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13 Culture and Sport

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

The Scottish Government promotes culture and sport because of the benefits each of them brings to communities and individuals. The Government aims both to widen access and participation, and to increase excellence, contributing towards the Government's strategic objectives ⁶⁷ including: Expand opportunities for people in Scotland to succeed from nurture through to life long learning, ensuring higher and more widely shared achievements; Help people to sustain and improve their health, especially in disadvantaged communities, ensuring better, local and faster access to health care; Help local communities to flourish, becoming stronger, safer places to live, offering improved opportunities and a better quality of life.

For the first time in 2007, questions on culture and sport were included in the main Scottish Household Survey interview. ⁶⁸ The suite of questions cover attending cultural events and places, and participating in cultural and sports activities. As well as establishing attendance and participation, the frequency of undertaking these activities was also investigated. This chapter starts by exploring the prevalence and frequency in the last 12 months of undertaking cultural activities and of attending cultural events and places of culture. In the final section, the prevalence and frequency of participation in sport in the last four weeks is investigated.

Additional tables investigating attendance and participation in culture and sport in more detail are available on the SHS website. ⁶⁹

PARTICIPATION IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

The first question in the section on culture and sports concerns participation in cultural activities (excluding as a result of paid work, school or academic activities). Respondents are asked to say which ones they have participated in during the last 12 months. Figure 13.1 presents the results for adults as a whole.

Almost three quarters (73%) have participated in cultural activities. On average, the people who participated have undertaken approximately two different types of activity. The predominant activity is reading for pleasure (excluding newspapers, magazines or comics). Almost two-thirds of adults (64%) have read for pleasure in the last 12 months. Dance is the next most popular with 22% having taken part in this. This is followed by crafts such as textile, wood, pottery, etc. (13%); painting, drawing, printmaking or sculpture (10%); playing a musical instrument or writing music (10%). Participation rates for each of the other activities are less than 10%.

FIGURE 13.1: PARTICIPATION IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
2007 data, Adults (Base 10,299)

Total participation is further broken down in Table 13.1, shown in order of participation levels. Firstly, considering those who have not taken part in any of the cultural activities in the past 12 months (27%), men were more likely than women (32% versus 23%) to have not undertaken any activities in the last 12 months, while at 39% those aged 75 and over were the age group least likely to have done so. Non-participation levels are similar among all other age groups.

There are different participation rates for a number of individual activities by gender. A higher proportion of women than men have read for pleasure and taken part in dance, crafts, art or sculpture. In contrast, men are more likely than women to have played a musical instrument or written music, or undertaken photography as an artistic activity. The proportions of men and women undertaking the remaining activities are similar.

Participation in many of the cultural activities declines with age. For example over a third (35%) of those aged 16 to 24 have taken part in dance in the last 12 months compared with 8% of those aged 75 or over. Two exceptions are reading for pleasure and crafts, which are undertaken by higher percentages of those in the 25 to 74 age range. A further exception is photography which does not vary by age, until the age of 74, after which participation declines. Additionally, rehearsing, performing or singing in front of an audience is undertaken more often by people aged 16 to 24 than it is by other age groups.

TABLE 13.1: PARTICIPATION IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS BY GENDER AND AGE
Column percentages, 2007 data

Columns add to more than 100% since multiple responses allowed.
From June 2007, this question was asked of three quarters of the sample. From January to May 2007, it was asked of all adults.

For each cultural activity, those who participated were asked how frequently they did this in the last year. The results are shown in Table 13.2 and are presented in order of the percentage of people who participated. As well as being the most common activity overall, reading for pleasure is also undertaken more frequently than other cultural activities. Over eight in ten (82%) read for pleasure at least once a week. Playing a musical instrument or writing music is also relatively frequently undertaken by those who participate. Over half (55%) of those who undertake this activity do so at least once a week. Making films or video is the activity that adults were the least likely to participate in, and is also undertaken most infrequently.

To aid comparison, a mean was calculated by assigning approximate scores to the frequency scale used in this question. The resulting means are shown in the right hand column of table 13.2. These are intended to give a guide to relative frequency rather than a 'true' indication of average frequency with which each of the activities are undertaken. Apart from the three mentioned above, most activities are undertaken roughly 20 times a year by those who participate.

