| Art and cultural organizations are in dire need of promotion. The two main target audiences include the public at large and legislators at all levels of government. The industry is struggling due to unstable economic conditions, a lack of systematic support from law makers, and a largely apathetic general public. To encourage the economic development of the sector, organizations need to identify how people are engaged in art and cultural consumption, how those behaviors are related, and what affects their behavioral patterns. Information such as this will be useful for developing the efficient and successful messages targeted organizations' primary audiences.;To obtain the valuable and practical data for the creation of successful messages, this research investigates three research questions: (1) Are there any variables which explain patterns in art and cultural consumption behaviors?; (2) Are there any relationships among those variables?; and (3) Can people be categorized by relationships found among the variables? Based on the research questions, this research is informed by two theories that provide the conceptual frame for developing the questionnaires for the survey; Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT).;The general public in the Great Lakes States was asked to participate in the data-driven Web survey. The survey questions were divided into several sections based on the theories that guided this study. Normal Ogive Harmonic Analysis Robust Method was used to check the validity of using a multiple dimensional analysis. As a next step, Multiple Item Response Theory examined the valid items, determined their associations, and categorized the items as constructs of measurement.;The results indicated that people who attend art performances have a high probability to participate in activities related to the performing arts and vice versa. In addition, once people become exposed to art and culture, regardless of whether they were engaged in voluntarily or not, they seem to have a more positive attitude toward participating in art and cultural activities later. Those who enjoy traveling are more likely to participate in a variety of other cultural activities, such as attendance at different performances and even donation to cultural organizations.;This study identifies how people behave differently and determines which items are valid for segmenting people based on the engagement levels. By interpreting the results in accordance with the goals of campaigns, communication planners can develop more efficient and target-oriented messages and strategies. The persuasive messages targeting a specific group of people will boost more participation in the art and cultural sectors and play a role to enlighten people and policy makers. |
