KEY FINDINGS
The Scottish Household Survey Culture (and Sport) Module comprises a representative, random sample survey of c 3,500 adults (16 years and over) in Scotland over the two years 2007 and 2008. The survey asks questions on the extent of cultural participation, attendance, and reasons why people do and do not take part (ie motivation and perceived barriers). The Module also looks at childhood encouragement to participate in culture, use of the internet to access cultural websites, and volunteering in both cultural activities and for culture- and arts organisations. This report presents the findings of the 2007 survey. Key findings from each of the chapters contained in this report are as follows:
Cultural Participation
- 79% of adults had participated in (ie had done) a cultural activity in the last 12 months
- The most common category of cultural activity was reading or buying books (69%), followed by any type of performance (25%), craftwork (20%), buying cultural items (17%) and visual arts (15%)
- Women were more likely to have participated in some form of cultural activity than men (82% v 74%)
- In terms of age, participation was highest among those aged 16-24 years and lowest among those aged 75 years and over
- There were strong differences in participation between areas in which people live - those in the least deprived areas were much more likely than those in the most deprived areas to have done any type of cultural activity
- Those on lower incomes were less likely to participate than those on higher incomes
- People with a longstanding illness or disability were less likely than others to take part in a cultural activity
- Those who held higher qualifications had much higher participation rates than those with no qualifications at all
- Those living in the most remote rural areas had the highest level of participation in cultural activities
- People participated in cultural activities for enjoyment, relaxation and to learn or develop new skills
- Two in five people who had done at least one cultural activity over the last 12 months said that they would like to do it more often; the main factor that would encourage them to do so more often was if they had more time
- The main reasons given as to why people did not participate in cultural activities were that they were not really interested, it was difficult to find the time, their health was not good enough, and it had never occurred to them
Cultural Attendance
- 75% of adults had attended or visited at least one cultural event or place in Scotland in the previous 12 months
- The cinema was the most popular cultural event attended, followed by theatre performances such as musicals or pantomimes and art, photography or sculpture exhibitions
- The most frequently attended cultural event was cinema, with about a quarter of the population having gone at least once a month in the previous 12 months
- Those living in the most deprived areas were much less likely than those in the least deprived areas to have attended a cultural event in the previous 12 months
- Those with a disability or longstanding illness were, with a few exceptions, less likely to attend a cultural event in the previous 12 months
- People with higher incomes were generally more likely to attend any cultural event; and those with no access to a car were less likely to attend any cultural event, again with some exceptions
- People with no qualifications were much less likely to attend any cultural event than those with the highest qualifications
- The main reasons people gave for going to cultural events or places were that they liked going to that type of event, that they wanted to see a specific performer or event, and they wanted to spend time with friends or family
- In general, for most of the events, the majority of people wanted to attend more often; the main factor that would encourage them to attend more often was if they had more free time. However a sizeable minority said they would attend more often if there was better information on what was available, if there were cheaper admission prices and if there were better public transport links or access to transport
- The main reasons given as to why people had not attended any cultural event in the previous 12 months were that they were not really interested, their health was not good enough, it was difficult to find the time, and that the events cost too much
Visiting Archive Centres or Records Offices
- 5% of people had visited an archive or records office in the previous 12 months and the most common reason for doing so was to find out about family history
Going to the Library
- Just over half (52%) of adults had visited a library in Scotland in the past 12 months; almost half (48%) had visited at least once a month
Visiting Historic and Archaeological Sites
- Over half (55%) had visited a historic or archaeological site in the past 12 months; frequency of visiting such sites was fairly low, with 13% of people having visited historic parks, gardens or landscapes at least once a month, and for all other sites fewer than 10% had visited at least once a month
Visiting Museums and Galleries
- Over a third of adults (37%) had visited at least one museum or gallery in Scotland in the past 12 months; the majority (64%) had visited once or twice in the year, with a further 29% visiting at least 3-4 times during the year
Childhood Introduction to Culture and Early Exposure
Respondents were asked about the level of encouragement they had been given when growing up from adults in their household or family, to attend cultural venues or do activities of a cultural or artistic nature
The percentages of people saying they had been taken very or fairly often to visit cultural venues when growing up, were as follows:
Museums and Galleries - 29%
Theatre - 22%
Cinema - 53%
Historic Sites - 33%
Libraries - 48%
The percentages of adults saying they had been encouraged a lot to do other cultural activities when growing up, were as follows:
Reading Books - 54%
Drawing, Painting, Writing Stories, Poems, Plays or Music - 29%
Playing Musical Instruments, Acting, Dancing or Singing - 29%
Computer or Video Games - 17%*
*question on computer or video games was restricted to respondents aged 16-45 years
Internet Use and Cultural Websites
- 36% had used the internet to look at a cultural website in the last 12 months
- The most commonly visited websites were theatre or concert websites followed by historical and heritage websites, and museum or gallery websites
Volunteering
- 21% of people had done voluntary work of some kind in the last year
- Of those who had done voluntary work, 15% had volunteered in relation to cultural activities, and most had volunteered to assist with an art, music, singing or drama group (9%) with a further 5% in heritage activities