Arts and Quality of Life for Ontarians

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 

Quality of life and mental health 

• 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. 

Community value 

• 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. 

Diversity, identity and belonging 

• 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. 

Education and development 

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

Value of public funding 

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