Starting young

New evidence has confirmed the vital influence that attending and participating in the arts during childhood plays in adult involvement with the arts. The latest figures from the DCMS ‘Taking Part’ survey , which provides national estimates of engagement with the arts, reveal that while 22% of the UK population have attended the theatre, dance or classical music as an adult but not as a child (aged 11–15), twice as many (44%) attended as children and still attend as adults. The contrast in participatory arts activity is greater still. Twenty-three per cent claim an involvement with painting or drawing as both an adult and child, but only 4% of adults who paint or draw did not do so as a child. The figures for playing a musical instrument, acting, dancing and singing show a similar pattern: 41% who do so as adults also did so as children, and only 14% of adults who currently participate in these did not do so as children.