On World Mental Health Day (October 10), the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is sharing new research demonstrating that the arts play a major role in the personal and community well-being of Ontarians.

Arts and Quality of Life for Ontarians, commissioned from Nanos by OAC, surveyed Ontarians on the importance of the arts for their quality of life and mental health, as well as their opinions towards the role of the arts in relation to community, diversity and identity. Nanos’s research revealed four key findings:
 

1. Ontarians believe arts are important for a high quality of life.
    
2. Ontarians say that the arts have a significant impact on community well-being.
    
3. Ontarians show strong support for government investing in the arts.
    
4. A strong majority of Ontarians say that arts are important to community-building.

Data highlights

• 79% of Ontarians believe that the arts are important to their mental health. 
• 80% believe the arts are important for their own quality of life, and 85% believe the same for their community’s quality of life.
   

• 90% of Ontarians agree that an active local arts scene helps make a community a better place to live, and 82% agree it also helps communities attract businesses. 
• 85% agree that if their community lost its arts activities, people living there would lose something of value.
   

• Close to 90% of Ontarians agree that participating in arts activities builds a shared sense of community identity, and that it helps bring people from diverse backgrounds together as a community. 
• 89% agree that the arts help us understand other cultures better.
   

• 96% of Ontarians believe that engaging children in the arts is important to their overall development.
   

• 78% of Ontarians believe that helping make the arts available to people in Ontario is an important government investment.

Get involved and learn more

• Try out a new activity or participate in an event during Ontario Culture Days. Culture Days provides opportunities for the public to participate in arts and cultural experiences at no cost, with the aim of inspiring continued future involvement in the cultural life of local communities.
   
• Read about OAC grant recipients whose work has a ripple effect on community, quality of life and mental health, and watch their video profiles: 
  • Workman Arts: Fighting barriers and stigma for artists with mental health and addiction challenges
     
  • The Festival of Literary Diversity: Shining a spotlight on the people and places we need to hear from
     
  • 4th Line Theatre: Local stories that appeal beyond their setting
     
  • Stratford Festival: How theatre transformed a community’s economy and identity