The aims of this investigation were (1) to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of life of a representative sample of British Columbians aged 18 years or more in the spring of 2007 and (2) to compare the findings of this study with those of a sample of 1027 adults drawn from five B.C. communities (Comox Valley, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Port Moody and Prince George) in the fall of 2006. Seven hundred and eight British Columbians responded to a mailed out questionnaire, and the working data set was weighted by age and education to match the 2006 census statistics for the province, yielding a fairly representative sample. Speaking quite generally, about 62.0% of the results for the two samples are very similar. In particular, in both surveys we found that (a) among arts-related activities in which people participate relatively infrequently (i.e., participation is counted in times per year rather than in hours per week), live theatre is supreme in the strength of its positive correlation with respondents’ perceived quality of life measured in 7 different ways, and (b) compared to 4 demographic variables (age, education, household income and body mass index), household income had the highest average, positive correlation with 7 different measures of respondents’ overall life assessments, namely, self- assessed general health, satisfaction with life as a whole (single item), happiness, satisfaction with the quality of life, satisfaction with life as a whole (5-item index), contentment with life (5-item index) and subjective wellbeing (4-item index). Different results were found in the province-wide versus the five-communities survey for the following, among other things, (a) compared to all 7 life assessment measures, for the province, satisfaction with the quality of life and happiness had the largest number of significant correlations with arts-related activities measured in hours per week engaged, while for the five communities, the single measure of satisfaction with the quality of life had the largest number of significant correlations, and (b) for the province, compared to all 7 life assessment measures, satisfaction with the quality of life had the largest number of significant correlations with arts-related activities measured in times per year engaged; for the five communities, compared to all 7 life assessment measures, self-assessed general health had the largest number of significant correlations with arts-related activities measured in times per year engaged. In Michalos and Kahlke (2008, Social Indicators Research, 89(2), 193–258) we reported the results of a 2006 survey of 1027 adults in five communities of British Columbia (Comox Valley, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Port Moody and Prince George). The aim of that survey was to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of respondents’ lives. The sample was not drawn in any way that it could be regarded as representative of the whole provincial population. However, our plan was to undertake an independent survey in 2007 that would be representative of the whole province. This paper is a report of the results of that province-wide survey. Specifically, then, the aims of this investigation are (1) to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of life of a representative sample of British Columbians aged 18 years or more, and (2) to compare the findings of this study with those of the earlier study. As in Michalos (2005b, Social Indicators Research, 71(1–3), 11–59) and Michalos and Kahlke (2008, Social Indicators Research, 89(2), 193–258), the term ‘arts’ is used here in a very broad sense to include such things as music, dance, theatre, painting, sculpture, pottery, literature (novels, short stories, poetry), photography, quilting, gardening, flower arranging, textile and fabric art. Although we regard ‘culture’ as a term with a broader connotation than ‘arts’ and many people seem to treat the two terms as synonyms, such distinctions should not create any confusion here because we will give a complete list of everything we consider to be an arts-related activity for the purposes of this study. Again following the strategy of the two earlier studies, we are not attempting any distinction between high/fine and low/popular art or culture. The structure and analyses in this essay follow closely those of Michalos and Kahlke (2008, Social Indicators Research, 89(2), 193–258). In the next Sect. “Sampling Technique and Questionnaire” we describe our sampling technique and questionnaire, and in the section after that “Sample Characteristics” we summarize the characteristics of the sample. The descriptive statistics resulting from the substantive items in the questionnaire are reviewed in Sect. “Descriptive Statistics”. In Sect. “Bivariate Relationships” the results of a variety of bivariate analyses are presented, and variables shown to have statistically significant bivariate associations are used in multivariate analyses in Sect. “Multivariate Relationships”. The concluding Sect. “Conclusion” provides an overview of our results compared to results from the earlier study.

