12 million adults actively participate in the arts in England every year

New analysis shows 12 million adults actively participate in the arts in England every year, but there is significant variation in local communities throughout the country.

New analysis of data from the Active People survey shows that on average 28.6% of the English adult population state they have spent time doing creative, artistic or musical activities in the last 12 months, but this varies from 39.3% in Camden to just 16.6% in Wigan. Figures also show that whilst there is generally a strong correlation between participation in the arts and attendance at arts events, there are areas where levels of participation are proportionally much higher (including Manchester, Hackney and Cornwall) and places where it is much lower (including Havering, Knowsley and Sefton).

The analysis of the data has been carried out by Audiences UK on behalf of the Participation Manifesto Group, a partnership of organisations committed to raising levels of participation in arts activities that includes Voluntary Arts, the National Campaign for the Arts and the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers.

Robin Simpson, Chief Executive of Voluntary Arts, commented: ‘Given the number of active amateur arts organisations in England, I am not surprised that in some areas almost 4 out of 10 adults are participating in the arts in their spare time. However in a third of the country less than a quarter of adults are taking part. The benefits to individuals and society of participating in arts activities are well documented, so we need to work harder with funders and policy makers to ensure everyone has the opportunity to engage in activities in their local area.’

Louise de Winter of the National Campaign for the Arts responded to the findings: ‘With the scale of cuts facing many arts institutions, it has never been more important to value and support opportunities for participation in the arts and to find new ways for communities to come together creatively. Local Government needs to recognise the importance of their support to voluntary organisations and the facilities they use.’

David Brownlee of Audiences UK stated: ‘Thanks to a small amount of investment at a national level we have a clear picture at a local level of the different levels of participation. We need to understand why ‘do-it-yourself’ cultural life is so vibrant in some parts of England and use this knowledge to help support development in other areas of the country. We hope the DCMS and Arts Council England will continue to gather data on a regular basis to monitor trends and evaluate the impact of our joint work.’