The humanities during coronavirus: public appreciation of their benefits. From the survey:

Compelled to remain at home by the pandemic, millions of Americans actively engaged with the humanities, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Humanities Indicators, a project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The nationally representative survey of 1,000 adults in May 2020 found that during the stay-at-home restrictions Americans engaged in an average of five humanities activities at least sometimes….

  • History: Watching shows with historical content was the most popular activity by a wide margin, with over 70 percent of American adults watching these shows at least sometimes, and approximately a quarter watching very often. The second most-commonly engaged in activity was also history-related. The survey found that 55 percent of Americans spent at least some time researching a history subject of interest (via the Internet or other means).
  • Reading: More than half of Americans read fiction books sometimes or more often during the lockdown, although almost one-third did not read fiction at all. A somewhat smaller share (47 percent) read nonfiction at least occasionally, with 28 percent of adults doing so often or very often.
  • Watching shows with other humanities content: While history shows were the most popular, 49 percent of Americans spent at least some time watching shows with other humanities content (such as art, literature, philosophy, culture, or world religions).