Participation in craft, participation in craft education
DCMS has released its most recent arts and culture participation statistics (including craft) in England, covering the period October 2021 to June 2022. The survey method has changed since the Taking Part survey and data are now no longer comparable with historical data. The new data show that:
- Of the 24 categories of arts engagement monitored, crafts is the 6th most popular activity, after reading, cinema, playing video games and live theatrical performance (see fig 2.2). It is more popular than art exhibitions and making art.
- 6% of respondents attended a craft exhibition (not a crafts market; crafts include for example textiles, woodworking) in the last 12 months
- 15% of respondents participated in a crafts activity (textile, ceramic, sculpting, carving, woodwork).
There has been no change in the level of crafts engagement and/or participation over this period.
This is also consistent with Audience Agency data over the last two years which show a consistent level of participation in crafts, painting and sculpture at 18% of respondents across the UK. Any increases in participation from 2020-2021 was mainly driven by young people.
As a once-off separate release, DCMS have published data on cultural participation including the percentage of 16 to 24 year olds who engaged in culture at least 3 times in the 12 months, October 2021 to March 2022.
Analysis by the Cultural Learning Alliance shows that far fewer Arts GCSEs and A Levels are studied across England’s schools than a decade ago. Here are the headlines from 2022:
- GCSE Arts Entries declined by 4% from 2021 to 2022 and by 40% 2010 to 2022. Design & Technology GCSE entries have fallen 5% and 71% respectively.
- Art A Level entries increased from 2021 to 2022 in line with the number of students and it’s heartening to see an 15% increase in Design & Technology A Level entries.