Scottish household survey 2018: annual report

12 Culture and Heritage

Main Findings

Nine in 10 (90 per cent) adults were culturally engaged in 2018, either by attending or visiting a cultural event or place or by participating in a cultural activity. Although this represents a decline since 2017, the level of cultural engagement in Scotland has increased by three percentage points since first recorded in 2007.

Cultural attendance

Around eight in 10 adults (81 per cent) in Scotland had recently attended or visited a cultural event or place of culture in 2018. The most popular form of cultural attendance was going to the cinema (56 per cent of adults) followed by visits to historical or archaeological places and attendance at live music events (both 34 per cent).

Women, younger people, those with degrees or professional qualifications, those with good physical and mental health, those living in less deprived areas and those with a higher household income were most likely to attend cultural events. This profile has remained the same over time.

Cultural participation

Over three quarters (76 per cent) of adults participated in some form of cultural activity in 2018. By far the most popular form of cultural participation was reading books for pleasure (63 per cent).

Overall participation in cultural activities was higher among women, those with degrees or professional qualifications, those with good physical and mental health, those living in less deprived areas and those with a higher household income.

The overall level of cultural participation did not change with age. However, the types of cultural activities people participated in changed with age for most activities.

Cultural services provided by local authorities

Satisfaction with local authority cultural services varied by type of service. Satisfaction with library services in 2018 has decreased since 2007. Satisfaction with theatre or concert hall services has maintained over this period whilst satisfaction with museums and galleries has improved.

In 2018, over eight in 10 adults who had used local authority cultural services were very or fairly satisfied with their provision.

12.1 Introduction and Context

The Scottish Government wants to develop the conditions and skills for culture to thrive, so it is cared for, protected and produced for the enjoyment and enrichment of all present and future generations. The Scottish Household Survey is the main source of data on heritage and cultural engagement Scotland.

The Scottish Government is currently developing a Culture Strategy for Scotland following engagement with individuals, artists, cultural organisations and communities across Scotland. A public consultation was held in summer 2018 and the finalised strategy is due to be published later in 2019.

This strategy highlights the positive impact that culture has on society and its potential to contribute to individual, community and national wellbeing and prosperity.

The strategy sets out three ambitions:

• Transforming through culture
• Empowering through culture
• Strengthening culture

The new national outcome for culture in the newly refreshed National Performance Framework^[130] signifies that Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Government recognise the potential and importance of culture as an intrinsic part of Scotland’s wellbeing and that other policy areas should give consideration to it. The national outcome is:

“We are creative and our vibrant and diverse cultures are expressed and enjoyed widely”

Four new national indicators will monitor progress against this outcome. These are:

• Attendance at cultural events or places of culture
• Participation in a cultural activity
• Growth in the cultural economy
• People working in arts and culture

The first two national indicators are measured using the data from the SHS at national and sub national levels that is presented in this chapter. The Scottish Household Survey is the primary source of data on heritage and cultural engagement Scotland.

This data helps the Scottish Government and our key partners across the public sector and cultural sectors to monitor the progress of culture strategy ambitions which in turn will inform strategic policy decisions and broader ambition.

Cultural engagement is defined as those adults who have either participated in a cultural activity or who have attended at least one type of cultural event or place in the past 12 months. The SHS is the primary source of information on cultural attendance and participation in Scotland and is the only source of data on attendance and participation at local authority level. Questions on cultural attendance were introduced in the SHS for the first time in 2007. It is possible to obtain data at local authority level every year from 2012 onwards. The 2018 local authority data will be published at a later date.

“Attendance at a cultural event or place of culture" is defined as those adults who attended or visited at least one type of cultural event or place in the previous year. There are a number of different types of cultural events and places of culture: cinemas, museums, libraries and live music events, for example. Likewise, “participation in any cultural activity” is defined as adults taking part in at least one activity in the previous year. Examples of cultural activities include reading for pleasure, dancing and crafts.

Annex 2: Glossary provides a full list of activities, places or events for cultural attendance and participation. When respondents are asked about their cultural attendance and participation “in the last 12 months” this is referring to the 12 months prior to the respondents interview and not the calendar year January-December 2018.

Please note that figures from 2018^[131] onwards are not directly comparable with previous years, due to substantial changes that were made to the culture questions in 2018. As part of a substantial review of the whole SHS questionnaire new response categories were added to better understand the nature and frequency of attendance and participation at cultural events and activities. For example, ‘streaming of a live performance’ and ‘viewing cultural content online’ were included to collect information on newer forms of digital cultural engagement. Some of the activities and events were also reworded (e.g. ‘Gallery’ became ‘Art Gallery’ and ‘Dance show / event - e.g. ballet’ became ‘Dance, either for fitness or not for fitness’). The order of the activities and events was also changed.

