Arts Council England has published new research that provides a fresh insight into how and why people in England engage with the arts. Arts audiences: insight is the most comprehensive analysis to date of how art fits into people’s lives. The research looks beyond box office statistics and identifies 13 distinct arts consumer types, from the highly engaged ‘urban eclectic’, through ‘bedroom DJs’ to ‘time poor dreamers’ who have no involvement with the arts.
 
Ella Muers, Acting Director of Marketing and Brand Development at Arts Council England, whose department published the research said: “Segmenting audiences in this way is a recognised market research tool, already used by many arts organisations. What’s different about our approach is that it covers all English adults, not just a particular audience group, that it starts with the arts rather than other social characteristics, and it looks at arts attendance and participation, in and out of the home.”
 
The research shows that the majority of the population fall into one of the seven ‘moderately engaged’ segments, but even these segments have very different interests and motivations when it comes to their leisure time. This suggests there is plenty of potential to increase arts engagement, but a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t work.

With this in mind, the Arts Council will use the research to help plan the design and delivery of a new campaign to encourage the broadest range of people across England to experience and enjoy the arts.
 
It is also hoped that arts organisations, local authorities and other agencies working in the arts will be able to use the research to inform their audience development and marketing plans.

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/audienceinsight/