital campaign.

About Patricia Martin

Patricia Martin is a writer, researcher and marketing strategist. As founder and CEO of LitLamp Communications, an award-winning marketing and communications boutique, Martin has earned acclaim for using culture as a medium to connect brands with communities of consumers. Some of her projects include conjuring a strategy for the Asian tour of the New York Philharmonic, spearheading a viral Information Privacy initiative funded by George Soros, launching Animal Planet, introducing Dannon products into school lunch rooms nationwide, and re-focusing Sun Microsystems' higher education strategy.

About Meaningful Measurement

Meaningful Measurement is a research company that is dedicated to creating ethical solutions for problems, measuring outcomes, and communicating results. It is comprised of nearly eighty associates who are specialists in the fields of psychometrics, health care, business, marketing, statistics, computer science, association management, education, psychology, and communication. Meaningful Measurement develops tools and techniques to enhance the quality of decision-making, enabling organizations as wzell as individuals to maximize their resources. The CEO, Dr. Donna Surges Tatum of Chicago, founded the company in 1990.

To download the reports visit:

American Life and Culture Report.pdf

American Life and Culture Survey Iowa.pdf

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