For this reason, changes between 2018 and previous years will not be reported in this chapter for the more detailed breakdowns. The 2018 culture data will be treated as a new baseline. More detailed information on the changes can be found in the 2017 and 2018 SHS questionnaires^[132].

12.2 Cultural Engagement

Cultural engagement^[133] in Scotland was high. Nine in 10 (90 per cent) adults were culturally engaged in 2018, either by attending or visiting a cultural event or place or by participating in a cultural activity (Figure 12.1).

Although this represents a decline since 2017 (from 93 per cent to 90 per cent), the level of cultural engagement in Scotland has maintained since 2012 and increased by three percentage points since it was first recorded in the SHS in 2007 (from 87 per cent to 90 per cent).

Note that the figures for years 2012 to 2017 are provided for illustration purposes only and caution should be used when comparing the 2018 results to earlier years.

Figure 12.1: Cultural engagement by adults in the last 12 months^[134] by year
Percentages, 2007 to 2018 data (minimum base: 9,130)

Substantial changes were made to the cultural attendance and participation questions in 2018 with the aim to better capture the nature and frequency of cultural attendance and participation. This may have affected cultural engagement comparisons over time. For this reason, changes between 2018 and previous years will not be reported in this chapter for the more detailed breakdowns.

12.3 Attendance at Cultural Events and Places

In 2018, 81 per cent of adults in Scotland attended or visited a cultural event or place (Table 12.1). When trips to the cinema are excluded, the attendance figure was lower at 74 per cent.

Whilst cultural attendance has decreased by three percentage points since 2017, attendance was still higher than it was in 2012 (81 per cent compared to 78 per cent). A similar pattern is seen when trips to the cinema are excluded.

Note that the figures for years 2012 to 2017 are provided for illustration purposes only and caution should be used when comparing the 2018 results to earlier years.

Table 12.1: Attendance at any cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months^[135] by year
Percentage of adults, 2012 to 2018 data

Adults	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Attendance (exc. cinema)	70	72	73	75	75	77
Attendance (inc. cinema)	78	80	80	82	83	84
Base	9,890	9,920	9,800	9,410	9,640	9,810

Adults	2018
Attendance (exc. cinema)	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	81
Base	9,700

Substantial changes were made to the cultural attendance questions in 2018 with the aim to better capture the nature and frequency of cultural attendance. This may have affected attendance comparisons over time. For this reason changes between 2018 and previous years will not be reported in this chapter for the more detailed breakdowns.

Figure 12.2 shows that over half of respondents (56 per cent) went to the cinema in the last 12 months making this the most common type of cultural attendance. The next most common types of cultural attendance were visits to historical or archaeological places and attendance at live music events (both 34 per cent).

In 2018, the lowest levels of attendance were seen at archives (two per cent) and book festivals (six per cent). Just under a fifth of adults (19 per cent) did not attend or visit a cultural event or place of culture in the last 12 months.

Figure 12.2: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (base: 9,700)

12.3.1 Attendance by Gender

In 2018, more women attended or visited a cultural event or place than men. Eighty two per cent of women attended or visited a cultural event or place compared to 79 per cent of men (Table 12.2). Women also had higher cultural attendance than men after excluding trips to the cinema, with the gap between women and men increasing to five percentage points (76 per cent and 71 per cent).

Table 12.2 shows that gender differences were more pronounced for particular cultural events and places. More women than men visited the theatre (37 per cent compared with 27 per cent). Women were also more likely than men to visit the library (30 per cent compared with 23 per cent).

Table 12.2: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by gender
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	Men	Women	Identified in another way	Refused	All
Cinema	55	57	*	*	56
Library	23	30	*	*	26
Classical Music	7	8	*	*	7
Live Music Event	34	33	*	*	34
Theatre	27	37	*	*	32
Dance Show Event	7	13	*	*	11
Historic Place	35	33	*	*	34
Museum	32	32	*	*	32
Art Gallery	21	21	*	*	21
Exhibition	17	19	*	*	18
Street Arts	16	16	*	*	16
Culturally Specific Festival	15	16	*	*	16
Book Festival	5	7	*	*	6
Archive Office	2	2	*	*	2
Streaming Live Performance	6	9	*	*	7
None	21	18	*	*	19
Attendance (exc. cinema)	71	76	*	*	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	79	82	*	*	81
Base	4,320	5,380	0	0	9,700

Columns may not add to 100 per cent since multiple responses were allowed.

12.3.2 Attendance by Age

In 2018, younger age groups were more likely to attend a cultural event than older age groups. Ninety-one per cent of 16 to 24 year olds attended or visited a cultural event or place compared to 56 per cent of those aged 75 and over (Table 12.3). The pattern holds when cinema attendance is excluded (78 per cent and 54 per cent).

