Official Statistics

Main report for the Participation Survey (October 2021 to March 2022)

Updated 30 November 2023

Applies to England

30 November - We have updated our breakdowns by disability status in the 2021/22 annual data tables to align with the Government Statistical Service harmonised standard. For further information, please see the update on the Participation Survey website. 

The 2021/22 annual report has not been updated, and therefore please use the revised 2021/22 annual data tables, 2022/23 annual data tables and 2022/23 annual report for the latest disability estimates.

1. Background

Released: 28th July 2022

Geographic Coverage: England

This release provides estimates on participation in the digital, culture, media, and sport sectors reported during the period of October 2021 to March 2022. The Participation Survey is a nationally representative annual survey of adults (16+) in England that aims to track the latest trends in engagement in DCMS sectors. The format of the survey is push-to-web, with a paper version for those who are not able or wish not to complete this online.

This report presents the headline estimates during October 2021 to March 2022. Further estimates can be found in the accompanying data tables. Differences between groups are only reported on in this publication where they are statistically significant, that is, where we can be more confident that the differences seen in our sampled respondents reflect the population [footnote 1]. Estimates for the quarter January to March 2022 have also been published in a separate set of data tables.

It should be noted that some questions in the survey ask about engagement with cultural and digital activities in the last 12 months (such that it covered the period October 2020 to March 2022). We imagine that the COVID-19 pandemic, associated lockdown measures and media coverage may have affected public behaviours, attitudes, and perceptions across the UK towards the topics in the survey. So, the factors described above should be taken into consideration when interpreting the results.

2. Arts

Examples of physical arts engagement include writing stories, performing music, or going to a comedy event. Examples of digital arts engagement include watching live-streamed or recorded theatre, participating in live visual arts programs, or listening to pre-recorded music or dance events. The full list of qualifying activities and events are in Annex C, and shown in figures 2.2 and 2.3.

Headline findings

During October 2021 to March 2022, over 4 in 5 adults had physically engaged with the arts (attended or participated) in the previous 12 months to being surveyed. The corresponding figure for digital arts engagement was 27%.

Figure 2.1 shows that of the 88% of people who engaged with the arts, 61% did it exclusively physically, 26% engaged both physically and digitally, and only 1% of adults did it exclusively digitally.

Figure 2.1: Physical and digital engagement in the arts sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

  • Of the people who engaged with the arts physically, 73% of adults engaged at least once a week, and nearly half (48%) had engaged three or more times.

  • Whilst digital engagement with the arts (27%) was much lower than physical engagement, it was also less frequent, with just 11% engaging at least once a week.

Figure 2.2 shows that the most popular way to engage with the arts physically was reading books or magazines at 63%. This was followed by going to the cinema (38%) and playing video games (36%).

Figure 2.2: Forms of physical art engagement, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 2.3 shows that for digital engagement, listening to pre-recorded music or dance events was the most popular activity (15%).

Figure 2.3: Forms of digital art engagement, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Who engaged with the arts?

Figure 2.4 shows that:

  • Age: There was no statistically significant difference in physical engagement in the arts for all age groups (around 90%), except for adults aged 85 and above where engagement was significantly lower at 78%. For digital arts engagement, people aged between 20 and 39 years old, and those over the age of 85, were less likely to engage than those aged 60 to 84 years.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): As deprivation increased engagement decreased. The lowest two deciles (most deprived) engaged physically with the art sector the least, compared to the other deciles. For digital engagement, the most deprived decile engaged less than the least deprived decile.
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations engaged in physical arts more than other occupations (93%), whilst adults in the never worked and long-term unemployed classification engaged less than other classifications (75%). For digital arts engagement, adults from higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations engaged more than other occupations (33%).

Figure 2.4: Physical and digital engagement in the arts sector, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 2.5 shows that:

  • Disability status: No statistically significant differences.
  • Gender: There was no significant difference between male and female engagement either physically or digitally (around 87% and 27% respectively). Digital engagement for adults who preferred to self-describe their gender was higher than those who identified as female or male, whilst their physical engagement was not significantly different.
  • Religion: For physical arts engagement, adults who identified as Muslim were less engaged than adults from other religion categories except those who identified as Sikh or Hindu. For digital arts engagement, adults who identified as Muslim were less engaged than adults from other religion categories except those who identified as Sikh.
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified as from a Chinese ethnic group (88%) engaged more physically with the arts than all other Asian backgrounds (62%-77%) with the exception of adults who identified as from the any other Asian background category (79%). This was a similar pattern for digital arts engagement, as adults who identified as from a Chinese ethnic group (37%) engaged more digitally than all other Asian backgrounds (16%-23%) with the exception of adults who identified as from the any other Asian background category (27%).

