Popularity for the arts in England

IFACCA/Artshub, 29 October 2002,United Kingdom

A joint survey conducted by the Arts Council of England (ACE) and Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries has revealed English support for arts and arts education . With the support of Resource, ACE commissioned the Social Survey Division of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2001 to carry out the survey Arts in England: attendance, participation and attitudes in 2001. ACE has highlighted the point that almost the entire adult population in England believes that schoolchildren should have access to arts education; through taking part in music, poetry or drama, visiting, museums and galleries, joining their local library or attending arts events. The report also reveals that more than three quarters of people in England have indicated that they have been to an arts event in the previous year and almost nine out of ten respondents has actively taken part in the arts. Sixty-two percent of respondents with a long-standing limiting illness or disability had attended at least one event compared with 85% of those with no longstanding illness. Chairman of the ACE, Gerry Robins, has commented that Council will be seeking to commission follow-up surveys over the next decade. '[The surveys] will allow the ACE to ‘track what we expect to be an increase across the country in both attendance and participation in the arts, particularly in the light of the significant increase in the Government’s funding to the arts as part of the last two Comprehensive Spending Reviews,' he said. A full copy of the report can be downloaded from; www.artscouncil.org.uk/publications/docs/artsinengland.doc

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