Table 12.3 reveals that age differences were more pronounced for certain cultural events or places. Eighty per cent of adults aged 16 to 24 and 73 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds went to the cinema, compared with 18 per cent of those aged 75 or over. Similarly, almost half of 16 to 24 year olds (44 per cent) attended a live music event, compared with 10 per cent of those aged 75 or over.

Table 12.3: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by age
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	16 to 24	25 to 34	35 to 44	45 to 59	60 to 74	75 plus	All
Cinema	80	73	71	55	38	18	56
Library	25	30	36	22	24	22	26
Classical Music	6	7	7	7	9	8	7
Live Music Event	44	41	41	36	25	10	34
Theatre	21	32	35	35	37	23	32
Dance Show Event	8	11	16	10	11	5	11
Historic Place	30	39	45	36	30	16	34
Museum	28	39	42	31	29	17	32
Art Gallery	21	22	24	22	21	12	21
Exhibition	16	18	20	19	19	9	18
Street Arts	15	19	24	19	13	4	16
Culturally Specific Festival	15	20	21	17	12	6	16
Book Festival	3	6	8	6	6	4	6
Archive Office	1	2	2	2	3	2	2
Streaming Live Performance	11	8	9	6	7	2	7
None	9	10	11	20	27	44	19
Attendance (exc. cinema)	78	80	82	74	69	54	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	91	90	89	80	73	56	81
Base	680	1,300	1,370	2,390	2,540	1,430	9,700

Columns may not add to 100 per cent since multiple responses were allowed.

12.3.3 Attendance by Highest Level of Qualification

In 2018, adults with degrees or professional qualifications were most likely to attend cultural places and events; whereas attendance was lowest for those with no qualifications (93 per cent compared to 51 per cent) (See Figure 12.3). The pattern holds when cinema attendance is excluded (89 per cent compared to 44 per cent).

Figure 12.3: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by highest level of qualification^[136]
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 560)

As with the overall figure, attendance at individual events or places was consistently higher for adults with a degree or professional qualification (Table 12.4). The most marked differences between those with degrees and no qualifications can be seen for trips to the cinema (70 per cent and 23 per cent respectively) and visits to historic or archaeological places (54 per cent and 11 per cent respectively).

Table 12.4: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by highest qualification level^[137]
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	Degree, Professional qualification	HNC/HND or equivalent	Higher, A level or equivalent	O' Grade, Standard grade or equivalent	Other qualification	No qualifications	All
Cinema	70	66	64	54	27	23	56
Library	38	27	25	20	19	14	26
Classical Music	14	7	5	3	3	2	7
Live Music Event	46	41	38	28	12	11	34
Theatre	45	34	31	24	22	17	32
Dance Show Event	16	12	9	8	6	5	11
Historic Place	54	37	32	23	12	11	34
Museum	51	34	30	21	14	11	32
Art Gallery	36	21	18	12	9	7	21
Exhibition	33	18	14	8	6	4	18
Street Arts	27	17	15	11	6	5	16
Culturally Specific Festival	25	17	15	10	5	6	16
Book Festival	12	6	4	2	2	1	6
Archive Office	4	2	1	1	1	1	2
Streaming Live Performance	12	7	8	5	4	2	7
None	7	11	13	21	40	49	19
Attendance (exc. cinema)	89	80	79	68	54	44	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	93	89	87	79	60	51	81
Base	3,000	1,140	1,370	1,760	560	1,780	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.3.4 Attendance by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)

In 2018, levels of cultural attendance increased as deprivation as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD 2016) decreased. Figure 12.4 shows there was a 19 percentage point difference in cultural attendance (including cinema) between the 20 per cent most and 20 per cent least deprived areas (71 per cent compared with 90 per cent). When cinema attendance is excluded, the difference is even greater, with 61 per cent in the most deprived areas and 86 per cent in the least deprived areas attending a cultural event or place.

Figure 12.4: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 1,770)

As with the overall figure, attendance at individual events or places was consistently higher for adults living in the least deprived areas (Table 12.5). The most noticeable differences between the least deprived and most deprived can be seen for visits to historic or archaeological places (45 per cent and 20 per cent respectively) and the theatre (44 per cent and 21 per cent respectively).

Table 12.5: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by area deprivation
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	20% Most deprived	2	3	4	20% Least deprived	Scotland
Cinema	48	51	54	60	68	56
Library	23	23	27	28	31	26
Classical Music	3	5	8	8	13	7
Live Music Event	23	30	34	36	44	34
Theatre	21	28	31	35	44	32
Dance Show Event	7	9	11	10	14	11
Historic Place	20	28	37	39	45	34
Museum	23	27	31	34	43	32
Art Gallery	14	17	21	23	30	21
Exhibition	10	14	18	21	25	18
Street Arts	11	15	16	16	23	16
Culturally Specific Festival	10	15	16	17	19	16
Book Festival	3	4	6	6	10	6
Archive Office	1	2	2	2	3	2
Streaming Live Performance	4	6	8	8	10	7
None	29	24	18	15	10	19
Attendance (exc. cinema)	61	69	75	77	86	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	71	76	82	85	90	81
Base	1,840	1,850	2,140	2,100	1,770	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.3.5 Attendance by Net Annual Household Income

In 2018, cultural attendance was the highest for those with the highest net annual household income . Ninety per cent of those with a net annual household income of over £30,000 attended or visited a cultural event or place (Figure 12.5). Attendance was lowest for those with a net annual household income of between £0 and £10,000 (68 per cent). The pattern holds when cinema attendance is excluded (84 per cent compared to 60 per cent).

