High Level Summary of Statistics Trend Last update: Friday, August 22, 2008
Participation and Attendance
The Scottish Arts Council's latest 2006 survey on arts participation and attendance in Scotland surveyed over 5,000 adults. Key findings regarding cultural participation and attendance include:
Participation
- 76% of adults in Scotland stated that they had participated in arts or cultural activities during the previous year, an increase from 2004 (67%).
- Reading books was the most frequently undertaken activity, with 59% of adults in Scotland having done so on 4 or more occasions in the previous year.
- Between 2004 and 2006 there were increases in the proportion of adults in Scotland participating in reading books, buying non-fiction books, buying art or craft objects, painting or drawing and writing poetry; there were decreases in the proportions taking part in Scottish traditional dance or singing in a choir.
Attendance
- 77% of respondents indicated that they had attended an arts or cultural activity over the last year, similar to that recorded in 2004 (75%).
- The arts and cultural activities undertaken by the largest proportions of Scottish adults were going to the cinema (57%); visiting museums (30%); visiting art galleries (24%) and attending rock and pop music events (22%).
- Comparison with the 2004 survey suggests that the proportion of people in Scotland going to the cinema, attending musicals, attending arts festivals and attending orchestral music events has increased, whilst the proportions attending pantomime or variety shows, Scottish traditional dance events, contemporary crafts and carnivals and circuses has decreased.
Other sources show that:
- There were 1.5 million visits to the National Museums of Scotland in 2007/08. The number of aged 16-24 visitors to National Museums in Scotland has more than doubled from 270,000 in 2006/07 to 560,000 in 2007/08.
- There were 1.5 million visits to the National Galleries of Scotland in 2006/07 and increase of 24% since 2004/05. There were 1 million visitors to National Galleries website in 2006/07, compared with 0.6 million in 2005/06.
- The number of readers at the National Library of Scotland was around 69,000 in 2007/08, showing an increase of (15%) since 2004/05.
- Audiences at Scottish Arts Council core funded performances and exhibitions have grown from 4.0 million in 2000/01 to 5.7 million in 2005/06, a 41% increase.
- Participation in Scottish Arts Council core funded education and outreach events has doubled from 0.64 million in 2000/01 to 1.3 million in 2005/06.
- There were over 540,000 attendances at Scottish Screen Regional Film Theatres in 2005/06, broadly similar to the previous years since 2000/01.
Further Information
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