TABLE 13.2: FREQUENCY OF PARTICIPATING IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
Row percentages, 2007 data

From June 2007, this question was asked of three quarters of the sample. From January to May 2007, it was asked of all adults.
To enable mean frequency to be calculated values were assigned to the frequency scales as shown in the table in the headings row. These are approximate values only to aid interpretation of the data.

ATTENDANCE AT CULTURAL EVENTS AND PLACES

The next question in this series concerns attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture not as a result of paid work, school or academic activities. Once again respondents were asked about the last 12 months. Figure 13.2 presents the results for adults as a whole.

Three quarters (74%) of adults have attended cultural events or visited cultural places in the last 12 months. On average, these people attended approximately three different types of event or place during this time. Viewing a film at a cinema or other venue is the most common; almost half (48%) have done this in the last 12 months. Between a quarter and a third have visited a library (31%); attended a theatrical performance (28%); a museum (27%) or a live music event (26%).

FIGURE 13.2: ATTENDANCE AT CULTURAL EVENTS AND VISITING PLACES OF CULTURE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
2007 data, Adults (Base 10,299)

The results for all adults are shown in Table 13.3 broken down by gender and age, in descending order. The table also shows the characteristics of those who have not attended any cultural events or visited any cultural places in the last 12 months. There is relatively little difference between men and women among non-attenders. Non-attendance increases with age. In particular, over half (53%) of those aged 75 and over have not attended any cultural events or visited places of culture in the last year.

The percentage of men and women attending at least one event are similar, but clearer differences are seen for specific types of event or place. A higher proportion of women than men have seen a film at a cinema, visited a library, attended a theatrical event or visited a craft exhibition. In contrast a higher percentage of men have attended a live music event or place of historical or archaeological interest.

Cinema-going stands out from the majority of other activities in that attendance is high for younger adults and declines with age. For example 77% of 16-24 year olds have visited the cinema in the past 12 months compared with 11% of those aged 75 and over. Attending live music events similarly declines with age. For most other events, attendance increases after the age of 24 and tends to decline sharply beyond 74.

Those aged 75 and over are the least likely of any age group to attend any of the cultural events or places. A quarter (25%) have visited a library in the past 12 months, one in six (16%) have attended a theatrical performance and one in seven (14%) a museum.

TABLE 13.3: ATTENDANCE AT CULTURAL EVENTS AND VISITING PLACES OF CULTURE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS BY GENDER AND AGE
Column percentages, 2007 data

Columns add to more than 100% since multiple responses allowed.
From June 2007, this question was asked of three quarters of the sample. From January to May 2007, it was asked of all adults.

Table 13.4 shows the frequency with which those who have visited places of culture or attended cultural events in the last year have done so, shown in descending order of attendance (at any event or place). Strikingly, the frequency with which adults use libraries is higher than any other activity. One in five (20%) of those who have used a library in the last year have done so at least once a week and a further 41% have done so less often than weekly but at least once a month.

Once again a mean has been calculated to provide a relative frequency measure, further highlighting the difference between using a library and all other of the activities listed. The mean frequency for using a library is 16.5, approximately equivalent to once or twice a month. Cinema-going is the next most frequently undertaken, followed by visiting an archive or records office, although this is undertaken by the fewest adults. No other activity is undertaken more than approximately four times a year on average.

TABLE 13.4: FREQUENCY OF ATTENDING CULTURAL EVENTS AND VISITING PLACES OF CULTURE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
Row percentages, 2007 data

From June 2007, this question was asked of three quarters of the sample. From January to May 2007, it was asked of all adults.
To enable mean frequency to be calculated values were assigned to the frequency scales as shown in the table in the headings row. These are approximate values only to aid interpretation of the data.

PARTICIPATION IN SPORT

The final questions in this section investigated levels of participation among adults in sport. A broad definition of sport is used and includes, for example, recreational walking (for more than 30 minutes). For this question, adults were asked about participation in the last four weeks. The results are shown in Figure 13.3.

The 71% of people who had participated in any sport in the last four weeks undertook on average a little over two activities each. By far the most prevalent activity was walking for 30 minutes (for recreational purposes). Over half (55%) had done this in the last four weeks compared with fewer than one in five undertaking any other activity. When walking was removed, almost half of adults had undertaken at least one of the remaining sports activities in the last four weeks. Excluding walkers, adults participating only in other sports did so in an average of a little over two activities in the past four weeks, broadly comparable to the average when walking is included.

