Digital audiences: engagement with arts and culture online – November 2010
Interested in (cont.)
Attended in P12M (cont.) Ballet
4%
Play/musical/opera
4%
Contemporary dance
4%
Street arts
2%
African/South Asian/Chinese dance
4%
Traditional music
Any of the above
92%
Participated in P12M (cont.)
Combined arts (carnival/ festival)
5%
Any of the above
81%
14%
Classical music
8%
Opera/operetta
6%
Jazz
5%
Literature event
5%
Archive/record office
5%
Any of the above
76%
Any attendance or participation
90%
Base: English online population (n=2000); question text and lists of activities were based on Taking Part
4.2.1 Attitudes towards arts and culture Just under one quarter (23%) of the English online population consider themselves „passionate about arts and culture‟ and one third (33%) „would like to be more involved with arts and culture‟. At the other end of the spectrum there is a disengaged group (23%) who believe that „people like me don‟t get involved with arts and culture‟. More people agreed with this statement than claimed „no interest‟ in the specific arts and cultural forms presented in exhibit 4. This can be explained by the use of the phrase „arts and culture‟ in the second question, which may be a label that feels removed from some people‟s day-to-day experiences. 17 Attitudes demonstrate familiar patterns across different demographic groups. 18 Those most likely to feel „passionate‟ about arts and culture tend to be younger (31% of 16-34 year olds versus 23% of the whole sample), more educated (30% of those with higher education qualifications), with a leaning towards being female (26% versus 20%). Those who are least „passionate‟ tend to be of a lower social grade (15% of grades C2DEs), with lower household income (20% of those earning <£20,000 per annum) and of a lower educational level (9% of those whose educational attainment is less than five GCSE/O levels at grades AC). Many members of the population are keen on learning about subjects that interest them:
76% „enjoy finding out about topics/subjects of interest (e.g. bird watching, WWII, fashion)‟ 51% „enjoy finding out about my family history‟ 51% „enjoy finding out about the things that I collect‟. The desire to find out about topics/subjects of interest is significantly more prevalent among those of higher educational backgrounds (81%) and social grade ABC1 (79%). Family history appeals more to females
17
Supported by the previous qualitative research: Synovate, Consuming digital arts: understanding of and engagement with arts in the digital arena amongst the general public, Arts Council England, 2009 18 Statistically significant differences (at 95% confidence level)
13