The Arts Council of England

Gathering evidence about the experiences and circumstances of artists, audiences and potential audiences provides the bedrock for much of the Arts Council's advocacy work. We are committed to working with organisations to identify what data will be useful and collectable, minimising duplication and maximising the use of the data that is collected.

In 2000, the Arts Council expanded its research department and consulted widely before creating a research strategy based on the Arts Council's five strategic priorities. Many aspects of this strategy are already in place.

It is crucial for us to have a clear and up-to-date picture of who is attending and taking part in the arts, where and how often. This underpins the Arts Council strategic priority of bringing the arts to a wider audience and is an important part of seeking more funding for the arts. We commissioned the Office for National Statistics to carry out a pilot survey into audience attendance, which was published in August 2001 as 'Arts in England, attendance, participation and attitudes'. This report provides valuable evidence of the place of the arts and culture in people's lives. It is being followed up by a full-scale survey, with 6,000 adults being interviewed by the end of 2001 and results due to be published by summer 2002.

As well as finding out who is already enjoying the arts, we are supporting work to encourage new participants. For example, the Research Department is working with the Audience Development team to evaluate the New Audiences programme. This programme is spread over four years. Halfway through the it, we are evaluating some specific activities such as At home with art and Placing art in new contexts. Work is underway to evaluate new audiences projects in relation to social inclusion, diversity and disability.

Other evidence is more focused on artists and the arts and crafts economy. We will be evaluating the impact of the extra £25 million a year funding for theatre. In the areas of carnival, street art and circus arts, the Arts Council has commissioned a nationwide mapping exercise, which will use information from the Regional Arts Boards about activities in their region to develop an action plan for the sector. And we will be evaluating the Arts Capital Programme, focusing on criteria for assessing success and judging the level and type of data collection which will enable us to do that.

On the international level, we advised arts organisations about the support available to help them work, tour and distribute to overseas markets through the Ready to Export seminars. We also launched the report and findings of Banking on Culture, an international research project, led by North West Arts Board, to pilot new ways of financing the arts.

The results of such research provide valuable information for artists and arts organisations, central government and local authorities, and are used by a wider audience of researchers and academics. All the above evidence – and much more that is currently being collected – is gathered to create a strong base from which we can influence planning and policy-making for the good of the arts and make decisions based on sound information.
Full details of the Arts Council's current research programme can be found on our website.