In this book, participation in the arts is analyzed as a substantial contributory factor to European citizenship, and also as a tool for improving individual and societal wellbeing through educational and inclusive policies. It offers an up-to-date overview of ongoing research on the measurement and analysis of, and prospects for, traditional and new forms of cultural engagement in Europe. It describes and assesses available methods and participation in the arts and seeks to determine how and to what extent the various drivers, policies and barriers matter. This publication is the final output of the work done by the members of the EU Project “Assessing effective tools to enhance cultural participation,” which brought together social scientists and cultural practitioners in joint projects, conferences and seminars, to reflect on the current situation and the challenges faced by managers of cultural and arts institutions and cultural policy makers.

European Statistics on Participation in the Arts and Their International Comparability.- Measuring Participation in the Arts in Spain.- Measuring Cultural Participation in Italy.- Attendance at/Participation in the Arts by Educational Level Evidence and Issues.- Measuring Participation or Participating in Measurement? The Cautionary Tale of an Accidental Experiment in Survey Accuracy.- Participation in the Arts and Social Inclusion in Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods.- Musical Rhythm Embedded in the Brain. Bridging Music, Neuroscience, and Empirical Aesthetics.- Contemporary Music and its Audience. A Tale of Benevolent Asceticism? - Musical Audiences in Spain.- The Evolution of Theatre Attendance in Italy: Patrons and Companies.- Raiders of the Lost Ark. A European Market for European Movies?- A Geographical Approach to the ‘Smart’ Location of Museums.- New Lines of Action for Museums.- Public Private Partnership for the Enhancement of Heritage. The Case of the Benedictine Monastery of Catania.- The Multi-product Nature of the Firm in the Arts Sector. The case of ‘Centro Zo’.- Evaluating the Efficiency of Cultural Travel Destinations. A DEA Approach.- An empirical investigation of cultural tourists’ preferences and behaviours in a destination with mixed environmental features.- Digital Research & Development in the Arts.- Implementation of Tracking Technologies for Temporal and Spatial Management of Cultural Destinations: Hong Kong as an Example.- Cultural Economics, the Internet and Participation.- Classical Music: New Proposals for New Audiences.- The Cultural Value and Variety of Playing Video Games.- Measuring the Economic Effects of Cultural Events Using Google Trends.- Are Less Public Funds Bad? New Strategies for Art Providers.- Arts, Culture and Creativity as Drivers for Territorial Development, Innovation and Competitiveness.