Attendance at leisure activities

Over the five years through 2023-24, IBISWorld estimates that the average attendance rate at leisure events and activities will, collectively, decrease by 3.1 percentage points to 54.7%. The average attendance rate at leisure events and activities fell 28.7 percentage points over the year through 2020-21, dictated by the coronavirus outbreak. The UK's response to the coronavirus temporarily closed various leisure attendance venues such as museums, galleries, public libraries, heritage sights and live sport events. These measures were established across the United Kingdom to combat the deadly virus spread. In November 2020, a month-long lockdown was announced, which furthered this trend. In January 2021, rising infection rates led to further restrictions, which compounded this trend. Consequently, these responsive measures have reduced attendance at leisure events and activities to a historic low. Lockdown measures have been eased since April 2021, and most restrictions were dropped in July 2021. This caused a recovery in leisure attendance in 2021-22, growing by 17.5 percentage points. The rally is expected to continue this year, with a projected 2.8 percentage point increase.

Attendance and participation trends independent of each cultural activity category are disparate. According to the DDCMS, the attendance rate at heritage sites rose by 0.4 percentage points between 2014-15 and 2019-20, respectively. However, visits to museums or galleries, arts events and public libraries dropped over the corresponding period, with the attendance rate falling by 1, 0.8 and 0.5 percentage points between 2014-15 and 2019-20, respectively. In recent years, the DDCMS has cited a "lack of interest" and a "lack of time" as two of the most protuberant barriers to participation across all categories. Decreasing library patronage specifically can be attributed to the ubiquity of the internet as a hub for information and the prevalence of e-readers, tablets, online bookstores and so forth as a convenient alternative to physical books. Meanwhile, efforts to increase footfall in museums, galleries, art exhibitions and heritage sites by offering potential customers and frequenters free admission have, to a certain extent, failed to prevent a trending decline in the overall attendance rate over the past five-year period. Increased customer engagement by event organisers, venue owners and so forth (e.g. Use of social media platforms to boost exposure) has, nevertheless, stemmed any exceptional decline in the overall attendance rate.

In a bid to champion, develop and promote cultural experiences among the domestic population, however, the DDCMS has continued to provide grant funding to recipients in the arts, museum and heritage sectors. For instance, the department made grant payments totalling £740.5 million during 2017-18, including £462.4 million allotted to the Arts Council England, £23.6 million awarded to the British Film Institute, and £4.3 million earmarked for the Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust. However, dwindling public library visitor numbers have dragged the overall attendance rate down, in addition to a "lack of interest" and "lack of time" among key demographics. In September 2020, the DCMS received applications worth over £170 million after it announced it was making £85 million available for various activities.