N.E.A. Funds Benefit Both Rich and Poor, Study Finds
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/arts/design/nea-funds-benefit-both-rich-and-poor-study-finds.html?_r=0
Now House Republicans charge that the endowment supports programming primarily attended by the rich, causing “a wealth transfer from poorer to wealthier citizens.”
And just when did Republicans start worrying about that????
A new study to be released on Wednesday challenges that assertion, however, and concludes that federally supported arts programs attract people across the income spectrum; the wealthy, yes, but also many below the poverty line.
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Last year the House Budget Committee, led by Representative Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, issued a proposed budget for the 2014 fiscal year, which eliminated all funding for the arts endowment as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It stated that these agencies’ activities were “generally enjoyed by people of higher-income levels, making them a wealth transfer from poorer to wealthier citizens.”
To assess that statement, university researchers first looked at income differences in places that receive arts grants and those that don’t. They discovered that the bigger and more economically diverse the community, the more likely it was to receive a grant. These areas have a greater proportion of both poor and rich households, researchers said. In addition, they found that arts grants led poorer people to attend an event just as much as those in higher tax brackets.