Entertainment Design & Technology Workforce Study
2025 Entertainment Design and Technology Workforce Demographics Study
About This Survey
USITT is proud to sponsor a national survey to better understand the diversity of the entertainment design and technology workforce in the United States. While many organizations are working to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in our industry, there is still no comprehensive statistical data that reflects who makes up our workforce.
In 2021, USITT conducted a study that established a baseline for understanding where we stood as a field. Now, as we prepare for the 2025 follow-up, your participation is essential. By completing this survey, you will help us measure how far we’ve come since 2021 (see 2021 report) and demonstrate the collective impact of our industry’s efforts toward building a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive community.
The survey is being administered by SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research at Southern Methodist University. Using self-reported data from each participant, this study will provide the industry with valuable insights into the composition of our creative and technical workforce.
The survey should take no more than five minutes to complete. Each question allows you the option to decline to answer, and no names or personally identifying information are requested. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance.
Your voluntary participation is critical to the success of this project. Results will be shared with the field in 2026. Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this important work.
Key Dates
The survey opens on October 13, 2025 and will close on January 9, 2026
About SMU DataArts
SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research, is a project of the Meadows School of the Arts at SMU. Its programs provide free business intelligence tools and educational workshops to help arts leaders leverage data to answer critical management questions, communicate about their organizations, and connect research analyses to their own work. Recent publications include white papers on emergence from the COVID-19 crisis; culturally specific arts organizations; protecting arts organizations through downturns; audience diversity, equity and inclusion in large performing arts organizations; working capital and the resiliency of BIPOC organizations; and more. SMU DataArts also publishes reports on the health of the U.S. arts and cultural sector with its Arts Vibrancy Index, which highlights the 40 most arts-vibrant communities around the country. For more information, visit smu.edu/dataarts.
FAQ
Arts, culture, and creativity are major contributors to improving quality of life within communities, and the arts and culture sector is an important component of many local economies. Information gleaned from SMU DataArts’ Workforce Demographics studies can help communities and organizations better understand the demographics of their current workforces and those of the communities in which they operate. To remain relevant to and representative of our changing society, these studies provide key information that can inform decisions that ensure all community members have access to opportunities available within the arts and culture sector.
By taking this survey, you agree to the uses of your data described here and acknowledge that any interpretation or view expressed in any work product created using any aggregated survey dataset will be solely that of the researcher or other user.
The survey asks questions about age, location, gender identity, sexual orientation, heritage, disability status and workplace perception. All demographic questions have an "I prefer not to answer" option.
Individuals who work in the entertainment design and technology sector should take this survey. All responses are anonymous, and your privacy will be protected. Individual responses will not be shared with any employer.
SMU DataArts (formerly the Cultural Data Project) is administering the survey on behalf of USITT. SMU DataArts is an independent non-profit with 15 years of experience in data collection, security, and analysis. Our mission is to empower arts and cultural leaders with high- quality data and evidence-based resources and insights that help them to overcome challenges and increase impact.
SMU DataArts is committed to advancing policies and practices that support diversity, equity, and inclusion across the nonprofit sector. The SMU DataArts' workforce demographics survey is the result of robust collaboration with organizations and experts from across the nonprofit and public sector, including dozens of public and private grantmaking entities, which are conducting complementary demographic data studies.
Collecting this optional demographic information is strongly encouraged as a best practice that can make your work more effective; however, this survey is voluntary. You may complete some, all, or none of the questions. It is entirely up to you, and your choice will have no bearing on the status of your organization's Cultural Data Profile. All information will be aggregated anonymously and reported back to your organization's primary contact. Only SMU DataArts will have access to individual responses at this time. Grantmakers can opt-in to have access to aggregated survey data for your organization, as well as a complete aggregated roll-up of the survey data for all organizations in their applicant pool. SMU DataArts may allow third-parties, such as researchers, advocates, educational organizations or service providers, to use aggregated data from the survey for the purposes of serving or informing the nonprofit arts, cultural, and humanities sector and its stakeholders. On occasion, SMU DataArts may also share aggregated survey information with other partners, researchers, and service providers in order to create, test, and market new services and tools for the nonprofit arts, cultural, and humanities sector.
By taking this survey, you agree to the uses of your data described here and acknowledge that any interpretation or view expressed in any work product created using any aggregated survey dataset will be solely that of the researcher or other user.
SMU DataArts, the survey partner, has built a national reputation as a trusted data collection organization. Since 2004, SMU DataArts has collected and maintained confidential financial and programmatic data for more than 18,000 nonprofit organizations. In addition: The survey DOES NOT ask respondents for personally-identifiable information, such as name, email address, or phone number. Survey responses are kept STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. Only SMU DataArts will have access to individual response data.