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Almost as many young adults think of themselves as an ‘arty person’ as a ‘sporty person’

Photo: old_skool_paul (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Tracking study sheds light on attitudes to culture

Enthusiasm for the arts matches that for sport, and younger people are the most engaged of all, according to new research examining attitudes to the arts and culture in the UK.

Liz Hill
3 min read

A slightly higher proportion of UK adults have an interest in arts and culture (87%) than have an interest in sports (84%), according to the latest research into attitudes to the arts, although there are significant differences between men and women, with sports interest biased towards men, and arts and culture skewed towards women. Among young adults, almost as many think of themselves as an ‘arty person’ (49%) as a ‘sporty person’ (51%), and whilst only a quarter of all adults rate their general knowledge of arts and culture ‘much better’ or ‘a bit better’ than most, this figure is much higher (36%) among 16 to 29 year olds. The under-45s are also far more likely than those aged 45 and over to agree that arts and culture are important in helping them to understand the world around them.

These generational differences have been uncovered through the first wave of a new tracking study which is set to provide the first ever “barometer” for public attitudes to culture in the UK. Whilst the Government’s Taking Part survey has been tracking attendance and participation in culture and sport since 2005, this new research is designed to provide insight into attitudes and opinions. Commissioned by King’s College London (KCL) from the international research agency Nielsen, it will contribute to a new programme of work by KCL which aims to ensure that the UK doesn’t lose the knowledge and expertise gained through the 2012 Cultural Olympiad about how to use culture to add value to major events.

Deborah Bull, Director of Cultural Partnerships at KCL, described the Cultural Olympiad as “a high point in public engagement with culture – with universal recognition of the value it could bring to major events”. But the fear is that, with many of the organisations that made it possible having been dissolved, the expertise gained will be lost. She said: “We need to hold on to that learning so we can create even better events in the future, which add real value to local communities.” The research has shown that, although 63% of people agree that the UK as a whole benefits from staging cultural events as part of major sporting events, they are less likely to agree that it will make a positive difference to their own lives (33%).

The second wave of the tracking study will report in November and further waves are planned for 2015. The information generated will inform the work of a new cross-sectoral consortium involving organisations from culture, sport, Higher Education, local government and the events industry. The consortium is being set up by Culture at King’s to take forward the recommendations made in the Cultural Enquiry, Beyond Performance, which explored the role that arts and culture play in maximising the value of major sporting and national events. The Enquiry found that, despite having similar values, cultural practitioners and sports event managers often have little appreciation of each other’s activities, and this is reflected in administrative and funding structures which do not support the common social and economic outcomes. The consortium will be identifying some of the conditions necessary for staging successful cultural programmes within major events, to ensure a lasting legacy.