Figure 12.5: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture by net annual household income
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 930)

As with the overall figure, attendance at individual events or places was consistently highest for adults with the highest net annual household income (Table 12.6). The biggest differences between those with a net annual household income of over £30,000 and those with a net annual household income of between £0 and £10,000 can be seen for trips to the cinema (69 per cent and 42 per cent) and visits to historic or archaeological places (46 per cent and 23 per cent).

Table 12.6: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by net annual household income
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	£0-£10,000	£10,001 - £20,000	£20,001 - £30,000	Over £30,000	All
Cinema	42	42	55	69	57
Library	26	24	26	28	26
Classical Music	5	5	6	10	7
Live Music Event	23	24	30	45	34
Theatre	21	23	29	41	32
Dance Show Event	7	7	9	14	11
Historic Place	23	21	31	46	34
Museum	23	22	30	40	32
Art Gallery	16	15	20	26	21
Exhibition	14	13	15	23	18
Street Arts	13	10	14	22	17
Culturally Specific Festival	11	10	13	21	16
Book Festival	3	4	5	8	6
Archive Office	2	2	2	3	2
Streaming Live Performance	8	5	6	9	7
None	32	31	19	10	19
Attendance (exc. cinema)	60	62	73	84	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	68	69	81	90	81
Base	930	3,010	2,050	3,300	9,300

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.3.6 Attendance by Long-Term Physical or Mental Health Condition

In 2018, cultural attendance was lowest among adults with a physical or mental health condition that caused long-term major reduced daily capacity. Fifty-two per cent of those with a condition that caused long-term major reduced capacity attended or visited a cultural event or place compared with 86 per cent attendance for those with no condition (Figure 12.6).

For those whose condition caused minor reduced daily capacity, the attendance rate was 76 per cent, and for those whose condition caused no reduced daily capacity, the attendance rate was 81 per cent.

When cinema is excluded, attendance for those with major reduced daily capacity conditions was 46 per cent and, for those with no condition, it was 78 per cent. For those with minor reduced daily capacity, the attendance rate was 71 per cent and for those with no reduced capacity, the attendance rate was 76 per cent.

Figure 12.6: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by long-term physical or mental health condition
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 710)

As with the overall figure, attendance at individual events or places was consistently higher for adults with no long-term physical or mental health condition (Table 12.7). The most striking differences between those with no condition and those with a long-term physical or mental health condition that caused long-term major reduced daily capacity can be seen for trips to the cinema (63 per cent and 26 per cent respectively) and attendance at live music events (39 per cent and 12 per cent respectively), although attending the cinema was the most frequently attended activity for those that did have a long-term physical or mental health condition that caused long-term major reduced daily capacity.

Table 12.7: Attendance at cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months by long-term physical or mental health condition
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	Yes, causes long term major reduced daily capacity	Yes, causes long term minor reduced daily capacity	Yes, but no reduced daily capacity	None	All
Cinema	26	47	51	63	56
Library	19	30	31	27	26
Classical Music	3	8	10	8	7
Live Music Event	12	27	33	39	34
Theatre	18	29	36	34	32
Dance Show Event	5	8	11	12	11
Historic Place	13	30	38	38	34
Museum	15	29	32	35	32
Art Gallery	8	21	21	23	21
Exhibition	7	17	19	19	18
Street Arts	6	13	15	19	16
Culturally Specific Festival	7	15	15	17	16
Book Festival	2	5	5	7	6
Archive Office	1	2	3	2	2
Streaming Live Performance	3	5	8	8	7
None	48	24	19	14	19
Attendance (exc. cinema)	46	71	76	78	74
Attendance (inc. cinema)	52	76	81	86	81
Base	1,360	1,250	710	6,330	9,700

Columns may not add to 100 per cent since multiple responses were allowed.

12.3.7 Frequency of Attending Cultural Events or Places

In 2018 the library was the most frequently attended cultural place or event, with almost one in five people (18 per cent) visiting at least once a week, and over a third of adults visiting at least once a month (35 per cent) (See Table 12.8). Twenty per cent of respondents who attended the cinema within the past 12 months went at least once a month.

