Survey casts new light on arts engagement

Analysis of public engagement with the arts over a two-year period from 2012 to 2014 has cast light on the consistency of arts attendance and participation in England. Questions from the DCMS Taking Part survey formed the basis of a longitudinal study which has found that while just over three-quarters of adults in England attend or participate in the arts, only two-thirds of the public engage with the arts in consecutive years. Similarly, while half of all adults attend museums and galleries, only 37% do so in consecutive years. These new figures are in the context of an overall pattern of arts engagement in England which has been static over the past ten years, while museum attendance has grown significantly across all English regions since 2005/6.

Commissioned by the DCMS in partnership with Arts Council England, Historic England and Sport England, the quarterly Taking Part survey, now in its 11th year, collects consistent, high-quality national data on different aspects of public engagement with leisure, culture and sport in England, together with a range of socio-demographic information on respondents. The DCMS is now seeking views on proposals for the future of the survey including potential changes to the content of the questionnaire, a reduction in sample size, the use of online data collection rather than face to face, and different methods of analysis and dissemination of the findings.

Although making changes to the survey could make it difficult for researchers to identify long-term trends, the length of the current survey makes it expensive to administer and reduces response rates. The aim of the review is to increase its impact while reducing costs. The consultation is asking which topics in the current questionnaire are most important; whether there any clear gaps in the topics covered in the current survey; and whether areas could be dropped from the survey because the data are available elsewhere, or are no longer relevant. The consultation closes on 16 October.