This topic covers engagement in culture and sport by adults and children in England. Engagement is defined as going to a historic environment site, a museum or gallery, a library, or an arts event. It also means to take part in an arts activity or active sport.
Publications
The Bulletin provides summary information as well as some trend data from previous years. It includes information on - smoking, household composition, debt, internet access, health, sport and leisure, environmental issues, mobile phones and job applications.
Information on participation in cultural activities, attendance at cultural events, volunteering, use of the internet and factors that influence participation.
Survey on the extent and nature of engagement and non-engagement in culture, leisure and sport among adults aged 16 years and above.
Overview
Data collection on culture and sport focuses on people who do these activities and what motivates them, and people who do not do these activities and their reasons. This is important information that helps to improve he opportunities available and the quality of the experience.
The main vehicle for collecting this data is the Taking Part survey, which conducts yearly interviews with around 24,000 adults aged 16 and over and 2,500 children aged 5 to 15. The definitions used to measure change from year-to-year are as follows:
Adults
Engagement with two or more different cultural or sport sectors, at or above the frequency required in each sector. Such as, two visits to historic sites in the past 12 months, and at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport on at least three separate days in the past week.
Children
Engagement in at least five hours of cultural activity in the past week (5 to 15 year olds). Participation in at least two hours of high-quality PE and sport at school (5 to 16 year olds) in the past week and at least three more hours of sporting activity (5 to 19 year olds). Taking Part is used to measure cultural activity, while the National School Sport Survey is used to measure sports take-up.
Taking Part shows that 94 per cent of adults and nearly 100 per cent of children engaged in at least one cultural or sports sector activity during the past 12 months.
Technical Data
This section provides an overview of the key features of the Taking Part survey methodology. More detailed information is provided in the survey’s technical report, available from the UK Data Archive at Essex University.
Adult survey
Sampling
The Taking Part survey covers a representative sample of adults aged 16 and over living in England. The sample was selected from the small-users Postcode Address File. The sample is restricted to private households only. This means businesses and other non-private accommodation, such as student halls of residence and care homes, are not included.
The sample consists of approximately 24,000 core interviews every year. The sample is classified by region, population density and by the proportion of residents classed as managerial, professional, or as full-time students.
Fieldwork
The interviews are issued between mid-July one year and mid-July the next. The interviews are conducted continuously over this period.
At the beginning of the survey year, the full sample is drawn and divided into 12 groups, representing each month of the survey. If the interview is not achieved on the first attempt, the household is approached on a number of occasions. This accounts for the time delay between the end of the survey year and the completion of the interviews.
Interview
Prior to the interviewer calling at the address, the selected household is sent a letter and a leaflet providing information about the survey.
If the address contains more than one eligible household or the household contains more than one eligible respondent, the interviewer will make a random selection. Once selected, no substitutions are allowed.
The interview is conducted by Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing. This is where the questionnaire has been turned into a computer programme. The programme specifies the questions, the range and structure of acceptable answers, and gives instructions for navigating through the questionnaire. This method enables plausibility and consistency checks to be incorporated into the questionnaire and allows the interviewer to enter the answers straight onto a laptop, both of which help improve data quality.
Survey respondents are asked about their engagement and non-engagement in activities during the 12 months prior to the day of interview. There is no geographical restriction placed on where the activity took place.
The survey measures involvement in activities where the purpose is for recreation or leisure, including voluntary work. It does not include involvement in activities where the prime motivation is paid work or academic study. The exceptions to this are attendance to historic environment sites, which includes visits made for academic study, and participation in sport. However, it does not include refereeing, officiating and coaching.
The length of the interview varies according to answers given by respondent but the average length is 40 minutes.
Child survey
A child interview was appended to the main adult survey from January 2006. If the selected adult is the parent or guardian of a child aged five to ten, we include questions about the child’s activities.
In those households containing at least one child aged 11 to 15; an interview is also sought with a randomly selected child in this age group. Around 2,500 interviews are conducted annually, issued between January and December and conducted continuously. If there are two (or more) children aged 11 to 15, one of them is randomly selected for interview. If there is only one, then that child is interviewed.
Similar to adult respondents, children are asked about their engagement and non-engagement in activities during the 12 months prior to the day of interview. They are also asked about patterns of engagement out of school lessons. This includes break time, lunchtime, after school, at the weekend and during school holidays. There is no geographical restriction placed on where the activity took place.
Glossary
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Archives
Places that keep archives are usually called a record office or archive centre. Archives are documents that have been created by families, individuals, businesses or organisations and have been specially chosen to keep permanently. They can be written papers such as letters or diaries, maps, photographs or film or sound recordings. Archives are historical documents but do not have to be very old.
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Arts attendance events
Exhibition of art, photography or sculpture. Craft exhibition, Video or electronic artevent, Event connected with books or writing, Street arts, Carnival, Culturally specificfestival, Play or drama, Theatre performance (excluding plays or drama), Opera oroperetta, Classical music performance, Jazz performance, Live music event (excluding jazz or classical), Ballet, Contemporary dance, African people's dance orSouth Asian and Chinese dance, Other live dance event.
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Arts participation activities
Ballet, Dance (not for fitness) (excluding Ballet), Singing to an audience, Playing a musical instrument to an audience or for pleasure, Writing music, Rehearsing/performing in a play or drama, Rehearsing/performing in an opera, Painting, drawing, printmaking or sculpture, photography as an artistic activity, Making films or videos as an artistic activity, Creating original artworks using a computer, Textile crafts, Wood crafts, Crafts (excluding textile and wood crafts), Bought any original works of art for yourself, Bought any original/handmade crafts such as pottery/jewellery, Writing stories/plays, Writing poetry.
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Historic environment sites
A city/town with historic character, A historic building open to the public (non religious), A historic park/garden/landscape open to the public, A place connected with industrial history or historic transport system, A historic place of worship attended as a visitor, A monument such as a castle/fort/ruin, A site of archaeological interest, A site connected with sports heritage (such as Wimbledon) (not visited to watch sport).
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Sport activities
Swimming/diving, Cycling, BMX, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, Bowls, Tenpinbowling, Health, fitness, gym or conditioning activities, Keepfit, aerobics, dance exercise, Martial arts, Weight training, Weightlifting, Snooker/pool/billiards, Darts, Rugby Union, Football, Cricket, Archery, Netball, Tennis, Badminton, Squash, Basketball, Table tennis, Jogging/cross-country/road running, Angling/fishing, Ice skating, Golf/pitch and putt/putting, Skiing, Horse riding, Climbing/mountaineering, Hill trekking/backpacking, Motor sports, Shooting, Volleyball, Rounders, Boxing, Yoga, Water sports, Other sport. Utility cycling and all forms of walking are excluded.
Contact Details
For statistical enquiries about this topic, please contact:
Evidence and Analysis Unit
Email: takingpart@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7211 6200
Department for Culture, Media and Sport 2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH
