Cultural engagement in Scotland 2023: Scottish Household Survey findings

Impact of culture and heritage (2023)

Respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with a number of statements regarding the impact of culture on people’s lives.^[27]

In 2023, almost half of respondents (47%) ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘tended to agree’ with the statement “culture and the arts make a positive difference to my life”. This figure has maintained since 2022. Twenty-four percent ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’, 24% ‘strongly disagreed’ or ‘tended to disagree’ and 5% had ‘no opinion’ (Table 6 in Annex D and Table 9.56 in supporting excel workbook).

Over half of adults (51%) ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘tended to agree’ with the statement “culture and the arts make a positive difference to my local community” (a decrease from 53% in 2022). Almost half of respondents (45%) ‘strongly disagreed’ or ‘tended to disagree’ with the statement “culture and the arts are not really for me” (a decrease from 47% in 2022) (Table 6 in Annex D and Table 9.56 in supporting excel workbook).

Forty-six percent ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘tended to agree’ with the statement that “there are enough opportunities to get involved in culture and the arts if I want to in my local area”. This figure has maintained since 2022. Twenty-two percent neither agreed not disagreed’, 17% ‘strongly disagreed’ or ‘tended to disagree’ and 15% had ‘no opinion’ (Table 6 in Annex D and Table 9.56 in supporting excel workbook).

The majority of respondents (86%) ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘tended to agree’ that it is “important to them that Scotland’s heritage^[28] is well looked after”. Just under three quarters of respondents (71%) ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘tended to agree’ that the “heritage of their local area is well looked after” (Table 6 in Annex D and Table 9.56 in supporting excel workbook). Both these figures have maintained since 2022.

Those respondents who either strongly agreed or tended to agree that culture and the arts make a positive difference to their life were further asked about the type of positive difference culture and the arts make.

Of these 47%, just under three in four (71%) reported that “culture and the arts make them feel happy or are something that they really enjoy” (down from 74% in 2022). Thirty-nine percent said that “culture and the arts improve their mental health and wellbeing” (down from 46% in 2022) (Table 7 in Annex D and Table 9.69 in supporting excel workbook).