UK 6.2

ENGLAND

One of the most important sources for data about cultural consumption and participation in England is the Taking Part Survey. It was intended to be a year on year comparative survey providing information on engagement with cultural, leisure and sporting activities in the 12 months prior to the interview, as well as socio-demographic information and covering people in every region and from every type of social group. There are separate surveys measuring arts engagement in adults (age 16+) and children (5-15 years). Analysis of the data from the most recent adult survey shows that in 2017/18, 78.9% of adult respondents had engaged in the arts at least once in the past 12 months with 64.7% of people having engaged in the arts three times or more. This constitutes a slight increase since the first survey for 2005/06, when the numbers were 76.3% and 62.5% respectively. However, it is not quite clear if these numbers indicate an actual increase in arts attendance or if the higher number is due to a change in questions of the survey. In addition, 73% visited a heritage site, 50% visited a gallery or museum and 33% used a public library service.

The children’s survey shows that in 2017/18, 95.9% of 5-10 year olds and 96.4% of 11-15 year olds had engaged in an arts activity. What is noteworthy is that the vast majority of these activities took place at school or both at school and outside of school. The question whether children engage in certain activities in or outside of school mostly depends on the type of activity. Thus, theatre and drama activities as well as computer-based activities are most commonly done in schools, while perhaps unsurprisingly children are much more likely to experience street arts, festivals and carnivals outside of school.

Education remains the strongest and most constant predicator of arts engagement in the adult as well as the children’s survey. Social status, income, ethnic group, gender, age, level of general health and the region a person lives in have a significant impact on an individual’s chances of being an active engaged in the arts. These inequalities reflect and perpetuate longstanding social norms and patterns of stratification and exclusion in society.

Another important source of data is the Arts Index by the National Campaign for the Arts. Although most of the Arts Index is dedicated to financing of culture, four of the indicators explored by the Index related to cultural participation, such as the percentage of adults participating in an arts activity.

Table 3a (England): People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during a 12 month period (in % of the population) over three available years

Sources:
2016/17: Taking Part Focus on: Arts 2016/17
2015/16: Taking Part Focus on: Art Forms 2015/16 
2014/15: Tables accompanying the DCMS Taking Part “Focus On: Art Forms” statistical release

Table 3b (England): People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during the last 12 months (in % of the population, over three available years)

Original category	Taking Part Survey	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
Activities without large public subsidies
Cinema		52,9%	51,9%	53,7%
To read books not related to the profession or studies	Reading for leisure	69%	68,2%	68,1%
In paper format		n/a	n/a	n/a
In digital format		n/a	n/a	n/a
Directly on the internet		n/a	n/a	n/a
To read periodic publications		n/a	n/a	n/a
Directly on the internet		n/a	n/a	n/a
To listen to music		78,9%	78,7%	79,4%
On a computer or directly on the internet		n/a	n/a	n/a
To watch videos		n/a	n/a	n/a
Directly on the internet		n/a	n/a	n/a
To watch television		90,4%	90,0%	89,9%
Directly on the internet		n/a	n/a	n/a
To play videogames	Play computer games	28,7%	29,2%	30,0%
To use computer for entertainment or leisure		n/a	n/a	n/a
Internet for entertainment or leisure	Internet/E-Mailing	69,9%	71,2%	71,5%

Unless otherwise indicated, data for England for the years 2013/14 and 2014/15 is taken from the Tables accompanying the DCMS Taking Part “Focus On: Art Forms” statistical release and data for England for the years 2015/16 is taken and from the Taking Part Statistical Analysis Tool. 

Listening to the radio (NB: data refers to all of UK)

		2014	2015	2016
Listening to the radio	Weekly reach of radio (% of the population)	89,4%	89,5%	89,6%
Directly on the internet	Digital radio listening share	38,0%	42,2%	45,7%

Source: Ofcom – Communications Market Report 2017: United Kingdom

Internet use (NB: data refers to all of UK)

		2017	2018	2019
To use internet for entertainment or leisure	Percentage of people who had used the internet in the past 12 months	89%	90%	91%

Source: Office for National Statistics – Internet users, UK: 2019

Table 4: People who have carried out artistic activities in England in the last 12 months by type of activity, in % of total population, period 2014/15-2016/17