Figure 2.5: Physical and digital engagement in the arts sector, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

There were no significant regional or county differences in either physical or digital engagement with the arts. Figure 2.6 shows:

  • Urban/Rural: Adults living in rural settings (89%) were more likely to engage physically with the arts than those in urban settings (86%).
  • Tenure: Adults who were homeowners (89%) were more likely to have engaged physically with the arts than those in the private rented sector (85%), who in turn were more likely to have engaged than those in the social rented sector (78%). The same pattern was repeated for digital engagement, where 29% of homeowners engaged digitally, 25% of adults in the private rented sector, and 19% in the social rented sector.
  • Education: Adults educated to a degree level or above were the most engaged, both physically (94%) and digitally (35%), with the arts sector, compared to adults with another kind of qualification.

Figure 2.6: Physical and digital engagement in the arts sector, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Barriers to engagement

Respondents who did not engage with the arts were asked why they did not. The most common reasons given are shown in Figure 2.7 and were:

  • For physical engagement in the arts – “I’m not interested” (29%), “Due to Covid-19 restrictions or concerns” (27%) and “No reasons in particular” (24%) were most commonly identified.
  • For digital participation in the arts – “No reasons in particular” (45%) was the most commonly identified barrier to engagement.

Figure 2.7: Reasons for not physically or digitally engaging in the arts sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

3. Libraries

Physical library engagement includes borrowing books, music, and films from the library, as well as using the library space to study, or using the library café as a meeting point. Digital engagement with libraries could include using their online catalogue, paying fees online, or borrowing e-books and downloading audiobooks. The full list of qualifying activities is in Annex C and shown in figures 3.2 and 3.3.

Headline findings

During October 2021 to March 2022, 20% of adults engaged with the library sector. This included 15% of adults who visited a public library building or mobile library in person at least once, and 12% who engaged with library services online. There were also a further 2% of adults who reported that they “used library services in some other way”. We are unable to identify if these engagements are physical or digital and therefore this chapter focuses on those 18% of adults who reported specifically engaging with libraries physically or digitally.

Figure 3.1 shows that of those who engaged with libraries digitally, 45% engaged at least once a month or more, whilst those who engaged physically did so less frequently, with only 35% engaging at the same frequency.

Figure 3.1: Frequency of physical and digital engagement in the library sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 3.2 shows that the most common reasons for physical engagement was browsing, borrowing, and returning reading and media materials (72% of those who engaged with libraries physically) and use of free Wi-Fi, computer, or printing facilities (23%).

Figure 3.2: Forms of physical engagement in the library sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 3.3 shows that the most common reason for digital engagement with the library sector was reserving, renewing, or paying a fine online (51% of those who engaged digitally). Borrowing digital or online resources was as popular as searching online library catalogues or dictionaries or making enquiries, at approximately 43%.

Figure 3.3: Forms of digital engagement in the library sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Who engaged with library services?

Figure 3.4 shows that:

  • Age: There was a lot of variation in how people of different ages physically engaged with libraries. Adults aged 16 to 19, 35 to 44, and 65 to 79 years displayed higher engagement (around 19%) than adults aged 20 to 34 and 45 to 64 years (around 12%). Digital engagement with libraries gradually decreased as age increased, from 19% for people aged between 16 and 19 to 6% for those aged 85 and over.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): No statistically significant differences.
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations (18%) and intermediate occupations (17%) showed higher physical library engagement than adults who were small employers and own account workers (11%), those in semi-routine and routine occupations (12%), and those who had never worked and long-term unemployed (14%). For digital library engagement, adults from higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations (14%) and adults who had never worked and long-term unemployed (15%) were the most likely to have engaged.

Figure 3.4: Physical and digital engagement in the library sector, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 3.5 shows that:

  • Disability status: No statistically significant differences.
  • Gender: Adults who identified as male showed the lowest engagement, 13% for physical and 11% for digital. For both physical and digital engagement with libraries, adults who preferred to self-describe were the most engaged (29% for physical and 28% for digital).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Christian, Hindu, or as having no religion reported less physical engagement than adults who identified as Muslim. There were no statistically significant differences between the other religious categories. For digital engagement, adults who identified as Christian or as having no religion were less engaged than people who identified as Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, or Sikh.
  • Ethnicity: No statistically significant differences.