Arts and the Perceived Quality of Life in British Columbia

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发表日期：

2026年

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Alex C. Michalos,
P. Maurine Kahlke

摘要

The aims of this investigation were (1) to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of life of a representative sample of British Columbians aged 18 years or more in the spring of 2007 and (2) to compare the findings of this study with those of a sample of 1027 adults drawn from five B.C. communities (Comox Valley, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Port Moody and Prince George) in the fall of 2006. Seven hundred and eight British Columbians responded to a mailed out questionnaire, and the working data set was weighted by age and education to match the 2006 census statistics for the province, yielding a fairly representative sample. Speaking quite generally, about 62.0% of the results for the two samples are very similar. In particular, in both surveys we found that (a) among arts-related activities in which people participate relatively infrequently (i.e., participation is counted in times per year rather than in hours per week), live theatre is supreme in the strength of its positive correlation with respondents’ perceived quality of life measured in 7 different ways, and (b) compared to 4 demographic variables (age, education, household income and body mass index), household income had the highest average, positive correlation with 7 different measures of respondents’ overall life assessments, namely, self- assessed general health, satisfaction with life as a whole (single item), happiness, satisfaction with the quality of life, satisfaction with life as a whole (5-item index), contentment with life (5-item index) and subjective wellbeing (4-item index). Different results were found in the province-wide versus the five-communities survey for the following, among other things, (a) compared to all 7 life assessment measures, for the province, satisfaction with the quality of life and happiness had the largest number of significant correlations with arts-related activities measured in hours per week engaged, while for the five communities, the single measure of satisfaction with the quality of life had the largest number of significant correlations, and (b) for the province, compared to all 7 life assessment measures, satisfaction with the quality of life had the largest number of significant correlations with arts-related activities measured in times per year engaged; for the five communities, compared to all 7 life assessment measures, self-assessed general health had the largest number of significant correlations with arts-related activities measured in times per year engaged. In Michalos and Kahlke (2008, Social Indicators Research, 89(2), 193–258) we reported the results of a 2006 survey of 1027 adults in five communities of British Columbia (Comox Valley, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Port Moody and Prince George). The aim of that survey was to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of respondents’ lives. The sample was not drawn in any way that it could be regarded as representative of the whole provincial population. However, our plan was to undertake an independent survey in 2007 that would be representative of the whole province. This paper is a report of the results of that province-wide survey. Specifically, then, the aims of this investigation are (1) to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of life of a representative sample of British Columbians aged 18 years or more, and (2) to compare the findings of this study with those of the earlier study. As in Michalos (2005b, Social Indicators Research, 71(1–3), 11–59) and Michalos and Kahlke (2008, Social Indicators Research, 89(2), 193–258), the term ‘arts’ is used here in a very broad sense to include such things as music, dance, theatre, painting, sculpture, pottery, literature (novels, short stories, poetry), photography, quilting, gardening, flower arranging, textile and fabric art. Although we regard ‘culture’ as a term with a broader connotation than ‘arts’ and many people seem to treat the two terms as synonyms, such distinctions should not create any confusion here because we will give a complete list of everything we consider to be an arts-related activity for the purposes of this study. Again following the strategy of the two earlier studies, we are not attempting any distinction between high/fine and low/popular art or culture. The structure and analyses in this essay follow closely those of Michalos and Kahlke (2008, Social Indicators Research, 89(2), 193–258). In the next Sect. “Sampling Technique and Questionnaire” we describe our sampling technique and questionnaire, and in the section after that “Sample Characteristics” we summarize the characteristics of the sample. The descriptive statistics resulting from the substantive items in the questionnaire are reviewed in Sect. “Descriptive Statistics”. In Sect. “Bivariate Relationships” the results of a variety of bivariate analyses are presented, and variables shown to have statistically significant bivariate associations are used in multivariate analyses in Sect. “Multivariate Relationships”. The concluding Sect. “Conclusion” provides an overview of our results compared to results from the earlier study.