• Economic impact (xls, 6.7mb) – employment, turnover etc. within cultural organisations.
• Investment data – levels of public/private investment in capital (xls, 1.8mb) and non-capital (xls, 7.9mb) cultural projects.
• Tourism data (xls, 613kb) – overnight visits by domestic tourists, visits to visitor attractions etc.
• Education data (xls, 4.9mb) – number of Higher Education students for cultural subjects etc.
• Engagement data (xls, 915kb) – levels of participation in cultural activity.
• Physical assets data (xls, 1.3mb) – count, percentage and density of cultural assets.

Notably, some of the spreadsheets also contain wider demographic data that gives a useful hint as to the kind of analyses users could undertake.

For example, the working age population data for each local authority and region (contained in the investment spreadsheets) allows users to calculate investment per head of working age population (or per 10,000 of working age population as in the summary reports) without having to hunt high and low for the population data separately!

For further advice on how to use the data contact CASE (case [at] culture.gsi.gov.uk). Alternatively, feel free to contact us here at the Cultural Observatory (lauren.amery [at] artscouncil.org.uk / tel 0121 631 5705).

Related links

• CASE regional insights webpage
• West Midlands summary report (pdf, 299kb)

Notes

‘CASE’ is a joint DCMS research programme involving Sport England, Arts Council England, English Heritage and Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA).

The definition of ‘culture’ used in the research focuses on those sectors most relevant to the CASE partnership, consisting of Arts Council England, English Heritage, Museums, Librarires and Archives Council and Sport England. So, for example, while data on tourism can be downloaded separately, tourism sector organisations such as hotels and restaurants have not been factored into ‘CASE sector’ analyses.

A report launched today by the Cultural Observatory (in association with Arts Council England) has found that local events held in July as part of the London 2012 Open Weekend celebrations generated in excess of 10,000 visits and attracted a total audience of over 46,000.

Our report, London 2012 Open Weekend 2010 in the West Midlands: post-event survey summary report (pdf, 211kb) contains the results of survey research with a sample of event attendees.

Surveys asked whether people were visiting local areas specifically to attend events (as opposed to visiting areas for other primary reasons such as shopping, or visiting friends). Based on the results of this question, we estimated over 10,000 visits were directly generated by events.

Overall, as stated in the report, we estimate events generated over £800,000 worth of economic activity (through attendee expenditure), to the benefit of local businesses and stall-holders. Around £23,500-£35,300 of this spend has been categorised as ‘additional’ – money that has been injected into the West Midlands economy that was not present before.

Figures published in the report also suggest that West Midlands Open Weekend events attracted a diverse audience. For example, the estimated proportion of Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) attendees (20%) exceeds the population average. Also, based on contact form evidence, it can be estimated that at least a quarter of attendees were young people aged between 14–24.

The research, which forms part of the overall evaluation programme for the West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012, will feed into the programme’s next impact evaluation, due to be published in October 2010.

Related links

• London 2012 Open Weekend 2010 in the West Midlands: post-event survey summary report (pdf, 211kb)
• West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012 research programme

Photo: Courtesy of New Art Gallery, Walsall. Shows Open Weekend at New Art Gallery Walsall event: self-portrait photo booth activity (July 2010).

Based on a statistical analysis of Taking Part 2007/08, the study, Understanding the drivers, impact and value of engagement in culture and sport (pdf, 575kb) suggests, for example, that:

• In the cases of visiting a heritage site, attending an arts event, or visiting a museum, young people from BME and non-BME groups were found to have a similar probability of engaging in culture, while among older people those from a BME group were less likely to engage in culture. For example, older ethnic minorities were found to be around half as likely to attend arts events as older people not from ethnic minorities.
• Households scoring ‘low’ on socio-economic measures were found to be 4 times less likely to engage in culture than those scoring high.
• Females were found to be 3 times less likely to participate in sport than males.
• Probability of participation in culture during adulthood is positively correlated with childhood participation levels.

While some of the trends highlighted in the study are familiar (and the subject of past research), the methodological approach taken by authors provides us with authoritative percentages and figures against known trends.

So, for example, it has long been held that childhood participation in culture has an impact on adult participation levels (Freshminds 2007, BMG 2009 etc), but we can now begin to suggest more precisely the (statistical) extent of the impact.

The study goes on to look at the impact of culture (based on a literature review of previous research) and includes suggested ‘policy implications’ for each research theme.