Figure 3.5: Physical and digital engagement in the library sector, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 3.6 shows:

  • Urban/Rural: Adults living in urban settings were more likely (16% physical and 13% digital) than those in rural settings (14% physical and 10% digital) to engage with libraries.
  • Tenure: Adults who lived in the private rented sector had higher digital engagement with libraries (16%) compared to people who owned their homes (11%) or people living in the social rented sector (10%). There were no statistically significant differences for physical engagement.
  • Education: Adults educated to a degree level or above were more likely to have engaged, both physically (22%) and digitally (18%) with the library sector, than adults with another kind of qualification (14% physical and 10% digital).

Figure 3.6: Physical and digital engagement in the library sector, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Barriers to engagement

Respondents who did not engage with the library sector were asked why they did not. The most common reasons given are shown in Figure 3.7 and were:

  • For physical engagement – “I’m not interested” (30%), “No reasons in particular” (27%) and “Due to Covid-19 restrictions or concerns” (23%) were most commonly identified.
  • For digital participation – “No reason in particular” (40%) and “I’m not interested” (33%) were most commonly identified as barriers to engagement.

Figure 3.7: Reasons for not physically or digitally engaging in the library sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

4. Heritage

Physical engagement with the heritage sector is defined as visiting a variety of places with celebrated histories, such as those connected with industrial history, or ancient monuments, or archaeological sites. Digital engagement includes taking a virtual tour of any of those physical locations listed above, plus viewing documents from an archive in England online, or listening to podcasts from museums in England. The full list of qualifying activities is in Annex C and shown in figures 4.3 and 4.4.

Headline findings

During October 2021 to March 2022, over 3 in 5 adults (63%) had physically engaged with heritage sites in the previous 12 months to being surveyed. The corresponding figure for digital engagement was 20%.

Figure 4.1 shows that of the 65% of people who engaged with the heritage sector, 46% did it exclusively physically, 17% engaged both physically and digitally, and only 2% of adults did it exclusively digitally.

Figure 4.1: Physical and digital engagement in the heritage sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 4.2 shows that most adults who had engaged did so at least three to four times a year (35% for physical and 34% for digital). Whilst digital engagement with the heritage sector (20%) was much lower than physical engagement (63%), it was also less frequent, with just 7% engaging digitally at least once a week compared to 12% for physical engagement at least once a week.

Figure 4.2: Frequency of physical and digital engagement in the heritage sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 4.3 shows that the most popular heritage activities were visiting:

  • Parks and gardens with historic or artistic features (40%)
  • Towns and cities with celebrated histories (39%)
  • Heritage activities not in the list given (37%)
  • Historic landscape or habitat (35%).

Figure 4.3: Form of physical engagement in the heritage sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

The top cited reason for engaging with heritage physically was to spend time with family or friends (67%), followed by general interest in the subject (52%). A further 38% of adults reported that they engaged with heritage sites because they were in the area.

Figure 4.4 shows that the digital heritage activity that was most engaging was something not in the list given (80%). From the list given, researching local history online was the most popular (11%).

Figure 4.4: Forms of digital engagement in the heritage sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Accessing free digital content (74%) was more common than any other paid digital engagement (the highest “pay a monthly or annual subscription” was 12%).

Who engaged with heritage sites?

Figure 4.5 shows that:

  • Age: Adults aged 80 and above were less engaged, both physically and digitally, in the heritage sector compared to other age categories.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): There was a negative correlation between physical engagement in heritage sites and deprivation; the higher the deprivation (the lower the index number of deprivation), the lower the engagement with heritage sites (it ranged from 49% to 73% across the spectrum): Adults in the least deprived decile (22%) were more likely to digitally engage in the heritage sector than the most deprived (17%) decile.
  • Socio-economic classification: For physical engagement with the heritage sector, adults from higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations were more likely to have engaged (75%), whilst adults from semi-routine and routine occupations (53%) and those who had never worked and long-term unemployed (43%) were less likely to have engaged than the other classifications. Adults from higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations were more likely to have engaged (24%) with heritage sector digitally than all other classifications (between 15 and 20%).

Figure 4.5: Physical and digital engagement in the heritage sector, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 4.6 shows that:

  • Disability status: Those who identified as not disabled showed higher physical engagement (66%) than those who identified as disabled, whilst those who identified as disabled showed greater digital engagement (22%) than adults who identified as not disabled.
  • Gender: For digital engagement, adults who identified as male (22%) had significantly higher engagement than adults who identified as female (18%). There were no other statistically significant differences in physical engagement.
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Muslim (43%) or Sikh (39%) were less engaged physically than adults from other religions (at least 55%). Adults who identified as Christian (19%) or as having no religion (20%) were less engaged in digital heritage than adults who identified as Buddhist (30%), Jewish (31%), or as having any other religion (29%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified as from a Bangladeshi ethnic group (39%) engaged less physically than adults from all other Asian backgrounds (53%-65%) with the exception for adults who identified as from a Pakistani ethnic group (43%).