Table 12.8: Frequency of attending cultural events and visiting places of culture in the last 12 months
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	At least once a week	Less often than once a week / at least once a month	Less often than once a month but within the last 12 months	Don't know	Total	Base
Cinema	3	20	76	0	99	4,840
Library	18	35	47	0	100	2,600
Classical Music	1	6	92	1	100	750
Live Music Event	2	9	89	0	100	3,010
Theatre	0	4	95	0	99	2,960
Dance Show Event	1	4	94	2	101	1,000
Historic Place	2	11	87	0	100	3,110
Museum	1	9	90	0	100	2,940
Art Gallery	2	11	87	0	100	1,980
Exhibition	1	7	91	1	100	1,730
Street Arts	1	4	94	1	100	1,420
Culturally Specific Festival	0	1	98	0	99	1,410
Book Festival	5	12	82	1	100	570
Archive Office	6	13	80	1	100	230
Streaming Live Performance	3	6	88	3	100	690

12.4 Participation in Cultural Activities

In 2018, 76 per cent of adults in Scotland participated in a cultural activity (Table 12.9). When reading is excluded, participation was 53 per cent. Levels of participation, when reading is included, have decreased from 78 per cent in both 2012 and 2017. When reading is excluded, participation has increased from 48 per cent in 2012 to 53 per cent in 2018. This 2018 participation figure has maintained since 2017.

Note that the figures for years 2012 to 2017 are provided for illustration purposes only and caution should be used when comparing the 2018 results to earlier years.

Table 12.9: Participation in any cultural activity in the last 12 months^[138] by year^[139]
Percentage of adults, 2012 to 2018 data

Adults	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Participation (exc. reading)	48	49	50	52	53	54
Participation (inc. reading)	78	78	79	79	79	78
Base	9,890	9,920	9,800	9,410	9,640	9,810

Adults	2018
Participation (exc. reading)	53
Participation (inc. reading)	76
Base	9,700

Substantial changes were made to the cultural participation questions in 2018 with the aim to better capture the nature and frequency of cultural participation. This may have affected participation comparisons over time. For this reason changes between 2018 and previous years will not be reported in this chapter for the more detailed breakdowns.

Figure 12.7 shows levels of participation by adults at specific cultural activities in the last 12 months in 2018. Reading for pleasure was by far the most common cultural activity in 2018, with 63 per cent of respondents saying that they had done this in the last year.

The next most popular activity was viewing performances online (22 per cent), followed by crafts (16 per cent). Participation levels in all other cultural activities was 12 per cent or less. About one in four people (24 per cent) had not participated in any cultural activity in the last 12 months.

Figure 12.7: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months
Percentages, 2018 data (base: 9,700)

12.4.1 Participation by Gender

In 2018, more women than men participated in a cultural activity in the last 12 months. Eighty-one per cent of women participated in a cultural activity in the last 12 months compared with 71 per cent of men, although this did vary by activity (Table 12.10). When reading is excluded, the difference between women and men was slightly smaller (seven percentage points).

Table 12.10 shows women participated more than men in a number of cultural activities including crafts (23 per cent compared with seven per cent), reading books for pleasure (69 per cent compared with 56 per cent) and dance (18 per cent compared with six per cent).

Men had higher participation rates than women for playing a musical instrument (14 per cent of men and seven per cent of women) and viewing performances online (24 per cent compared with 20 per cent).

Table 12.10: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by gender
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	Men	Women	Identified in another way	Refused	All
Read	56	69	*	*	63
Dance	6	18	*	*	12
Play Instrument	14	7	*	*	10
Taken Part In Play	1	1	*	*	1
Singing Group/Choir	2	5	*	*	4
Art Sculpture	8	12	*	*	10
Photography	9	6	*	*	7
FilmMaking	3	1	*	*	2
Computer Artwork Animation	9	6	*	*	8
Crafts	8	23	*	*	16
Creative Writing	5	5	*	*	5
Viewed Performances Online	24	20	*	*	22
Viewed Cultural Content Online	12	10	*	*	11
Shared Art Creative Content Online	6	4	*	*	5
Other Cultural	3	1	*	*	2
None	29	19	*	*	24
Participation (exc. reading)	49	56	*	*	53
Participation (inc. reading)	71	81	*	*	76
Base	4,320	5,380	0	0	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.4.2 Participation by Age

Overall, cultural participation in 2018 was broadly similar for all age groups; however, participation decreased with age when reading was excluded from the measure. Sixty per cent of 16 to 24 year olds participated in culture when reading was excluded compared to 36 per cent of those aged 75 and over (Table 12.11).

For most cultural activities, younger adults, particularly those aged 16 to 24 were more likely than older age groups to participate (Table 12.11). The biggest difference can be seen for viewing performances online (29 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds and four per cent of 75 years and over).

Those in the 75 and over age group were more likely to read books for pleasure (64 per cent compared to 52 per cent) and do craftwork such as knitting, woodwork and pottery (19 per cent compared to eight per cent).

