The latest research round up

COVID-19 Impact

COVID-19 Population Survey: Wave 3
56 Degree Insight, June 2021

This survey research, commissioned by Creative Scotland and undertaken by 56 Degree Insight in May 2021, aims to better understand the Scottish population’s attitudes to attending cultural events and venues. It was undertaken as the rollout of COVID vaccines was well underway and the easing of restrictions began, but while Scotland remained in tiered restrictions affecting public life.

Exploring the post-pandemic landscape of Scottish Literary Festivals
Lee Randall, April 2021

This engaging and comprehensive report from freelance Programmer and Interviewer, Lee Randall, captures the significant shift to digital bookish activity in Scotland and further afield as 2020’s lockdown of Festival season stretched on; the lessons learned, the opportunities discovered and those left by the wayside. She interviews a wide range of stakeholders from programmers to technicians, from authors to publicists, and with her customary dry wit she picks out the important questions as the sector begins to look to a future lifting of social-distancing restrictions and a likely hybrid future.

Livestreaming Music in the UK
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), May 2021

An Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project (part of UK Research and Innovation's rapid response to COVID-19) investigated musicians' and live music event attenders' experience and expectations of livestreamed concerts.

Inequality through Covid: findings from the second wave of the Covid-19 participation monitor
The Audience Agency, April 2021

This report looks at Cultural Participation Monitor data to see who is more negatively impacted by COVID-19 and how that relates to, or exacerbates, previously existing and ongoing inequalities in audiences.

The impact of Covid-19 on jobs in the cultural sector – Part 3
Rebecca Florisson, Dave O’Brien, Mark Taylor, Siobhan McAndrew, Tal Feder, April 2021

This article analyses data from the Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics. It looks at the impact of the pandemic on freelancers specifically, and how the effects have been felt unevenly across different demographic groups and different sub-sectors of the cultural and creative industries.

New Zealanders’ Cultural Participation in 2020 and Future Participation in a Post-COVID Environment
Colmar Brunton, May 2021

This report outlines findings from a national survey of participation in a range of cultural activities in New Zealand and the impact of COVID-19.

Emerging from the Pandemic – A special report with highlights from the 2019 Population Survey on the Arts
National Arts Council of Singapore, April 2021

NAC’s COVID-19 Arts Consumption Study, which examined people’s online engagement with the arts during the pandemic, revealed that 88% of Singaporeans engaged with the arts online, motivated by novel experiences and for their mental well-being. This report explores how difficulties can be transformed into innovation, for the arts to thrive post-pandemic.

Economic Impact of the Arts and Cultural Sector
National Endowment for the Arts, March 2021

A new data report released today by the National Endowment for the Arts looks at the contributions and impact of the arts and cultural industries sectors just prior to the pandemic.

Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion

UK Music Survey – Workforce Diversity Survey
UK Music, April 2021

UK Music has published key findings from its Workforce Diversity Survey related to disabled people working in the music industry. The survey reveals that 1 in 5 disabled people face discrimination at work within the UK music industry, amongst other key findings.

Gender & Creativity: Progress on the Precipice
Bridget Conor, UNESCO, March 2021

Building on the recommendations put forth in the 2018 Global Report, this report provides an overview of current advances towards, and challenges to, gender equality in the culture and creative sectors at the national, regional and international levels.

Equality, Diversity and the Creative Case: A Data Report, 2019-20
Arts Council England, May 2021

This report from ACE features data on the workforce of National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) including the diversity of people in key leadership roles and at different job levels, the diversity of applicants to National Lottery Project Grants, audience data from NPOs and data on the diversity of the Arts Council’s workforce, leadership and National and Area Councils.

Creative Freelancers

The Big Freelancer Report
Freelancers Make Theatre Work, April 2021

The Big Freelancer Report maps the problems facing the freelance workforce and makes practical recommendations for change. This report was created by an independent group of performing arts freelancers, supported by Freelancers Make Theatre Work and funded by Arts Council England.

Freelancers in the Creative Industries
Eliza Easton & Billy Beckett, May 2021

One of the defining features of the creative industries is a high reliance on freelancers whether that is in film, design, tech, or the arts. This briefing sets out how the research published as part of the PEC’s ‘Freelancer Fortnight’ can help policymakers to better understand this part of the economy.

Dance

YDance ‘Shake it Up’ Evaluation Report
Stuart Hall, Kevin Lowden, Deja Lusk, January 2021

Funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Shake It Up was designed to enable children to learn a range of curriculum subjects through dance, increase pupils’ engagement through a kinaesthetic approach, and leave a sustainable legacy of teachers with the skills and knowledge to continue to develop this kind of integrated curricular lesson delivery. Amongst other key findings, Shake It Up was seen by most teachers as having a positive impact on pupils’ wellbeing and, among the younger pupils, the programme was most frequently reported as a good help in relation to feeling happier at school, getting on better with their teacher, and remembering facts about subjects.

Screen

Back From The Brink – A Scoping Study
Raising Films, March 2021

Back From The Brink is a scoping study from Raising Films, supported by the BFI using funds from the National Lottery, addressing the impacts of COVID-19 reported by parents and carers working in the UK screen sector. Screen Scotland is supporting the follow-up survey to this report, How We Work Now – a survey into the impact of COVID-19 [Deadline 30 June].

The challenges facing freelancers in Scottish Film and TV
Policy and Evidence Centre, May 2021

This discussion paper considers longitudinal data from Scotland’s Film Bang freelance directory in combination with data taken from an online survey and a series of interviews with freelancers who have been involved with Film Bang.

Class inequalities in the UK’s Screen Industries
Policy and Evidence Centre, April 2021

This study was undertaken by PEC and supported by ScreenSkills with National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI. It highlights that these class imbalances are particularly pronounced in creative roles, including Writers, Producers, Arts Officers, and Directors.

Yearbook 2020/2021 - Key Trends
Audio-visual Observatory, May 2021

The European Audio-visual Observatory published its latest study on emerging trends in the European audio-visual sector. Among the main trends, the study indicates that 89% of films promoted on pay-per-view VoD had already had a cinema release.

Channel 4’s contribution to the UK
EY, April 2021

Channel 4 commissioned EY to assess its economic, social and cultural contribution to the UK and its Nations and Regions.

ITV in the Nations and Regions: Storied past, dynamic present, challenges ahead
Mediatheque, May 2021

ITV asked Mediatique to analyse the implications for the Nations and Regions of changes in the TV economy in the UK, the globalising nature of TV distribution and production markets and the pressures building on the compact that has traditionally enabled the delivery of PSB outcomes.

Impact report on Creative Europe in the UK
SQW with Creative Europe Desk UK, January 2021

An end of programme impact report has been published detailing support provided to UK projects by Creative Europe 2014-20, as the European initiative concluded its seven-year programme on 31 December 2020.

ScreenSkills Assessment 2021
Screen Skills, June 2021

The ScreenSkills Assessment 2021 is a snapshot of skills issues affecting the UK screen industries during the period from January 2020 to January 2021. The resulting atypical assessment reflects the unusual conditions experienced by screen businesses as the pandemic situation evolved.

Academia

Munro, Robert, and Jonathan Charles. "Exploring the place of animation and the role of the classroom-based film-maker within a wider field of Scottish moving image education."
Film Education Journal (2021)

Research Round Up June 2021