United Kingdom

Last update: March, 2020

An underlying concept of programmes to stimulate greater arts access and attendance in the UK is the notion of "cultural entitlement". Although not always clearly defined, in essence the concept is not so much a "cultural right", but more an entitlement to benefit from opportunities to engage in/access culture. A series of programmes have been instituted such as Find Your Talent and, more recently, the Cultural Education Challenge, which fosters relationships between schools and arts organisations/cultural practitioners (see chapter 5.2). Another important initiative was the creation of Music Education Hubs to ensure that children throughout England had the opportunity to learn to sing and play a musical instrument (see chapter 5.2). 'Take it away' is a scheme which aims to make musical instruments more accessible to children and young people by providing interest-free loans of up to GB£ 5,000. 

The Welsh programme FUSION: Creating Opportunities through Culture was established in 2015 in response to the 2014 Culture and Poverty Report. The programme aims to reduce poverty and uses culture and heritage to empower vulnerable people and those affected by economic deprivation. Five thousand people were able to benefit from the programme in the first two years and due to its success, the programme was further developed in the following years. 

After it came to power in 1997, the Labour Government provided extra resources to national museums and galleries to enable them to abolish admission charges where they were levied, and ensure free access for all in 2001. This resulted in significant increases in attendance. Visits to national museums by children under 16 increased by 80% and visits from adults increased by 70% on average. However, it has been argued that while free admission increases visitor numbers, the demographics of visitors have changed very little, which can be seen as an indication that the factors that constitute barriers to museum visits are not exclusively of a monetary nature. 

Over the years, Arts Council England as well as the Arts Council of Wales have been the driving force behind a number of audience development programmes. ACE makes it a requirement for its funded organisations to devise ways to reach those parts of the population least likely to engage in the arts. Support of audience development comes in different forms. There are strategic funds that support audience development measures such as the Creative People and Places Fund. 

In addition, there are a range of organisations that champion audience development in the arts. The Arts Marketing Association is a membership organisation that offers training and resources for arts organisations and arts marketers to help them increase and diversify their audiences. The Audience Agency offers a free tool called Audience Finder. Research consultancy Morris Hargraves McIntyre has developed an audience segmentation tool.

A recent initiative that might have a long-term effect on arts participation is Social Prescribing. Launched by the UK’s National Health Service as part of a 5-year plan to improve personalized patient care, social prescribing enables primary care practitioners such as GPs and nurses to refer patients to a range of non-clinical services to improve patients’ health outcomes. These non-clinical services include, but are not limited to, a range of arts activities. While the primary objectives of the Social Prescribing programme are the improvement of patients’ quality of life and a reduction of demand on NHS services, the programme might give arts participation and community arts a boost (see chapter 2.7).

Unsurprisingly, elderly people often find it difficult to attend cultural events or participate in cultural activities, as revealed in a survey by ComRes for Arts Council England (see chapter 2.6). Nevertheless, according to a report from Kings College, programmes that encourage the engagement of older people in creativity are flourishing (see chapter 2.6).

Last update: March, 2020

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)

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)

Source: Ofcom - Communications Market Report 2017: United Kingdom

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

Last update: March, 2020

Table 5: Household cultural expenditure by expenditure purpose, 2016/17 and 2017/18

NB: the following numbers are taken from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and they refer to all of the United Kingdom. Refers to weekly expenditure and no percentages are given.

Sources: 
2016/17: Components of Household Expenditure: Table A1 (Fiscal Year ending April 2017)
2017/18: Components of Household Expenditure: Table A1 (Fiscal Year ending April 2018) 

Last update: March, 2020

England and Wales have a large network of community centres. These serve as public locations that provide members of the community with the space to gather for group activities, social support and information, some of which may be cultural and artistic. There is a revival of interest in arts centres traditionally dedicated to showcasing professional arts or high-quality amateur arts (the arts centre movement had been very active from the 1970s-1990s). Many of these centres increasingly also dedicate space and time for community arts activities, mostly under the stewardship of the arts centre itself. Furthermore, charities and religious organisations such as churches are places that may provide space for community arts activities. Funding comes from different sources. Very often, arts centres rely on a mix of government funding (e.g. in the form of grants from the Arts Council or the local authority), private funding and self-generated revenue. 

Libraries alsoplay an important role in the provision of cultural services. Under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, all of the 151 English local authorities are required to provide a comprehensive and efficient library system (though financial cuts are said to be undermining this). A recent report by the Carnegie UK Trust showed that in addition to offering literature services, many UK libraries also function as cultural hubs. This can take on a diversity of forms and includes the provision of rehearsal and performance spaces for performing arts as well as “makerspaces” and exhibition spaces for crafts and fine arts. Furthermore, libraries run workshops that give people the chance to explore their creative potential. However, due to local funding cuts, many libraries are now run by volunteers rather than by qualified librarians or have been closed altogether. This means that the provision of library services across the country has become patchy and varies in quality. Furthermore, there are music hubs, which provide children with the opportunity to learn a musical instrument of sing in a choir (see chapter 5.2).

Community artistic creation has a long tradition in England and Wales and there is a wealth of arts organisations such as amateur choirs, orchestras or theatre companies that provide opportunities for artistic expression by non-professional artists. Although exact numbers are hard to come by, the Third Sector Research Centre puts the number as high as 49,000 amateur arts groups in England alone. What is noteworthy about these groups is their diversity in terms of quality and accessibility. Although officially deemed amateur arts, some non-professional groups require extensive and costly training from participants (e.g. many amateur orchestras require players to be of Grade 8 music or above standard of playing), which may make the groups somewhat exclusive. On the other hand, there is a proliferation of creative arts interventions and grassroots initiatives that aim to involve the highest number of people in arts activities and which get their funding from different sources. There are also certain charities that use the arts to provide services to specific groups such as refugees (e.g. Art Refuge), or the homeless (e.g. Streetwise Opera). The renewed interest in the interconnection between arts and wellbeing, as well as the introduction of Social Prescribing (see chapter 2.7) could increase participation in amateur arts and highlight the importance of creativity.

Subcultures such as “steampunk” or “goth” were of some relevance for different parts of the UK arts scene, including music, fashion and literature, in the latter part of the 20^th century. While many of these subcultures are still in existence, it is questionable whether they are still as influential nowadays. Boundaries between different groups seem to be much less clearly defined than they were in the past with many people practising a pick-and-mix approach and choosing an eclectic mix of elements from different subcultures.