Table 12.11: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by age
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	16 to 24	25 to 34	35 to 44	45 to 59	60 to 74	75 plus	All
Read	52	60	66	65	67	64	63
Dance	15	15	15	12	10	4	12
Play Instrument	18	13	12	9	7	4	10
Taken Part In Play	3	1	1	1	1	1	1
Singing Group/Choir	2	4	3	5	5	3	4
Art Sculpture	15	14	13	7	7	5	10
Photography	10	8	7	8	6	4	7
FilmMaking	4	3	3	2	1	1	2
Computer Artwork Animation	12	10	10	7	5	2	8
Crafts	8	14	15	15	22	19	16
Creative Writing	9	6	5	4	3	3	5
Viewed Performances Online	29	29	29	22	14	4	22
Viewed Cultural Content Online	12	14	11	13	10	3	11
Shared Art Creative Content Online	8	7	6	4	3	1	5
Other Cultural	1	2	2	2	3	2	2
None	27	24	21	23	25	27	24
Participation (exc. reading)	60	59	58	52	48	36	53
Participation (inc. reading)	73	76	79	77	75	73	76
Base	680	1,300	1,370	2,390	2,540	1,430	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.4.3 Participation by Highest Level of Qualification

As with cultural attendance, participation in cultural activities in 2018 was highest among adults with a degree or professional qualification (90 per cent) and lowest for those with no qualifications (55 per cent) (See Figure 12.8). When reading is excluded, the difference between participation is even greater (70 per cent for those with a degree or professional qualifications compared with 28 per cent for those with no qualifications).

Figure 12.8: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by highest level of qualification^[140]
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 560)

As with the overall figure, participation in individual cultural activities was consistently higher for those with a degree or professional qualification (Table 12.12). Eighty-one per cent of those with a degree or professional qualification were more likely to read books for pleasure compared with 45 per cent of those with no qualifications. Adults with a degree or professional qualification were also more likely than adults with no qualifications to view performances online (33 per cent compared with seven per cent).

Table 12.12: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by highest level of qualification^[141]
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	Degree, Professional qualification	HNC/HND or equivalent	Higher, A level or equivalent	O Grade, Standard grade or equivalent	Other qualification	No qualifications	All
Read	81	65	60	51	55	45	63
Dance	18	15	13	9	5	4	12
Play Instrument	16	11	10	8	4	3	10
Taken Part In Play	2	1	1	1	-	-	1
Singing Group/Choir	7	4	3	2	3	2	4
Art Sculpture	15	13	9	7	2	5	10
Photography	12	9	6	5	2	2	7
FilmMaking	3	3	2	1	-	1	2
Computer Artwork Animation	11	10	8	6	2	2	8
Crafts	19	16	12	14	17	12	16
Creative Writing	8	5	6	2	1	1	5
Viewed Performances Online	33	28	22	16	4	7	22
Viewed Cultural Content Online	20	13	10	5	2	3	11
Shared Art Creative Content Online	7	9	4	3	1	2	5
Other Cultural	3	2	1	1	1	2	2
None	10	19	24	32	36	45	24
Participation (exc. reading)	70	59	52	46	31	28	53
Participation (inc. reading)	90	81	76	68	64	55	76
Base	3,000	1,140	1,370	1,760	560	1,780	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.4.4 Participation by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD 2016)

There was a large difference (22 percentage points) in cultural participation between those living in the 20 per cent most deprived and the 20 per cent least deprived areas. Sixty-three per cent of adults in the 20 per cent most deprived areas participated in cultural activities in 2018, compared with 85 per cent of adults in the 20 per cent least deprived areas (Figure 12.9). This is consistent with the differences observed for cultural attendance.

When reading is excluded, the pattern is similar, with 41 per cent in the most deprived areas and 61 per cent in the least deprived areas of Scotland participating in a cultural activity.

Figure 12.9: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 1,770)

As with the overall figure, participation in cultural activities was consistently higher for adults living in the least deprived areas (Table 12.13). The most marked differences between those living in the 20 per cent least deprived areas and those living in the 20 per cent most deprived areas can be seen for reading a book for pleasure (73 per cent and 51 per cent) and viewing performances online (27 per cent and 16 per cent).

