Does arts and cultural engagement vary geographically? Evidence from the UK household longitudinal study
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have shown the beneficial impacts of arts participation and cultural engagement on health outcomes. However, this engagement is socially patterned and is also possibly influenced by geographical factors. STUDY DESIGN: The aim of this study was to examine the association between geographical factors (spatial setting and neighbourhood characteristics) and arts and cultural engagement amongst adults in the UK. METHODS: Data analysed were from Understanding Society Wave 2 (2010/12) with a total sample size of 26,215. Logistic and ordinal regression was used to identify geographical predictors for the patterns of the engagement. RESULTS: Our results show that there are geographical differences in participation independent of individual demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. In particular, there was more evidence for differences in the participation based on neighbourhood characteristics (e.g. level of area deprivation). We also found some interactions between individual and geographical factors for cultural engagement but not for arts participation. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a geographical and individual socio-economic gradient in arts and cultural engagement. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, improving access to arts and cultural programmes geographically may potentially help to reduce health inequalities.
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Gender differences in engagement have been observed, which may increase with age, with women in older age groups more likely to attend arts events than men.
“Gender differences in engagement have also been observed, which may increase with age, with women in older age groups more likely to attend arts events than men [16].”
From Difference in predictors and barriers to arts and cultural engagement with age in the United States: A cross-sectional analysis using the Health and Retirement Study (2021) · cites this paper as [16]
The Introduction (page unavailable) reports previous research suggesting gender differences in arts engagement, with women more likely to engage. It does not say that the difference increases with age or that older women are more likely than older men to attend arts events; the Results > Demographics section reports age and gender separately without that comparison. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSimilar trends are seen with cultural attendance alongside declines in physical activity.
“Similar trends are seen with cultural attendance (such as visiting museums, historic parks and gardens) alongside declines in physical activity [16].”
From Difference in predictors and barriers to arts and cultural engagement with age in the United States: A cross-sectional analysis using the Health and Retirement Study (2021) · cites this paper as [16]
The Methods (Measures; page unavailable) identify museum and heritage-site visits as forms of cultural engagement, and the Discussion reports geographic differences in that engagement. The paper does not report a decline in cultural attendance alongside declining physical activity; its Introduction mentions physical activity only as another behaviour that may be influenced by population composition. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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Research works printed but not linked: 16
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Fluharty, M., Paul, E., Bone, J., Bu, F., Sonke, J., & Fancourt, D. (2021) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0261532 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Mak, H. W., Coulter, R., & Fancourt, D.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Fancourt, D.
- Venue
- Public Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-08
- Volume
- 185
- Pages
- 119-126
- ISSN
- 0033-3506 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7456771
- OpenAlex
- W3039761341
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 44.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Conservation › Art Therapy and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Cultural Industries and Urban Development
- Keywords
- arts participation, cultural participation, regional variation, neighborhood characteristics, area deprivation, social gradient, health disparities, access to art, Understanding Society
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Art, Community Participation, Culture, Family Characteristics, Female, Geography, United Kingdom, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Residence Characteristics, Socioeconomic Factors, Logistic Models
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