Public support cuts to the arts

The British public are more likely to believe that arts funding should be preserved because of its intrinsic cultural value than because of its positive effect on the economy, a survey by market research service YouGov has found. The research was carried out in the same month that Maria Miller made her maiden speech as Culture Secretary, emphasising her view that the sector should present its case for arts funding based on economic investment arguments. It reveals that only 21% of the public think arts funding is justified by its economic benefits, compared to 31% who think the cultural and civilising effects of art justifies Government spending. However, 37% of those surveyed said that public spending on art was not justified by either factor. Conservative supporters were more likely agree with this view, with 45% saying funding was not justified. Support for the ‘arts for arts sake’ rose to 38% amongst Labour supporters.  Almost a quarter of those surveyed said they would like to see bigger cuts to arts funding compared to other areas of public spending. 22% of Labour supporters and 27% of Conservative supporters agreed with this proposition, compared with only 13% of Liberal Democrat supporters. 56% of those surveyed said arts spending deserved the same cuts as other government departments. Only 7% of those surveyed wanted to see the arts protected from cuts completely.