Culture and health: the results of a counterfactual evaluation project in Tuscany

This note presents the results of an empirical study evaluating the causal effects of cultural participation on perceptions of health and well-being. The study involved collaboration between several entities: the Region of Tuscany (Department of Culture and Sport), which commissioned the research as the body responsible for planning cultural welfare policies; the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze (Cultural Heritage and Activities Sector), which promotes and finances the cultural activities studied here; and IRPET, which is responsible for the scientific analysis of the evaluation. The associations/foundations whose cultural activities, with social value, were evaluated are: the Immaginario Associazione Culturale for the “Overart” project, the Fondazione Fresco Parkinson Institute for the “Dance Well, Arte e Coro” project and the Fondazione CRF itself for the “Passeggiate Fiorentine” project.

The subject under analysis, the relationship between culture and health, was investigated through a number of cultural participation projects aimed at people over the age of 60 and/or with health problems related to Parkinson’s disease. The study was designed according to the counterfactual evaluation method, which involves identifying two distinct groups of subjects: the treated (who participate in cultural activities) and the controls (who do not participate but have similar characteristics to the treated) . Both categories of subjects were given two questionnaires: one prior to treatment (ex-ante) and one after treatment (ex-post). The pre-post difference in the treatment group, compared to the pre-post difference in the control group, provides a measure of the impact of the policy.

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