National events strategy 2024 to 2035: equality impact assessment

Annex A: Quantitative evidence by protected characteristic

Age

• In 2022, 85% of adults aged 16 to 24 had attended a cultural event or place of culture, including the cinema, compared to 44% of adults aged 75 or over. When cinema is removed the difference is smaller (71% and 41% respectively).^[24]
• There is a clear relationship between the age of a visitor to the UK and the likelihood of them reporting a health condition or disability. 60% of those visiting with an impairment were over 55 in age compared to 22% of all inbound visitors to the UK (VisitBritain).^[25]
• In Scotland, adults in the 16 to 24-year-old age group report higher levels of sports participation than other age groups. There is a clear drop off among those aged 45 and over. In children, 13 to 15-year-old girls in particular participate in sport markedly less than other age groups.^[26]
• The Annual Population Survey 2019 found that approximately 51% of the events workforce is under the age of 35 compared to around 35% for Scotland’s workforce as a whole^[27].
• In 2022, adults aged 16 to 24 (65%) were more likely to have participated in a cultural activity than adults aged 75 or over (38%), when excluding reading. Participation was similar when reading was included.^[28]
• Evidence suggests that volunteering in the fields of activity and sport declines with age. Amongst only those adults who do volunteer, 22 per cent of 16 to 24 year olds volunteer with sport or exercise (coaching or organising), falling to 16 per cent for those aged 60 plus.^[29]

Disability

• Disabled people in Scotland are less likely to be physically active (60% compared to non-disabled people (90%), and are less likely to participate in sport.^[30]
• In 2022, only 56% of disabled adults had attended a cultural event or place of culture, including the cinema, compared to 80% of non-disabled adults. When cinema is excluded, the difference was smaller (49% for disabled adults and 70% for non-disabled adults).^[31]
• In 2019, when cinema is excluded, attendance for those with conditions with major reduced daily capacity was 46% and, for those with no condition, it was 80%. For those with minor reduced daily capacity, the attendance rate was 71% and for those with no reduced capacity, the attendance rate was 78%^[32].
• Analysis of UK inbound visitors^[33] found that:
  • Visits: 759,000 trips or 1.9% of the total inbound overnight visits to the UK in 2018 were taken by those with a disability or those travelling within a group where a member had a disability.
  • Spend: The total expenditure generated by those visits is estimated to be £552 million, or 2.1% of all inbound visitor spending in 2018.
  • Individual impairments: health conditions or impairments most likely to be mentioned were those relating to mobility (but not requiring wheelchair use), mentioned by 27% of all visitors with an impairment. Deafness/partial hearing loss and having a long term illness were also prevalent impairments.
  • Age: There is a clear relationship between the age of a visitor to the UK and the likelihood of them reporting a health condition or impairment. 60% of those visiting with an impairment were over 55 in age compared to 22% of all inbound visitors to the UK.
  • Average spend and trip length: Those with a health condition and their travelling group are more likely to stay for longer and spend more than the UK inbound average (although spend per night is lower).
  • Top source markets: USA is the biggest source market for this group of travellers; long haul markets Australia and Canada also feature highly in the top ten. The Irish Republic and Spain are the top markets for Europe.
  • 8 year trend: Inbound visits from those with a health condition or impairment have grown by +16% in volume and +42% in value over the last 8 years. Visitors with mobility impairments that require a wheelchair have seen the most significant growth across this time, up +136% since 2010.
• People with long term conditions engage in volunteering in sports and activities less than those without conditions (3% compared with 5%). However, due to the small numbers involved it is important to treat these figures with caution.^[34]

Sex

• In 2019, more women than men visited the theatre (39%, compared with 27%).^[35]
• In Scotland, more men participate in sport than women. More men are members of sports clubs than women, and women often participate in different sports from men. Lower participation by women in sport begins at around 13 to 15 years old.^[36]
• The gender pay gap in Scotland fell from 3% in 2022 to 1.7% in 2023 – the lowest since the series began in 1997. At the same time, the gap increased from 7.6% to 7.7% in the UK as a whole.^[37]
• In 2019, 30.6% of Scotland’s workforce were parents. In the same year, 15.4% of Scotland’s workforce were women with dependent children aged 0-16.^[38]
• The proportion of women working in the events industry is 2.2 percentage points lower than the proportion in the overall workforce – 46.6% and 48.8% respectively.^[39]
• The proportion of people that volunteer to assist with sport and exercise has a 21% vs 11% split for men and women respectively.^[40]
• AndSheCycles was co-developed in 2020 by a group of young women, aged 13 to 18, across Scotland from 14 different schools, youth groups and colleges. Through a series of interactive workshops, these young people identified the main barriers preventing them from choosing to cycle. Some of the most significant barriers were to do with image:
  • they don’t see other girls cycling
  • they perceive cycling to be ‘uncool’
  • they’ve been told they shouldn’t cycle
  • they feel embarrassed or self-conscious.^[41]

Pregnancy and maternity

• There is a lack of relevant evidence related to pregnancy and maternity.

Gender reassignment

• There is a lack of relevant evidence related to gender reassignment. In terms of this Equality Impact Assessment there is some relevant information related to the wider LGBTI community which is set out under sexual orientation.

Sexual orientation

• LGBTI visitors do attach significant importance to the warm welcome they can expect from a destination and how they will be treated in their accommodation and how safe they will be. (Equality Network/VisitScotland research)^[42].
• Adults identified themselves as ‘gay, lesbian or bisexual’ were more likely to have experienced discrimination in the previous 12 months (22 per cent) compared to only 7 per cent of heterosexual or straight adults.^[43]

Race

• In 2022, when excluding the cinema cultural attendance was 70% for ‘White: Other British’ and 59% for people who identify with a Minority Ethnic Group.
• In 2022, cultural participation was highest for people from the ‘White Other’ and ‘White: Other British' groups.^[44]
• In 2019, 62 per cent of minority ethnic adults said they felt a very or fairly strong sense of belonging to their community, compared to 79 per cent) of adults from ‘white’ ethnic groups.^[45]

Religion or belief

• Cultural attendance was highest for those who belonged to no religion.^[46]
• Other than this, where is a lack of relevant evidence related to religion or belief