As we emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic, how are Scots feeling about returning to cultural events?

Creative Scotland have just released the latest report from the series of surveys we have undertaken for them during the Covid-19 pandemic, measuring how the Scottish population has been engaging with arts and culture during this period and their hopes and fears for returning to events and venues as restrictions are eased. 

Fieldwork for this latest survey wave took place in February 2022 with 1,105 online interviews undertaken with a representative sample of the adult population, including a ‘booster’ sample of additional 100 members of the ethnic minority population. 

Consistent with the previous three survey waves (undertaken in 2020 and 2021) half of the population told us that since the pandemic had started they had really missed the opportunity to go to cultural events and venues and, since the re-opening of venues, many had already attended or had plans to attend events and shows with levels of interest highest for cinema, live music, theatre and live comedy.

However concerns around Covid-19 remain for many with 55% of the population continuing to feel worried about the potential health impacts of the virus for them and their family, some respondents stating that outdoor and larger venues are more attractive than smaller indoor ones and, at the time of the fieldwork, just over half (55%) indicated that they supported the idea of events only being available to those who had been fully vaccinated or just obtained a negative test result.  

But as we emerge from one crisis impacting the sector another is on the horizon. Our study also showed the increasing concerns and potential impacts of the rising costs of living– 48% of the population are worried about their household finances for the year ahead and many feel that they will be less likely to attend cultural events in future as they need to save money. Most notably around half or more stated that they may be less likely to attend cinema, theatre or live music due their tightening budgets.

If you would like to find out more about this survey and view the full report visit the Creative Scotland website now or get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss our research approaches and how we can help you.

Understanding the State of Play in the Scottish Performing Arts sector

The performing arts sector is one of the sectors most severely impacted by the Covid-19 crisis with theatres forced to close their doors for months and many of the (often freelance) workforce unable to continue working.

As the sector started to re-open this summer we were delighted to be commissioned by the Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST) to work with them on their ‘State of Play’ sector research study.

This national study will provide FST with the vital feedback it needs to hear from the sector as they work together to rebuild and recover. Specifically, the research will provide new information on the health of the sector at this critical time, covering a wide range of topics including equality and diversity, climate action, policies and working practices, the impacts of Covid 19 and aspirations for the future.

The results will be used to inform a new Scottish Theatre and Dance strategy which FST is leading the development of, as well as providing insights to support their wider decision making and advocacy work. The study will also establish measures which can be used as a baseline to measure changes in future, with surveying repeated periodically to obtain an update from the sector.

Fieldwork has just completed - this involved two separate online surveys, one targeted at organisations in the sector and the other completed by individuals working in the sector. We are delighted with the response received and are now working with FST to analyse, interpret and report the findings. Look out for more updates in the near future.

If you’d like to find out more about this study or other research we are undertaking in the arts and culture sectors please get in touch.

COVID-19 Impacts: Supporting the arts sector’s recovery from COVID 19

Results from the third fieldwork wave of a survey of the Scottish population we conducted for Creative Scotland were published this week. The research provides an up to date picture on how the population is feeling about returning to arts events and venues as the sector reopens, with a focus on key areas of interest such as levels of comfort attending different types of venue, social distancing requirements, requirements for Covid testing and other potential protective measures.

The findings show that the desire to attend cultural events and venues remains strong with audiences keen to return – this is especially the case in relation to live music, cinema, comedy and theatre. 3 in 5 of the population would be comfortable with the option of 1 metre distancing (a significant increase since 2020) and over half support the idea of cultural events only being available to people who have just obtained a negative Covid test.

A summary of results and the full report are available on the Creative Scotland here