Table 12.13: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	20% Most deprived	2	3	4	20% Least deprived	Scotland
Read	51	59	63	68	73	63
Dance	10	11	11	14	15	12
Play Instrument	6	10	11	12	13	10
Taken Part In Play	1	1	1	1	2	1
Singing Group/Choir	3	3	4	5	5	4
Art Sculpture	9	10	9	10	11	10
Photography	5	7	7	10	9	7
FilmMaking	2	2	3	2	3	2
Computer Artwork Animation	7	7	8	8	8	8
Crafts	10	15	18	19	17	16
Creative Writing	4	5	5	5	6	5
Viewed Performances Online	16	20	22	24	27	22
Viewed Cultural Content Online	7	9	11	13	15	11
Shared Art Creative Content Online	4	5	4	6	5	5
Other Cultural	1	2	2	2	2	2
None	37	28	23	19	15	24
Participation (exc. reading)	41	49	54	58	61	53
Participation (inc. reading)	63	72	77	81	85	76
Base	1,840	1,850	2,140	2,100	1,770	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.4.5 Participation by Net Annual Household Income

In 2018, cultural participation was highest for those with the highest net annual household income. Eighty-one per cent of those with a net annual household income of over £30,000 participated in culture (Figure 12.10). Participation was lowest for those with a net annual household income of between £10,000 and £20,000 (70 per cent). The pattern holds when reading is excluded (60 per cent compared to 45 per cent).

Figure 12.10: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by net annual household income
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 930)

As with the overall figure, participation in cultural activities was consistently higher for adults with a net annual household income of over £30,000 (Table 12.14). The most marked differences between those with the highest net annual household income and those with a net annual household income of between £10,001 and £20,000 can be seen for viewing performances online (29 per cent compared to 15 per cent) and reading for pleasure (67 per cent compared to 58 per cent).

Table 12.14: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by net annual household income
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	£0-£10,000	£10,001 - £20,000	£20,001 - £30,000	Over £30,000	All
Read	58	58	63	67	63
Dance	12	9	10	15	12
Play Instrument	8	8	9	12	10
Taken Part In Play	1	1	1	1	1
Singing Group/Choir	2	3	5	4	4
Art Sculpture	9	9	9	11	10
Photography	7	6	7	9	7
FilmMaking	1	2	2	3	2
Computer Artwork Animation	4	6	6	9	7
Crafts	15	17	17	15	16
Creative Writing	4	6	4	5	5
Viewed Performances Online	15	15	19	29	22
Viewed Cultural Content Online	8	8	9	15	11
Shared Art Creative Content Online	5	4	4	6	5
Other Cultural	2	2	2	2	2
None	29	30	25	19	24
Participation (exc. reading)	46	45	51	60	53
Participation (inc. reading)	71	70	75	81	76
Base	930	3,010	2,050	3,300	9,300

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.4.6 Participation by Long-Term Physical or Mental Health Condition

In 2018, cultural participation was lowest where a condition caused long-term major reduced daily capacity. Sixty-four per cent of those with a condition that caused long-term major reduced daily capacity participated in culture compared with 77 per cent participation for those with no such condition (Figure 12.11). For both those with minor reduced daily capacity or no reduced daily capacity, the participation rate was 79 per cent.

When reading is excluded, participation for those with major reduced daily capacity conditions was 37 per cent and, for those with no condition, it was 55 per cent. For those with minor reduced daily capacity, the participation rate was 51 per cent and for those with no reduced capacity, the participation rate was 58.

Figure 12.11: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by long-term physical or mental health condition
Percentage of adults, 2018 data (minimum base: 710)

As with the overall figure, participation in individual cultural activities was consistently higher for adults with no long-term physical or mental health condition, except for participation in crafts (Table 12.15).

The most marked differences between those with no condition and a condition that caused long-term major reduced daily capacity can be seen for viewing performances online (24 per cent and 10 per cent respectively), reading for pleasure (64 per cent and 54 per cent respectively) and dance (14 per cent and four per cent).

Those with a condition that caused long-term major reduced daily capacity were more likely to participate in crafts than those with no condition (18 per cent and 14 per cent).

Table 12.15: Participation in cultural activities in the last 12 months by long-term physical or mental health condition
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	Yes, causes long term major reduced daily capacity	Yes, causes long term minor reduced daily capacity	Yes, but no reduced daily capacity	None	All
Read	54	67	66	64	63
Dance	4	9	16	14	12
Play Instrument	6	9	11	11	10
Taken Part In Play	-	1	2	1	1
Singing Group/Choir	2	4	5	4	4
Art Sculpture	8	10	14	10	10
Photography	5	7	9	8	7
FilmMaking	1	2	1	3	2
Computer Artwork Animation	5	6	7	8	8
Crafts	18	21	20	14	16
Creative Writing	4	6	5	5	5
Viewed Performances Online	10	18	25	24	22
Viewed Cultural Content Online	5	10	17	12	11
Shared Art Creative Content Online	3	6	7	5	5
Other Cultural	2	3	3	2	2
None	36	21	21	23	24
Participation (exc. reading)	37	51	58	55	53
Participation (inc. reading)	64	79	79	77	76
Base	1,360	1,250	710	6,330	9,700

Columns add to more than 100 per cent since multiple responses allowed.