Related links

• Overview report: Understanding the drivers, impact and value of engagement in culture and sport (pdf, 575kb)
• Find out more and download all reports/outputs
• Database of research evidence on the drivers, impact and value of engagement in culture and sport

Photo by Skip the Budgie

The tool has recently been updated to include Active People Survey 3 (2008/09) data, which means is it possible to run analyses comparing sports participation trends over time (since 2005/06).

It’s worth noting that it’s also now possible to access the results of the (non-sport) cultural national indicators — NI 9 (library participation), NI 10 (museum/gallery participation) and NI 11 (art participation) — via the tool for the year 2008, but, as yet, the tool does not contain comparative data for these cultural indicators.

Once you’ve registered to use the tool, a good place to start is ‘cross-tabulations’ (via the ‘Interactive’ tab), which allows you to select which data you are interested in viewing / downloading.

Visit the Sport England Active People Diagnostic

As part of the research, there is a consideration of  audience development strategies employed by the National Theatre and Tate. This includes an interesting comparison between the demographics of Gallery users and those of online audiences; for example, Tate’s web visitors during one campaign period were more likely to be female / ethnically diverse / have lower incomes than ordinary Gallery visitors. It will certainly be interesting to note whether these trends hold true as more data of this nature begins to filter through.

Download report

Photo by Demarmels

Indeed, the paper (and its definition of the tourism sector) may trigger a reassessment of the importance of tourism to the national economy generally. For example, the finding that tourism contributes 7.1% of all GVA in the UK contrasts with a recent study commissioned by VisitBritain, which suggests the visitor economy directly generates 4.0% of UK GDP.

Notes: GVA and GDP measures are different and therefore not directly comparable, but in this instance, it was deemed useful to compare the two studies to explore different assessments of tourism contribution to the overall economy.

Download the full article

Photo by Martin O’Connell

These findings confirm trends reported last year in our Culture & Prosperity: the economic role of culture in the West Midlands. Although the methodology and timeframe differed slightly across the two papers, the conclusion is the same: a regional growth in creative industry employment compared to the national creative industry average and compared to the average for all regional firms.

Unfortunately, as the author of the paper points out, there are continued issues around getting hold of more recent creative industries data. Both mainstream definitions of the creative sectors (DCMS evidence toolkit & Frontier Economics) use 2003 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes – rather than the newer 2007 codes.

From 2009, the data for the IDBR has been collected based on the current SIC 2007 codes, something which poses problems for cultural researchers in that the process of converting 2003 codes to 2007 codes leads to data that is not exactly comparable with pre-2009 data. This situation could be seen as problematic during the aftermath of a recession when a clear picture of the economic situation is particularly helpful.

Download the report and accompanying dataset

Notes: The ‘official’ definition of the creative industries sectors used by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) remains that documented in the DCMS Evidence Toolkit. The Frontier Economics definition, although widely known, remains experiential at this time. 

Photo by Dean Terry

This post is intended to give a run down of the main pieces of work that will be undertaken by the Cultural Observatory during 2010/11.

Our work plan is not set in stone as we are often called to respond to policy needs as and when they develop (in common with many public sector organisations), but hopefully this short post will give you a flavour of our aspirations for the coming year.

West Midlands Cultural Programme for London 2012

The main focus for the Cultural Observatory during 2010 is evaluation and monitoring the West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012. This focus reflects the priorities of Advantage West Midlands (funders of the Cultural Observatory) and the priorities of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport agencies in the West Midlands (these are Museums, Libraries and Archives, Sport England, Arts Council England and English Heritage).

We published our first impact evaluation (pdf, 1.54mb) for the programme in April 2010, highlighting the social and economic impact to date. The next update report will be published towards the end of 2010.

Economic impact toolkit for measuring cultural events

As part of the research work for West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012, the Cultural Observatory (in association with the Cultural Research & Intelligence Group) is coordinating development of an economic impact toolkit for measuring the impact of cultural events. The aspiration is for this to be up and running by Spring 2011.

Towards the end of the year, it’s envisaged that we’ll publish a report bringing together the overall messages emerging from our monitoring work which explored the impact of the recession on the West Midlands cultural sector.

Also, the Cultural Observatory will continue to provide analytic support to research projects undertaken by the DCMS Agencies in the West Midlands, along with the ongoing provision of a (web-based) research and data enquiry service.

Coordinating the Cultural Research & Intelligence Network

Following the Cultural Research & Intelligence Network conference on 2nd June, a key strand of work for 2010 is developing this network to better reflect the needs of members. At the conference, delegates raised various ideas about how the network could move forward, including establishing a Twitter group, and the idea of making future CRAIN events revolve around key pieces of research (akin to a ‘bookclub’).

