What barriers do people experience to engaging in the arts? Structural equation modelling of the relationship between individual characteristics and capabilities, opportunities, and motivations to engage
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OBJECTIVES: Participation in the arts has well-documented benefits for health. However, participation in the arts is socially patterned, and it remains unclear why this is: what factors act as barriers or enablers of individual arts engagement. Therefore this study explored how individual characteristics predict individuals' capabilities, opportunities and motivations to engage in participatory arts activities. METHODS: We analysed data from 6,867 adults in the UK (61.2% female, average age 46.7 years) who engage infrequently in performing arts, visual arts, design and crafts, literature-related activities, or online, digital and electronic arts. We constructed a structural equation model to explore the relationship between demographic factors (including age, sex, ethnicity or socio-economic status), health factors (including physical and mental health) or social factors (including living alone, urban density, loneliness or socialising) and perceived barriers to arts engagement. RESULTS: Individuals with poorer physical and mental health experienced more barriers affecting their perceived capabilities to engage in the arts, whilst individuals with poorer mental health also described experiencing more barriers affecting their motivations to engage. Individuals of lower SES reported more barriers in terms of opportunities to engage, whilst loneliness was related to more barriers around opportunities and motivations and living alone was associated with more opportunity barriers. Interestingly, adults who were older experienced fewer barriers relating to capabilities or opportunities, as did men, whilst being of white ethnicity was associated with fewer barriers across all three domains. Adults who were more socially engaged or who had poorer physical health experienced fewer barriers relating to motivations. Geographical area of dwelling was not related to any barriers. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown for the first time where the barriers leading to differential patterns of arts engagement lie. The findings could inform future behaviour change interventions designed to encourage arts engagement amongst individuals who are least likely to engage.
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In the United Kingdom, arts participation declines noticeably beginning around age 65, with the steepest declines for individuals over 85.
“In the United Kingdom (UK) studies have shown noticeable declines in arts participation beginning around age 65 [14], with the steepest declines for individuals over 85 [14, 15].”
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 [15]
The Introduction reports that arts participation is lower among older adults, especially those over 85. It does not identify age 65 as the point when participation begins to decline or establish the steepness of that decline. The Discussion also notes that this paper's own analysis found fewer barriers with increasing age, while leaving barriers in older age specifically unresolved. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSimilar general population findings have identified these socioeconomic differences.
“Similar general population findings have also identified these socioeconomic differences [15]”
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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
- Fancourt, D., & Mak, H. W.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Fancourt, Daisy
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2020-03-25
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- e0230487
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7094843
- OpenAlex
- W3014062223
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 29.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- UK Research and Innovation (ES/S002588/1)
- Leverhulme Trust (PLP-2018-007)
- Wellcome Trust (205407/Z/16/Z)
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/P005888/1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Conservation › Art Therapy and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Arts, Culture, and Music Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management
- Keywords
- arts participation, barriers to participation, social participation (health and rehabilitation), mental health, physical health, socioeconomic status, loneliness, living alone, ethnicity, gender differences, age differences, social engagement, performing arts, visual arts, health disparities
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Art, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Motivation
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