12.4.7 Frequency of Participating in Cultural Activities

Those who read a book for pleasure participated in the cultural activity the most frequently in 2018 (Table 12.16). Of those who read for pleasure, 73 per cent did so at least once a week, and a further 13 per cent read at least once a month. Playing a musical instrument was also popular amongst responding participants, with 55 per cent participating at least once a week.

Table 12.16: Frequency of participating in cultural activities in the last 12 months
Percentage of adults, 2018 data

Adults	At least once a week	Less often than once a week / at least once a month	Less often than once a month but within the last 12 months	Don't know	Total	Base
Read	73	13	14	0	100	6,250
Dance	37	26	37	0	100	1,100
Play Instrument	55	23	21	1	100	940
Taken Part In Play	10	9	77	3	99	110
Singing Group/Choir	51	17	30	2	100	420
Art Sculpture	34	32	33	1	100	920
Photography	37	36	27	1	101	690
FilmMaking	18	25	56	2	101	180
Computer Artwork Animation	37	25	37	1	100	640
Crafts	48	26	26	0	100	1,750
Creative Writing	33	27	37	2	99	440
Viewed Performances Online	43	27	29	1	100	1,900
Viewed Cultural Content Online	32	30	36	1	99	1,020
Shared Art Creative Content Online	32	26	40	2	100	440
Other Cultural	31	23	40	6	100	190

Respondents participated in cultural activities more frequently than they attended cultural places or events. Eighteen per cent attended a library at least once a week (Table 12.8), apart from this, attendance at cultural events at least once a week was low. Participation in cultural activities at least once a week ranged from 10 per cent to 73 per cent.

12.5 Satisfaction with Local Authority Cultural Services

Since 2007, questions have been asked on the frequency of use and satisfaction with local

authority cultural services. Table 12.17 presents the reported levels of satisfaction (including users and non-users of these services) with three different types of local authority cultural services.

Between 2007 and 2018, satisfaction with libraries has decreased by 10 percentage points (55 per cent to 45 per cent); satisfaction with theatres or concert halls has maintained and satisfaction with museums and galleries has increased (41 per cent to 42 per cent).

Table 12.17: Satisfaction with local authority culture services
Percentage of adults, 2007 to 2018 data

Adults	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Libraries
Very/fairly satisfied	55	55	53	52	52	50	51	49	49	48	49	45
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	10	8	7	8	8	8	10	12	15	15	17	15
Very/fairly dissatisfied	3	2	2	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3
No opinion	32	34	37	38	37	39	38	36	34	35	32	37
Museums and galleries
Very/fairly satisfied	41	42	41	38	44	42	44	46	46	45	46	42
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	14	12	10	11	10	10	11	14	16	17	18	16
Very/fairly dissatisfied	4	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3
No opinion	41	42	45	48	44	46	42	38	35	36	34	39
Theatres or concert halls
Very/fairly satisfied	44	44	43	42	45	44	46	47	48	47	47	43
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	14	11	10	10	10	9	10	13	15	16	17	16
Very/fairly dissatisfied	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	3	2	2	3
No opinion	38	40	43	45	42	45	42	38	35	35	34	39
Base	10,220	9,240	9,710	9,020	9,660	9,890	9,920	9,800	9,410	9,640	9,810	9,700

Table 12.18 shows levels of satisfaction with local authority culture services, as above, but only amongst adults who have used these services in the past year. Levels of satisfaction with local authority provision was considerably higher when only users of the services are included in the analysis. In 2018, over eight in 10 adults were either very or fairly satisfied with each of the three services (between 85 per cent and 88 per cent).

Table 12.18: Satisfaction with local authority culture services (Service users within the past 12 months^[142] only)
Percentage of adults, 2007 to 2018 data

Adults	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Libraries
Very/fairly satisfied	90	92	92	91	92	93	92	92	92	93	91	88
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	5	4	4	4	4	3	3	4	4	4	5	7
Very/fairly dissatisfied	3	3	3	4	2	2	3	2	3	2	2	3
No opinion	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	2
Base	4,090	3,510	3,590	3,400	3,510	3,450	3,370	3,270	3,100	3,060	3,160	3,090
Museums and galleries
Very/fairly satisfied	87	89	88	87	90	92	91	92	91	91	87	86
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	8	7	6	7	5	3	4	5	6	5	8	9
Very/fairly dissatisfied	2	2	3	2	1	2	2	1	2	1	2	3
No opinion	3	2	4	4	4	3	3	2	2	3	3	3
Base	2,870	2,630	2,720	2,460	2,830	2,800	2,980	3,020	2,920	2,830	2,990	3,050
Theatres or concert halls
Very/fairly satisfied	86	87	88	88	89	90	91	91	90	90	89	85
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied	8	6	6	6	5	5	4	5	6	6	7	9
Very/fairly dissatisfied	3	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	1	2
No opinion	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4
Base	3,560	3,210	3,270	2,960	3,280	3,020	3,260	3,290	3,340	3,230	3,270	3,300