It’s the taking part that counts …

Ninety-nine per cent of 11–15 year olds attended or participated in an arts event in the past year, along with 97% of 5–10 year olds and 76% of adults, according to the latest figures from the DCMS’s ‘Taking Part’ survey. The survey’s definition of ‘taking part’ in the arts covers everything from attending a pop concert to reading a book to watching a play. Although 60% of adults surveyed had attended or participated in an arts activity more than three times in 2009/10, almost a quarter of adults surveyed had not participated in or engaged with the arts at all. Attendance at the cinema, and pop and rock concerts all increased between 2008/09 and 2009/10, while attendance at carnivals, exhibitions and “culturally specific” festivals decreased. People in the upper socio-economic groups (82%) are considerably more likely than those in the lower socio-economic groups (65%) to have engaged with the arts and although the slight upward trend in both adults and children visiting museums and galleries continued last year, the percentages vary hugely across the country: in the most deprived areas the figure for adults is only 31% compared with 64% of those living in the most affluent.