Figure 4.6: Physical and digital engagement in the heritage sector, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 4.7 shows:

  • Rural/Urban: People living in rural settings were more likely (69%) than those in urban settings (61%) to engage with heritage sites physically. There was no statistically significant difference for digital engagement.
  • Tenure: Adults who were homeowners (69%) were more likely to have engaged physically with the heritage sector than those in the private rented sector (59%), who in turn were more likely to have engaged than those in the social rented sector (40%). For digital engagement, owners and those in the private rented sector both engaged more (approximately 20%) than those in the social rented sector (15%).
  • Education: People educated to a degree level or above were more likely to have engaged, both physically (79%) and digitally (28%), with heritage sites, than those with any other type of qualification (65% physical, 19% digital).

Figure 4.7: Physical and digital engagement in the heritage sector, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Barriers to engagement

Respondents who did not engage with the heritage sector were asked why they did not. The most common reasons given are shown in figure 4.8 and were:

  • For physical engagement – “Due to Covid-19 restrictions or concerns” (33%), “No reasons in particular” (26%) and “I’m not interested” (22%), were most commonly identified.
  • For digital participation – “I’m not interested” (38%)” and “No reason in particular” (37%) and were most commonly identified as barriers to engagement.

Figure 4.8: Reasons for not physically or digitally engaging in the heritage sector, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

5. Museums and galleries

Respondents were asked about their visits to museums and galleries in the 12 months prior to being surveyed. Respondents were asked if they “engaged with text, image, audio, video, or animation, games, or podcast content from museums in England”, and those responses are included in the definition for digital heritage engagement. Therefore, only physical visits to museums and galleries are included in this chapter.

Headline findings

24% of adults in England visited museums and galleries in person (physically).

Figure 5.1 shows that during October 2021 to March 2022, over 90% of people visited museums and galleries less than 3 to 4 times a year, with the most common frequency being once a year (37%).

Figure 5.1: Frequency of visits to museums and galleries, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Over two in five (44%) people spent between one and two hours during their physical visits, with a third of adults spending between two and four hours (35%).

The top reasons for physically engaging with museums and galleries were:

  • A general interest in the subject in the museum or collection (66%)
  • To spend time with family or friends (56%)
  • Being in the area (34%)
  • To see a specific exhibition or display (33%)
  • It was low cost or free (31%).

Who engaged with museums and galleries?

Figure 5.2 shows that:

  • Age: People aged 20 to 49 and 55 to 74 visited museums and galleries more (at least 23%) than people aged 75 and above (at most 19%). Adults aged 80 or over visited the least.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): Adults from the lowest two IMD deciles, most deprived, were less likely to visit museums or galleries than other deciles (16%), whilst adults in the highest decile, least deprived, were the most likely to visit them (29%).
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults in higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations visited museums and galleries more than other classifications (31%). Adults in lower supervisory and technical occupations (17%), semi-routine and routine occupations (16%), and who had never worked and long-term unemployed (13%) visited museums and galleries less than other classifications.

Figure 5.2: Visits to museum and galleries, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 5.3 shows that:

  • Disability status: Adults who identified as not being disabled visited museums and galleries more (25%) than those who identified as disabled (22%).
  • Gender: Adults who preferred to self-describe their gender were more likely to visit museums or galleries (40%) than other gender categories.
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Buddhist, Jewish, as having any other religion, or as having no religion visited museums and galleries more than people from other religion categories.
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified as from a Chinese background visited museums and galleries more (46%) than adults from all other Asian backgrounds (17 to 28%).

Figure 5.3: Visits to museum and galleries, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 5.4 shows that adults living in the East and West Inner London regions visited museums and galleries more than adults from any other county region in England.

Figure 5.4: Visits to museum and galleries, by county and regions, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 5.5 shows that:

  • Rural/Urban: No statistically significant differences.
  • Tenure: Adults in the social rented sector were less likely to visit museums or galleries than those in the private rented sector or homeowners.
  • Education: Adults educated to a degree level or above were more likely to have visited museums and galleries (38%), than those who had another kind of qualification (21%).

Figure 5.5: Visits to museums and galleries, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Barriers to engagement

Respondents who did not visit museum and galleries were asked why they did not. The most common reasons given are shown in figure 5.6. They were “Due to Covid-19 restrictions or concerns” (35%), followed by “I’m not interested” (25%), and “No reasons in particular” (24%).

