Supporting the arts and providing more cultural events is a major concern for nearly one in five residents of the Mid-Hudson Valley. When asked to rate its importance as a community priority, 18% of residents give this issue the highest score of 10.
Overall, this priority receives an average score of 6.8. This compares with the average rating of 6.5 it had five years ago. Like 2002, the priority of supporting the arts and providing more cultural events ranks fourteenth out of nineteen priorities.
There are differences at the county level in how residents perceive the importance of the arts and cultural sites for their community. This issue receives the highest average rating from Ulster County residents. When asked to rate the importance of the arts, cultural sites and landmarks for their community, county residents, on average, rate it a 7.0 out of 10. Similarly, it receives an average score of 6.8 from both Dutchess and Orange County residents, and an average of 6.7 from Sullivan County residents.
Support for the arts receives its lowest rating as a priority, yet highest rank, from Greene County residents. On average, county residents rate it a 6.3, and rank it thirteenth out of nineteen priorities.
Residents from many backgrounds rate the arts as a priority for the region. African Americans and Latino residents are somewhat more likely to provide a higher rating to the arts, cultural sites, and landmarks than white residents. This priority receives an average rating of 7.5 among both African Americans and Latino residents and an average score of 6.6 among white residents. African American residents now rank supporting the arts fifteenth out of nineteen priorities up from eighteenth in 2002.
