September 2018
Featured in this insight: Culture, heritage & leisure, Central government & non-department public bodies
Government survey reveals barriers to arts engagement: A large-scale survey looking at the arts, heritage, museums and libraries as well as some other areas including digital engagement, has revealed the barriers preventing people from becoming more engaged with the arts.
The Taking Part Survey for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been polling the general public since 2005 and offers a reliable insight into the nation's arts engagement.
The survey found that 79% had engaged in cultural activities in the last 12 months (2017/18); 73% had visited a heritage site and half had visited a museum or gallery, with just a third saying they had used a public library service (33%).
The survey reveals a steady decline in the use of public libraries since the data first began in 2005/6 where just under half (48%) of those polled used the service.
Lack of interest and lack of time were the main barriers to participation last year, with 31% saying they had not attended an arts event and 47% saying they had not experienced any cultural activity in the last 12 months.
In terms of attendance, 37% said the reason why they did not engage with any cultural activities was that it does not interest them, while 33% admitted they don’t have the time.
Other reasons given for not engaging were the cost, knowing what was on offer, the ease/difficulty of getting a place and not having someone to go with.
For 23% of the people who said they had not engaged with the arts, the reason was due to a disability. However, engagement among people with a disability overall was higher than ever with 76% saying they had attended an event or cultural activity in the 2017/18.
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