Figure 5.6: Reasons for not visiting museums and galleries, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

6. Domestic Tourism

Adults in England were asked about any domestic holidays (that is, holidays in England) they took in the last 12 months.

Headline findings

During October 2021 to March 2022, over half (55%) of adults took a holiday in England in the previous 12 months to being surveyed. Of these,

  • 30% stayed 1 to 2 nights,
  • 45% spent 3 to 6 nights on holiday,
  • 19% stayed 7 to 10 nights.

Figure 6.1: Percentage of adults who took a holiday in England in the previous 12 months, by length of stay, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 6.2 shows that nearly a third (32%) of adults who took a holiday in England stayed at a traditional coastal or seaside town; whilst over a quarter (26%) stayed in the countryside or village and over a fifth (23%) stayed in a city or large town.

Figure 6.2: Percentage of adults who took a holiday in England in the previous 12 months, by place type, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Of those who took a holiday in England, 42% said they visited museums, galleries, heritage or cultural sites or events while they were away.

Who engages with tourism?

Figure 6.3 shows that:

  • Age: Adults aged between 80 and 84 years old (35%) and those aged 85 or over (23%) were less likely to have taken a holiday in England compared to all other age groups (at least 50%).
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): There was a broadly negative correlation between taking a domestic holiday and deprivation. Only 38% on the lowest index of deprivation (the most deprived) took a holiday in England last year, compared to 66% of those on the highest index of deprivation (the least deprived).
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults in higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations were more likely to have taken a holiday in England (66%) than other socio-economic classifications. Adults who were in intermediate occupations were more likely to have taken a holiday in England (60%) than those in lower supervisory and technical occupations (53%) and those in semi-routine and routine occupations (47%). Adults who have never worked and long-term unemployed engaged the least (27%).

Figure 6.3: Engagement with domestic tourism, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 6.4 shows that:

  • Disability status: Those identifying as not disabled were more likely to have taken a holiday in England (60%) compared to those who identified as disabled (49%).
  • Gender: There was no significant difference in engagement with domestic tourism between those who identified as male (56%) and female (55%).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Muslim (30%) or Sikh (24%) were less likely to have taken a holiday in England than the other religion categories.
  • Ethnicity: Respondents who identified to be from a White-English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British ethnic group were more likely to have taken a holiday in England (60%) than all other ethnic groups, with the exception of adults who identified as from a Mixed White and Asian, or those from Any other Mixed/Multiple ethnic backgrounds.

Figure 6.4: Engagement with domestic tourism, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 6.5 shows that:

  • Urban/Rural: Adults from a rural setting (61%) were more likely to have taken a holiday in England in the last 12 months than those living in urban areas (54%).
  • Tenure: Owners were more likely to have taken a holiday in England (62%) than those in the private rented sector (49%) or in the social rented sector (33%).
  • Education: Adults educated to a degree level (67%) were more likely to have taken a holiday in England than those with another kind of qualification.

Figure 6.5: Engagement with domestic tourism, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

7. Use of the internet and smart devices

Respondents were asked about their internet usage and smart devices.

Headline findings

  • Over half of adults in England accessed the internet almost all the time (53%), over a third (36%) accessed it several times a day, and only 2% accessed it less frequently than several times a week.
  • The most common internet speed was between 24 and 100 Mb/s (54%), and the most common cost for the current internet access was between £21 and £30 (36%). Only 3% of adults had internet speeds of 1 Gb/s, and only 5% of adults were paying £60 or over for their internet.
  • 90% of adults in England owned a smartphone, with laptop computers being the second most owned digital device (62%). Only 1% of adults did not own any digital device on the list provided in figure 7.1.
  • Of the smart devices that are personally owned, 94% were Wi-Fi routers or internet hubs. The second most owned smart device was a voice-activated personal assistant (40%), followed by a smart energy device (31%).

Figure 7.1 Digital and smart devices personally owned, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Of the adults who personally owned digital devices, over half (52%) did not use these personally owned digital devices for work purposes. A third of adults used their personal smartphone for work (33%), whilst 29% used their laptop computer, and 8% used their desktop computer.

Who used the internet?

Figure 7.2 shows that:

  • Age: Adults aged 70 years and over were significantly less likely to use the internet than adults under 70 years old.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): Adults from the lowest IMD deciles (most deprived) were less likely to use the internet than adults in the upper eight IMD deciles (88% versus at least 92%).
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from the higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations class were more likely to use the internet than adults from other classifications (98%). Adults in the semi-routine and routine occupations (88%) and the never worked and long-term unemployed (79%) classes were less likely to use the internet than those in other classifications.