FIGURE 13.3: PARTICIPATION IN SPORT IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS
2007 data, Adults (Base 10,298)

Differences in sports participation levels between genders and between adults of different ages are explored in Table 13.5. The percentage of women who had participated in sport in the last four weeks is lower than the corresponding figure for men (69% versus 74%). Among different age groups, participation was highest among those aged 16 to 24 (86%) followed by those aged 25 to 44 (81%). Thereafter, participation decreased steadily until the age of 74, after which there was a sharp decrease with only 36% of those aged 75 and over engaging in sport in the past four weeks. The range of activities also reduced as age increased; those aged 16 to 24 had participated in almost three different activities on average, compared with an average of 1.5 activities for those aged 75 or over.

Walking was the predominant activity regardless of gender and for all age groups. Similar proportions of men and women had walked for at least 30 minutes for recreational purposes in the past four weeks (54% and 56% respectively). The peak age group for walking was 35 to 44 (63%) and there was rapid decline after the age of 74 (to 29% of those aged 75+).

As participation in walking dominated, the proportion participating in all other sports, excluding walking, was also examined. Almost half (48%) of adults had participated in sport excluding walking. Participation was higher among men (53%) than women (45%) and declined with age (for example 72% of those aged 16 to 24 compared with 17% of those over 74 had participated in other sports activities).

Participation in walking can be compared with participation in sport excluding walking. Similar percentages of men participated in walking as did in at least one other activity excluding walking, while a higher percentage of women participated in walking. In terms of age, a higher proportion of those aged 16 to 24 participated in activities excluding walking. In contrast, a higher proportion of those aged 45-59 or older participated in walking than participated in sport excluding walking.

There were some differences between the other sports and physical activities. The three activities with the highest participation in the last four weeks after walking were swimming (18%), dancing (13%) or taking part in keep fit or aerobics (12%); a higher proportion of women than men had undertaken each of these activities. Participation in all other individual physical activities was higher among men than women.

For the majority of activities (excluding walking), prevalence of having participated in the last four weeks decreased with age. Exceptions included cycling where, similar to walking, the peak age was 35-44 (15%) and golf where a similar proportion of all ages up to 74 had played golf in the past four weeks. Those aged 60 and over were more likely to have played bowls in the last four weeks than any other age group (7% of those aged 60-74 and 5% of those aged 75+), although participation in bowls was relatively low among all adults (4% in the last four weeks).

TABLE 13.5: PARTICIPATION IN SPORT IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS BY GENDER AND AGE
Column percentages, 2007 data

Columns add to more than 100% since multiple responses allowed.
From June 2007, this question was asked of three quarters of the sample. From January to May 2007, it was asked of all adults.

Having established the percentage of adults taking part in sport in the last four weeks, those who participated in the activities were asked the number of days they had undertaken at least one of them during that period (rather than using a frequency scale) (Table 13.6). This enabled an average to be calculated from the answers provided, which is shown in the last row of the table. On average adults had undertaken at least one of the physical activities on around 13 days in the last four weeks, which would equate to a frequency of around three days per week. This ranges from a little under a quarter (24%) of adults who say they had participated on most days (21-28 days) in the last four weeks, to three in ten (30%) who had done so on only 1-4 days during that period.

The frequency of taking part in these activities in the last four weeks does not vary by gender nor, broadly, by age. However, perhaps surprisingly, of those participating in any activities, the percentage saying they had participated on 21-28 days increased after the age of 44. Almost three in ten (31%) of those aged 75 or over who had participated in any of the activities said that they had done so on average on more than five days a week over the four week period prior to the survey. This is the highest percentage of any age group, though fewer had taken part in any sports and the range of activities that this group had engaged in was smaller than those of other, particularly the younger, age groups.

TABLE 13.6: FREQUENCY OF PARTICIPATING IN SPORT IN THE LAST 4 WEEKS BY GENDER AND AGE
Column percentages, 2007 data

From June 2007, this question was asked of three quarters of the sample. From January to May 2007, it was asked of all adults.

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