Shifts in Cultural Consumption Habits during Lockdown - Insights from Wave 9 Data
The UK's creative sector, a leading export, has experienced significant shifts due to the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Policy Evidence Centre (PEC) and Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in wave 9 of their study.
The survey, commissioned by the PEC and the IPO and carried out by Audience Net, reveals that lockdown led to changes in cultural consumption habits at home, with people spending more time watching television, films, and engaging with digital content. This shift has accelerated business model innovation, emphasised the arts' social value, and informed policy measures to support sector recovery.
Key findings from wave 9 of the survey highlight the following:
- Changes in cultural consumption habits during lockdown: Consumers adapted by increasing home-based engagement with culture, including film, music, and digital creative content.
- Sector working conditions and social role: The pandemic intensified focus on the social significance and working conditions within the creative sector.
- Business model disruption and innovation: Creative industries experienced disruption necessitating new business approaches and financial models to cope with reduced live events and altered consumer patterns.
- Evolving demand and access: Lockdown created shifts in demand for cultural products, pushing online and on-demand formats.
- Policy considerations: Insights from the survey inform policymaking aimed at fostering recovery and sustainable growth in the creative economy, especially through upcoming spending reviews.
The survey is part of a broader research agenda assessing how lockdown reshaped cultural consumption and its implications for economic returns, access to finance, and local growth within creative industries.
In addition, the survey provides a comprehensive analysis of audiences and workforce in arts, culture, and heritage using census data. One key finding is that people in local lockdown areas watched more television and films than those in less restricted areas.
The end of lockdown saw a considerable uptick in physical purchases of music and video games. However, the relaxing of lockdown measures did not have a noticeable effect on people's reported wellbeing.
The Creative PEC, an independent research body, provides policy recommendations for the UK's creative industries. One of their briefs outlines recommendations for transitioning to more sustainable theatre production. Another brief sets out areas for possible policy action regarding authors' earnings in the UK.
Moreover, the brief examines international trade in the UK creative industries. Within some sub-sectors, such as publishing, audiobooks have been the most popular device for reading, above books, e-books, and magazines.
The Northern Creative Corridor, an initiative aimed at connecting creative clusters across Northern regions, is another example of policy action aimed at supporting the creative sector's recovery and growth.
In conclusion, wave 9 of the PEC and IPO survey shows that lockdown changed cultural consumption significantly, impacting creative industries by accelerating business model innovation, emphasising the arts’ social value, and informing policy measures to support sector recovery. The survey's findings will undoubtedly shape future policy decisions and support the sector's resilience and growth in the post-pandemic world.
- The creative sector, a prominent export for the UK, has undergone significant shifts because of the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Policy Evidence Centre (PEC) and Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in wave 9 of their study.
- The survey, commissioned by the PEC and the IPO and carried out by Audience Net, demonstrates that during lockdown, consumers started spending more time watching television, films, and interacting with digital content at home.
- This shift in cultural consumption habits has accelerated business model innovation within the creative industries.
- The pandemic has highlighted the social value of the arts and intensified the focus on working conditions within the creative sector.
- Creative industries have experienced disruption, calling for new business approaches and financial models to cope with the decrease in live events and altered consumer patterns.
- Lockdown has caused a shift in the demand for cultural products, driving the popularity of online and on-demand formats.
- Insights from the survey are being utilized to craft policymaking that fosters recovery and sustainable growth in the creative economy, focusing on upcoming spending reviews.
- The survey is part of a broader research agenda evaluating how lockdown affected cultural consumption and its implications for economic returns, access to finance, and local growth within creative industries.
- The survey provides an in-depth analysis of audiences and workforce in arts, culture, and heritage, utilizing census data.
- People in local lockdown areas were observed to watch more television and films than those in less restricted areas during lockdown.
- The end of lockdown resulted in an increase in physical purchases of music and video games.
- Despite the relaxation of lockdown measures, there was no noticeable impact on people's reported wellbeing.
- The Creative PEC, an independent research body, offers policy recommendations for the UK's creative industries, such as strategies for more sustainable theatre production and policy action regarding authors' earnings in the UK.
- The survey also investigates international trade in the UK creative industries, with audiobooks proving to be the most popular device for reading in certain sub-sectors, such as publishing, over books, e-books, and magazines. In addition, initiatives like the Northern Creative Corridor, aimed at connecting creative clusters across Northern regions, demonstrate policy action supporting the creative sector's recovery and growth.
