Young people ‘more interested’ in opera than older peers

Young people are more open to attending opera performances than their older peers, a research project has found.

A poll conducted by Public First for the Laidlaw Opera Trust found that 61% of 18- to 34-year-olds say they would consider going to an opera performance in the future. 

Meanwhile, 54% of 18- to 34-year-olds who have never been to the opera say they would like to go at least once in their lives, compared with 37% of those over 55.
 
The survey also revealed a gender divide. Given a choice as to what they would prefer a free ticket for, women are more likely to prefer the opera than a football match.
 
The survey also found that opera "struggles to cut" through, but the public is open to engaging with it – with 42% saying they have never met an opera fan and only around a third saying they have attended a performance. 

But even those who have never met an opera fan are open to engaging with the art form, with 41% of this group saying they would like to go to the opera at least once in their life.
 
Opera's perceived expense is the biggest barrier to attendance, with 50% of people saying that opera being expensive makes them feel more negative about it, which was the most important factor in driving negative perceptions. 
 
Lord Laidlaw, Chair of Laidlaw Opera Trust, said: “We commissioned this research because we believe that opera, as a uniquely thrilling art form, should reach a much wider audience. 

"It is an important starting point, therefore, to understand where  the real barriers to that ambition currently lie.”