We’ll look at all ideas raised and will look to adopt as many ideas as we can over the next year.

I hope this has given you a taste of kind of things that we’ll be working on this year at the Cultural Observatory. If you have any questions at all don’t hesitate to contact Cultural Research Analyst – Lauren Amery (lauren.amery@wmro.org / 0121 202 3249).

Related links

• West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012: An evaluation of impact (2008-2010) (pdf, 1.54mb)
• View recession monitoring reports
• Register for the Cultural Research & Intelligence Network (CRAIN) newsletter
• Roundup of CRAIN conference, 2nd June 2010
• Link to the West Midlands Regional Observatory web-based enquiry service

Photo by joelmeadows1

The conference was well attended, attracting 41 delegates who between them represented 26 different organisations (including five local authorities and four local universities).

The conference, Chaired by Tim Challans (former coordinator for the West Midlands Culture & Sport Improvement Network), began with a presentation by Lauren Amery, the CRAIN coordinator and Cultural Research Analyst at the West Midlands Regional Observatory. You can listen to/view her presentation below:

Key points made during Lauren’s talk, included reference to the popularity of culture during the recession, and the “buzz” created in the region during the aftermath of the discovery of the Anglo-Saxon gold hoard in Staffordshire last year.

Dr Paul Long and Dave Harte of Birmingham City University followed up with a presentation about the digital participation agenda, referencing the drive for digital literacy and the newly emerging digital culture which is tending to revolve around social media. You can listen to/view Dave Harte’s presentation below:

There was a 15 minute speed-networking session after the presentations, where delegates introduced themselves and their organisations (interrupted from time to time by a shrill whistle noise prompting people to move one space along!).

After a short break, delegates were invited to decide the workshop topics to be discussed. A consensus was reached and the following topics were chosen:

1. The measurement of the social and economic impact of culture and sharing and dissemination of research and data.
2. Budget cuts, the development of policy frameworks and the West Midlands context.
3. Culture, learning and skills, the profile of the cultural workforce and the role of regional universities.

You can read more about the key points discussed during the three workshops in our CRAIN conference  summary report (pdf, 134kb).

Finally, the plenary session asked delegates to provide ad hoc feedback on what they liked about the conference and what they felt could be improved. This included a suggestion that future events could revolve around key pieces of research (akin to a ‘bookclub’), where CRAIN members lead dicussions about the implications of new research.

An unexpected highlight of the conference was the comments generated on Twitter. The hashtag for the conference was #CRAIN and, at last count, there were over 80 tweets referencing the conference, which certainly hints at the valuable role Twitter could play for CRAIN and the Cultural Observatory in future.

Related links

• Download the CRAIN conference 2010 summary report (pdf, 134kb)
• Click here to sign up to the Cultural Research & Intelligence Network newsletter

Photo of Dave Harte (Birmingham City University) delivering his presentation:

Photo of Lauren Amery (Arts Council England / West Midlands Regional Observatory) delivering her presentation:

Photo of the speed-networking session:

Skillset, the sector skills council for the creative industries, have launched the national Creative Media Workforce Survey 2010:

Whether you are an employer, an employee or a freelancer, what you tell us about your skills needs, experience of training and recruitment, future plans and working patterns will help us produce the most comprehensive profile of working life in the UK’s Creative Media Industries.

D’log highlights why this survey is especially important this year.

For more details about the survey, visit www.skillset.org/playyourpart.

Get the PowerPoint slides (ppt, 860kb)

The first of a series of reports, West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012: An evaluation of impact (2008–2010) (pdf, 1.54mb) published 13th April 2010, presents evidence associated with:

• The social and economic impact of the programme to date
• The extent and value of media coverage that for the programme
• The programme’s impact on the capacity of the West Midlands cultural sector
• Changes in peoples’ perception of the region and its cultural offer (having taking part in programme activities and events)

For more information about the research contact Lauren Amery (lauren.amery@wmro.org / 0121 202 3249).

When statistical differences are taken into account, the proportion of residents reporting high quality arts experiences in the West Midlands (66%) was higher than proportions in four other regions.

In line with national trends, compared to the previous year, the proportion of West Midlands residents participating in at least one annual arts activity took a statistically significant drop from 47.2% to 42.7%. Also, there was no (statistical) change in the proportion of residents attending at least one art event per year (62.1%) compared to the previous year (64.7%).

Given the evidence (documented in our quarterly recession monitoring papers) that certain sections of the arts sector saw audiences decrease during the 2008/09 economic downturn, it can be speculated that the fall in participation rates may be related to consumer patterns during the recession.