Figure 7.2 Use of the internet, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 7.3 shows that:

  • Disability status: Those who identified as not being disabled were more likely to use the internet (96%) than those who identified as disabled (89%).
  • Gender: Adults who identified as male (94%) were significantly more likely to use the internet than adults who identified as female (92%).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Muslim (93%), as having any other religion (98%), or as having no religion (97%) used the internet more than those who identified as Christian (91%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified to be from an Irish ethnic background (87%) were significantly less likely to use the internet than all other white backgrounds (93%-97%).

Figure 7.3 Use of the internet, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 7.4 shows that:

  • Urban/Rural: Adults living in rural settings used the internet more than adults living in urban settings (94% versus 93%) although the difference was fairly small.
  • Tenure: Homeowners and adults living in the private rented sector used the internet significantly more than those in the social rented sector (94% vs 87%).
  • Education: Adults educated to a degree level or above were more likely to have used the internet (99%) than adults with another kind of qualification (96%).

Figure 7.4 Use of the internet, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

8. 5G (fifth generation)

5G (Fifth generation) is the next step in mobile technology that enables faster mobile data speeds. The questionnaire asked a series of questions about the respondents’ awareness and likelihood to use 5G in the near future.

Headline findings

Between October 2021 and March 2022, most people said they were aware of 5G (94%). When asked “how much do you know about 5G mobile technology” 38% reported that they understood what it is and were interested in getting it in the near future while 34% were not. Only 6% had not heard of it.

Respondents were asked whether they agreed with the statements shown in figure 8.1 and to pick all the statements that apply. Over 45% of people were happy with their current mobile internet speeds, and a similar proportion would get 5G if it were free. Only 6% of adults reported they would never get 5G regardless of what it cost.

Figure 8.1: Attitudes towards getting 5G, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Respondents were asked how much extra would you pay per month for your mobile subscription or data plan for a 5G data plan:

  • 3 in 10 adults were willing to pay between £2 and £5 per month (28%) for 5G
  • 16% of adults were willing to pay up to £2 for 5G
  • 6% of adults were willing to pay between £5 and £7.50 per month
  • Similarly, 3 in 10 adults were not willing to pay any extra per month (29%) for 5G

Who has heard of 5G?

  • Age: Adults aged over 70 years were more likely to not have heard of 5G than other age groups. Of those who understood what 5G was and were interested in getting it in the near future, adults aged between 80-84 years (10%) and 85 and over (9%) were the least likely to report this than all other age groups.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): Adults in the lowest decile of deprivation, most deprived, were more likely to have not heard of 5G (9%) compared to those on the highest decile of deprivation, least deprived (6%).
  • Socio-economic classification: Those who were in the never worked and in long-term unemployment class (14%) were the most likely to not have heard of 5G, and adults from the higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations class (4%) were the least likely to report that they had not heard of 5G.

Adults from the intermediate occupations class (27%) were more likely to report that they had heard of 5G but not sure what it is, than adults from the small employers and own account workers (22%), lower supervisory and technical occupations (19%), and higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations (19%) classes.

Adults from the intermediate occupations (37%), small employers and own account workers (38%), and from lower supervisory and technical occupations (38%) classes were most likely to report that they understood what 5G was but were not interested in getting it in the near future than adults from other classifications.

Of the adults who understood what 5G is and were interested in getting it in the near future, those in the higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations class (43%) were more likely to report this than all other socio-economic classifications.

  • Disability status: Those who identified as being disabled were more likely to have not heard of 5G (8%) than those who identified as not being disabled (6%). Of those adults who understood what 5G was and were interested in getting it in the near future, those who had identified as not being disabled were more likely to do so (40%), than those who identified as disabled (33%).
  • Gender: Adults who identified as female were more likely to have heard of 5G but not sure what it is (28%) than the other gender categories. Of the adults who understood what 5G is and were interested in getting it in the near future, adults who identified as male were more likely to do so (45%) than those who identified as female (30%).
  • Religion: Adults who had identified as Buddhist (9%) were more likely to have never heard of 5G than adults who identified to have no religion (5%). Of those adults who understood what 5G was and were interested in getting it in the near future, those who identified as Christian (32%) were less likely to do so than all other religious groups, with the exception of those who identified as Jewish (37%), Sikh (40%), or as having any other religion (38%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified as from a Bangladeshi background (12%) were more likely to have not heard of 5G than those who identified as being from a White-English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British ethnic background (6%) or adults who identified as from Any other White background (5%).

