People from middle-class areas are much more likely to go to plays, musical performances and even the cinema compared to people from semi-skilled or unskilled backgrounds, research shows.
The figures are contained in a report by an advisory body to the Government - the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) - which examines ways of increasing participation in arts and culture in all communities.
Research quoted shows that 58 per cent of middle-class people attend plays, compared to 20 per cent of those from semi-skilled/unskilled backgrounds. Going to the cinema also varies by class, with 71 per cent of middle classes going to the cinema, compared to 47 per cent from semi-skilled/unskilled backgrounds.
The disparities are also apparent in urban and rural areas. A total of 19 per cent of those in urban areas go to classical music performances, compared to 9 per cent in rural areas.
While these figures were collated as part of a 1994 survey, experts at the NESF say similar research due to be published shortly indicates there has been little change in the findings.
The NESF report says that overall access to the arts is heavily determined by a person's educational level, class, income and address. It says participation in the arts has significant benefits for individuals and supports greater cohesion in society.
The document sets out a number of recommended policy changes to increased participation in the arts. They include:
• Better policy co-ordination to broaden participation in the arts at national and local levels;
• Better management and certainty of funding;
• Increased provision in education for the arts;
• Targeted measures for specific groups for access to the arts, such as rural dwellers and migrants;
• Improved data on who participates in the arts and who does not, and the benefits of this;
• A strategy committee at senior level to drive forward the recommendations in the NESF report.
The report was drafted and agreed by a team of social partners, chaired by Prof John O'Hagan of Trinity College Dublin, author of The Performing Arts and the Public Purse.
The document notes that the contribution arts and culture can make in areas such as social capital and social inclusion are receiving increasing attention, especially in countries such as Italy, France, the UK and other European countries.