Download the report: Arts engagement in England 2008/2009 (pdf, 3.46mb)

Photo by Gabriela Camerotti

The two million indicator (pdf, 313kb), measured through the Active People Survey, gives the percentage of adults (aged 16+) that do three or more sessions (lasting 30 minutes or more) of moderate intensity activity per week.

The indicator differs from the three other Active People participation variables (KPI 1, NI 8, 1 Million) as it incorporates everyday activities such as gardening.

Each region will play a part in the achievement of the target. Broadly speaking, and if all regions play an equal role, a quota of 220,000 more West Midlanders will need to fulfil the ‘two million’ criteria by 2013 (compared to 2008).

The positive regional results of Active People Survey 3 (2008/09) bodes well for achieving this new target. Compared to the previous year’s results, the West Midlands saw a statistically significant increase in levels of participation in sport and active recreation for all participation indicators (KPI 1, NI 8 , 1 Million). Using KPI 1 as an example, the increase in participation seen in the region equated to an increase of 49,000 residents.

Related links

• Department of Health report showing initial ’two million’ indicator results (pdf, 313kb)
• London 2012 Olympic Legacy Action Plan (pdf, 1.64mb)
• Active People Survey 3 results by geographic area

Photo by GregDaly

In the first of a series of reports, West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012: An evaluation of impact (2008-2010) (pdf, 1.5mb) presents evidence associated with:

• The social and economic impact of the programme to date
• The extent and value of media coverage that for the programme
• The programme’s impact on the capacity of the West Midlands cultural sector
• Changes in peoples’ perception of the region and its cultural offer (having taking part in programme activities and events)

Survey data contained within the evaluation suggests that the WMCPforL2012 has attracted a diverse range of people from all walks of life. Over a quarter of programme participants have been from BME backgrounds, and over half have been from lower socio-economic group categories (C2DE). These proportions are traditionally unusual for cultural events and activities, and hint at the distinctiveness of the programme so far.

A wide range of social and educational benefits have been derived from taking part in programme activities. According to the research, over a hundred participants have gained (or gained credits towards) formal qualifications through taking part in the programme, and many more have gained new knowledge and skills.

In terms of economic impact, evidence documented in the report suggests the programme may have helped to draw in funding for the region’s cultural and creative sector.

Direct funding for projects from the programme budget has produced in advance of a three-fold multiplier: for every £1 invested, there has been a return of around £3.35 worth of funding for projects.

Additionally, media coverage for the programme has explicitly mentioned 64 local cultural organisations, bringing an untold boost to organisations’ public profile.

Download the evaluation report (pdf, 1.5mb)

Next steps in the WMCPforL2012 research programme include developing a toolkit for measuring the economic impact of cultural events.

For more information about the research contact Lauren Amery (lauren.amery@wmro.org / 0121 202 3249).

The future of the region will be determined by the decisions that individuals make – decisions such as whether to locate in the region, to invest in business or property, to study at one of our universities or to visit the region for business or leisure.

All of these decisions will be influenced by people’s view of the region’s image and identity.

A range of information is already collected, locally, regionally and nationally, about how people view the region and how it compares with other places.

There is also more general research, looking at what drives and changes image and identity. The workshop brought together different sources of evidence to determine the story they tell us about the West Midlands, summarised in the three presentations available below.

Image and identity of the West Midlands region – what do we already know?

Presentation by Stephen Howarth and Lauren Amery, West Midlands Regional Observatory:

Get Stephen and Lauren’s PowerPoint slides (ppt, 1,3mb)

Understanding the identity and image of the West Midlands region

Presentation by Professor Leslie de Chernatony, Professor of Brand Marketing Universita della Svizzera italiana and Aston Business School:

Get Leslie’s PowerPoint slides (ppt, 680kb)

Prof Chernatony referenced two resources:

• A systematic approach to branding Slovenia (pdf, 301kb)
• Delphic brand visioning to align stakeholder buy-in to the City of Birmingham brand (pdf, 267kb)

Image and identity – the cultural sector

Presentation by Jane Lutz, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham:

Get Jane’s PowerPoint slides (ppt, 392kb)

Jane referenced resources from Impacts 08,  Liverpool’s European capital of culture research programme.

What’s next?

Following the presentations, delegates discussed how evidence or analysis could be improved to make policy responses more effective. (The key discussion points (pdf, 110kb) are available.)

The workshop forms part of the Observatory’s state of the West Midlands monitoring and will lead to further work to improve the evidence available to anyone involved in influencing the image of the West Midlands.

We’ll post updates on this site in due course.