Original category	Taking Part Survey	2014/15	2015/16	2016/17
Writing	Written any poetry	2,8%	3,1%	3,8%
	Written any stories or plays	3,0%	3,0%	3,2%
	Written music	2,3%	2,1%	2,9%
	Been a member of a book club	1,8%	2,1%	3,9%
Painting or drawing	Painting, drawing, printmaking or sculpture	12,1%	12,9%	13,8%
Other visual arts	Textile arts such as embroidery, crocheting or knitting	13,8%	13,1%	14,3%
	Wood crafts e.g. wood turning, carving or furniture making	4,5%	4,6%	5,5%
	Other crafts, e.g. calligraphy, pottery or jewellery making	4,3%	4,4%	5,4%
Photography	Photography as an artistic activity	7,7%	8,2%	8,9%
Making videos	Made films or videos as an artistic activity	2,2%	2,1%	3,2%
Designing web pages	Used a computer to create original artwork or animation	4,7%	5,3%	5,8%
Drama	Rehearsed or performed in play/drama	1,5%	1,5%	1,5%
	Rehearsed or performed in opera/operetta or musical theatre	0,6%	0,8%	0,7%
Dance and Ballet	Ballet	0,3%	0,6%	0,5%
	Other dance (not for fitness)	8,0%	7,9%	6,3%
Playing an instrument	Played a musical instrument for own pleasure	10,7%	10,1%	11,7%
	Played a musical instrument to an audience or rehearse for a performance	3,2%	3,1%	3,6%
Singing in a choir	Sang as part of group or taking singing lessons	n/a	n/a	5,3%
	Sang to an audience or rehearse for a performance (not karaoke)	4,1%	3,7%	4,2%
Other	Taken part in a carnival	1,6%	1,4%	2,0%
	Taken part in street arts	0,7%	0,6%	1,2%
	Learned or practiced circus arts	1,2%	1,2%	1,2%

Sources:
2016/17: Taking Part Focus on: Arts – 2016/17
2015/16: Taking Part Focus on: Arts Forms 2015/16
2014/15: Tables accompanying the DCMS Taking Part “Focus On: Art Forms” statistical release

WALES

Data about arts attendance in Wales comes from the Welsh Government and is published in the National Survey for Wales, a large-scale survey of adults in Wales that covers a range of topics. From 2016/17 onwards, the National Survey examined arts and cultural participation, which had previously been contained in the Arts in Wales Survey. However, as the two surveys use different questions, the results of the Arts in Wales Survey and the National Survey are not directly comparable, which is why the following data are only applicable to the years 2016/17 and 2017/18 and it is not possible to establish long-term trends.

In 2017/18, 75% of adults in Wales participated in or attended an arts, heritage or cultural activity at least three times in the past 12 months. Arts participation in Wales is influenced by a variety of factors. Age certainly plays an important role as 83% of people aged 16-24 stated they attended at least three arts activities in the past 12 months, whereas only 57% of people aged 75 and over did so. Furthermore, women are a little more likely to engage in the arts than men (77% vs. 73%). Having dependent children in the household significantly increases arts participation as does good health and education. Material deprivation decreases arts engagement. 

Table 3: People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during the last 12 months in Wales (in % of the population, over two available years)

Original	National Survey for Wales 2017/18	2017/18	National Survey for Wales 2018/19	2018/19
Activities heavily subsidised by the state
Theatre	Theatre	33%	Play Musical (not opera) Pantomine	17% 20 % 11 %
Opera Performances	n/a	n/a	Opera	3%
Zarzuela	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Dance	Dance performance	9%	Contemporary dance performance Ballet	3% 3%
Concerts of classical music	Live Music	36%	Classical music Jazz Folk, traditional or world music Other live music performance or event	7% 4% 7% 33%
Libraries	Libraries	34%	Libraries	n/a
Museums	Museums	40%	Museums	42%
Monuments	Heritage Sites	63%	Heritage Sites	63%
Cultural centres	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Other	Storytelling or reading event	5%	Storytelling or reading event	6%

Sources:
2017/18: National Survey for Wales 2017/18
2018/19: National Survey for Wales 2018/19 

Table 3b (Wales): Activities not heavily subsidized by the state (data only available for cinema)

Original category	National Survey for Wales	2017/18	2018/19
Cinema	Cinema	51%	57%

Table 4: People who have carried out artistic activities in Wales in the last 12 months by type of activity, in % of total population, period 2017/18-2018/19

Original category	National Survey for Wales	2017/18	2018/19
Writing	Creative writing	4%	4%
Painting or drawing Other visual arts	Visual arts and crafts	9%	8%
Photography Making videos	Film making and photography	5%	5%
Designing web pages	Digital artwork or animation	3%	n/a
Drama	Drama or theatrical activity	2%	2%
Dance and Ballet	Dance	4%	3%
Playing an instrument Singing in a choir	Music	8%	8%
Other	Circus skills, street art or other physical theatre activity	1%	n/a

Sources:
2017/18: National Survey for Wales 2017/18
2018/19: National Survey for Wales 2018/19