  • Urban/Rural: Adults from an urban area were more likely to have reported “I have heard of it but am not sure what it is” (22%) or “I understand what it is and am interested in getting it in the near future” (38%) compared to adults from a rural area, whilst adults from rural areas were more likely to have reported “I understand what it is but am not interested in getting it in the near future” (39%) than adults from urban areas.
  • Tenure: Homeowners agreed more with “I understand what 5G is but am not interested in getting it in the near future” (37%) than other tenures.
  • Education: Of the adults who understood what 5G is and were interested in getting it in the near future, almost half (45%) of people educated to a degree level or above agreed.

9. Digital or Online skills training

Respondents were asked whether they had taken part in any digital or online skills training in the last 12 months, prior to being asked between October 2021 and March 2022. Training might include how to communicate using electronic means, how to carry out basic internet searches, and how to stay safe online.

Headline findings

53% of adults in England thought it was important to continue digital or online skills training in their current career or job, and 53% thought developing digital or online skills was important to helping them further career or job prospects.

Figure 9.1 shows that:

  • 69% of adults thought that it was important for them to continue digital or online skills training to help with their day-to-day activities.
  • 46% were not interested in doing any training.

Figure 9.1: Attitudes towards and interest in doing digital or online skills training, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Who has engaged with digital or online skills training?

Figure 9.2 shows that:

  • Age: Adults aged 65 years or over (10% and less) engaged less with digital or online skills training than adults in all other age groups (15-28%).
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): No statistically significant differences.
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from the higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations (23%) and the never worked and long-term unemployed (21%) classes engaged more with digital or online skills training than adults in other classifications.

Figure 9.2 Attitudes towards digital or online skills training, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 9.3 shows

  • Disability status: Those who identified as not being disabled were more likely to have engaged with digital or online skills training (21%) than those who identified as disabled (16%).
  • Gender: Adults who identified as male (21%) were more likely to have engaged with digital or online skills training than those who identified as female (19%).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Buddhist (31%), Hindu (34%), or Muslim (29%), engaged more with digital or online skills training than people who identified as Christian (18%) or as having no religion (19%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified as from an Asian background or as from Any other ethnic group (bar label N) were more likely to engage with digital or online skills training than adults who identified as from a White-English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British background.

Figure 9.3 Attitudes towards digital or online skills training, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 9.4 shows that adults from East & North East Outer London (28%), East Inner London (27%), and West Inner London (28%) were more likely to have engaged in digital or online skills training, compared to other regions (approximately 18%).

Figure 9.4: Engagement with digital or online skills training, by county and regions, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 9.5 shows,

  • Urban/Rural: Adults from urban areas were more likely (21%) to have taken part in digital or online skills training than adults from rural areas (16%).
  • Tenure: Adults who lived in the private rented sector were more likely (27%) to have attended digital or online skills training than those who lived in the social rented sector (21%). Adults who were homeowners were least likely to have completed digital or online skills training (17%) compared to adults in other tenures.
  • Education: Adults with a degree level or above were more likely (23%) than adults who had another kind of qualification to have attended digital or online skills training (19%).

Figure 9.5 Attitudes towards digital or online skills training, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

10. Data security

Respondents were asked questions on the measures they took to stay safe and secure online and while using digital technology, and statements relating to their understanding of the security of personal data.

Headline findings

Adults in England were generally aware of the measures to stay safe and secure online. Figure 10.1 shows that:

  • 79% of adults stated they avoided suspicious links in emails and websites.
  • 74% of adults use different passwords for online accounts.
  • However, 7% of respondents did none of the measures on the list given.

Figure 10.1: Measures taken to stay safe and secure online, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 10.2 shows that to stay safe and secure while using technology (which may or may not have internet access), nearly three quarters of adults (73%) said that they created strong passwords, over half (53%) allowed updates when prompted, and nearly half (49%) backed up their information and content frequently. However, while using technology, one in ten adults did none of the things on the list given in Figure 10.2.

Figure 10.2: Measures taken to stay safe and secure while using technology, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Over four in five adults (86%) recognised that viruses can damage their computer and security, and 75% agreed that software should be used to prevent viruses. Only 1% of people did not agree with any of the given statements[5].

Around 40% of adults in England reported “it is important but I don’t have enough information to choose between providers based on their security standards” when choosing a new provider. A further quarter of adults reported “it may be important, but I don’t have enough information about what happens when security standards are not high enough”. One in ten adults reported that choosing between providers based on their security standards didn’t feel very important.

Figure 10.3 shows that whilst over a third (35%) of adults upgraded the security of their own devices in the last 12 months, over half (58%) of adults did none of the things from the list given.

