Relationships Between Arts Participation, Social Cohesion, and Well-Being in 18 US Communities: A New Theory of Change

Abstract This article describes a study of One Nation/One Project, a national post-pandemic arts-and-public-health initiative in the US. This values-based, convergent mixed-methods study found significant associations between arts participation, social cohesion, and well-being and offers a theory of change that illustrates these associations, as well as how arts participation increased social cohesion and enhanced well-being. At a moment when the severities of social divisions and loneliness are increasing in the US, this theory of change may enhance socia cohesion and well-being by encouraging cross-sector collaboration between the arts, public health, and municipal sectors and supporting investment in the arts.