Project

Humanities Indicators

Overview

To address a need for statistical data in the humanities, the Academy, in collaboration with humanities institutions and leaders throughout the country, developed a set of reliable, comprehensive, and consistently updated statistical data necessary to chart trends and draw conclusions, including a standard definition for the humanities. The Humanities Indicators cover five categories: 1) primary and secondary education; 2) undergraduate and graduate education; 3) humanities research and funding; 4) the humanities workforce; and 5) the humanities in American life.

The Indicators data are drawn from existing sources and the project is also generating new data through surveys of colleges and universities, the humanities in American life survey, and a National Inventory of Humanities Organizations. The Humanities Indicators are designed to equip researchers and policymakers, universities, foundations, museums, libraries, humanities councils, and other public institutions with better statistical tools to answer basic questions about the state of the humanities.

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People

People

Co-Principal Investigators
Advisory Group

Edward Ayers

University of Richmond
President Emeritus
Academy Member

Jack Buckley

American Institutes for Research

Jonathan R. Cole

Columbia University

Joy Connolly

American Council of Learned Societies
President
Academy Member

John Dichtl

American Association for State and Local History

Michael Hout

New York University
Professor of Sociology
Academy Member

Felice J. Levine

American Educational Research Association

Phoebe Stein

Federation of State Humanities Councils

Judith Tanur

Stony Brook University
Staff
Publications

Publications

News & Updates

News & Updates

Events

Events

Project Outcomes

Project Outcomes

The Humanities Indicators project releases frequent data updates throughout the year pushed to subscribers and periodic publications that package interesting data that responds to questions and concerns in the field, or support other Academy projects.

The Humanities Indicators staff serve as a resource for college administrators, policymakers, and the media, answering questions about the trends, and occasionally providing data runs tailored to their specific needs.

The ongoing media references to the Humanities Indicators demonstrate that they continue to be a valuable resource for informing the public and stimulating debate about trends in the humanities. From 2014-2018 the Indicators were cited over 400 times in the press. Recent coverage has included The Hill, Inside Higher Ed, NBC News, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, WBUR, The Atlantic, The Guardian, The Jerusalem Post, and BBC. 

The recent Humanities Indicators report, The State of the Humanities 2018: Graduates in the Workforce & Beyond, was downloaded by over 10,000 unique users.

Humanities Indicators Media Coverage