Cultural Participation Monitor
Wave 5 | Winter 2021
November 2021 | 6,957 responses
Initial findings from the November 2021 wave of our Cultural Participation Monitor look at increased in-person attendance this year, a dip in online engagement and a keen appetite for safety measures, even pre-Omicron.
Key Findings
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Attendance rose significantly in 2021, even though it hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels yet
In-person engagement doubled in 2021 compared to 2020, especially for film, heritage sites, and museums, while online engagement is starting to trend down.
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Willingness to attend cultural events in person may be on the rise
Willingness to attend might be going up slightly, but still a third are not comfortable returning in-person (even before Omicron).
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Audiences still care about Covid safety measures
Attenders still feel strongly about Covid safety measures in place at cultural venues, and they would like to see them continue. Ventilation and crowd management are the safety measures rated most important.
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Shifts in audience behaviour are likely to be longer term – but may bring new audiences
People are expecting to keep attending less culture in-person than they used to, with audiences likely to skew towards younger, more urban groups, or families.
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Wales | Welsh and Welsh Language Performance
During Wave 5 of the Cultural Participation Monitor, we asked respondents based in Wales four additional questions about Welsh Language.