Figure 10.3: Action taken to protect data and online security, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

11. Methods of identification

Adults were asked about the methods they had used to verify their own identity online for example, when applying for a passport or applying for a new benefit or new job. They were also asked about their preference between verifying their identity digitally or with hard copy documents for different activities, for example, opening a bank account or travelling.

Headline findings

Figure 11.1 shows that 2 in 5 adults in England had provided personal information (such as passport number or date of birth) to verify their identity online (43%). A further 2 in 5 adults had not verified their own identity online in the last 12 months (41%).

Figure 11.1: Methods used to verify identity online, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 11.2 shows that in general, adults preferred to use digital tools for identification than using hard/physical copies for things such as:

  • Opening a bank account (40% digital versus 28% physical).
  • Travelling (38% digital versus 29% physical).
  • Accessing benefits (35% digital versus 22% physical).
  • Starting a new job (34% digital versus 23% physical).

Figure 11.2: Preference of methods to verify identity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

12. Use of data

Adults responded to questions on how they feel about private companies and the UK government using data in a variety of ways for a range of purposes, as well as their feelings towards sharing personal data.

Headline findings

Figure 12.1 shows that the majority of adults in England were comfortable with the UK government using data to make public policies and improve public services[6], whereas the responses towards how private companies use data for any of the uses we asked about were less comfortable.

For the usage of data in general, the majority of adults in England were comfortable with researchers, scientists, and charities using data.

Figure 12.1: How comfortable adults felt about the UK government or private companies using data, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Question Very or fairly comfortable Very or fairly uncomfortable Don’t know
How comfortable you are with the UK government using data to make public policies which help keep people safe 67% 22% 12%
How comfortable you are with the UK government using data to understand and better serve society through improved public services 63% 25% 12%
How comfortable you are with researchers and scientists using data to increase our understanding and knowledge of the world, people, culture, and society 64% 22% 14%
How comfortable you are with charities using data to help vulnerable people in society 58% 28% 14%
How comfortable you are with data being used to develop services that help people save money, such as price comparison websites 56% 30% 14%
How comfortable you are with private companies using data to grow the economy and create jobs 44% 40% 16%
How comfortable you are with private companies using data to develop technology to help people do things more efficiently 42% 43% 15%
How comfortable you are with data being used by private companies to improve their services and products 39% 46% 14%
How comfortable you are with data being used by private companies to design services which help people connect with others, for example, to develop social media platforms 32% 51% 17%

Two thirds of respondents reported they were comfortable (19% very comfortable and 47% fairly comfortable) with data being used to develop services that help people save money, whilst only 35% of adults agreed that they “would share data about my spending habits if it would allow me to gain access to services that could save me money”, and 31% disagreed.

When it came to their personal data being used:

  • A majority of adults (48% agree and 16% strongly agree) were comfortable with data being used when it is easy for them to understand how and why it is being used.
  • A majority (45% agree and 17% strongly agree) would also be open to sharing their medical history or allergies if it helped develop new medicines or treatments.
  • Over a third (34%) of adults responded that they agreed they would share data about their online activity if it were used to monitor crime and protect me from harm, while 13% disagreed.

13. Data sharing and viewing content online

Respondents were asked questions relating to their habits for sharing online content. This includes their reasons for doing so, the rigour with which they check the source and their motivations for doing so.

Headline findings

Figure 13.1 shows that under half of adults (42%) reported that they shared content very or quite often, whilst 17% reported that they never shared content.

Figure 13.1: Frequency of sharing online content, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 13.2 shows that the most popular reasons for sharing online content were because “it is funny or amusing” (68%) and “it is interesting” (64%).

Figure 13.2: Reasons for sharing online content, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

  • Just over half of adults (51%) reported that they always consider the source and motivation behind the online content they are sharing whilst 3% reported that they never.

  • Over half (55%) of adults reported that they always considered the likely impact on other users by them sharing online content, whilst 4% reported that they never considered the likely impact.

Over half of adults (52%) reported that they always examine whether the headline accurately reflects the online content they are sharing, whilst 3% reported that they never.

14. Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Respondents were asked for their awareness of the celebratory events for the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.

Headline findings

Nearly three quarters of respondents (72%) were aware of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Of those respondents, figure 14.1 shows that:

  • 53% were interested in following coverage on TV or radio (including watching the event and/or news about the event).
  • 35% were interested in attending a local event.
  • 20% were interested in following this event on social media.

Figure 14.1: Interest in participating in for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

When asked “How strongly do you feel you belong to the United Kingdom?”, over three quarters (77%) of adults replied “very strongly” and “fairly strongly”, whilst 8% of respondents felt not very strongly or not at all strongly.

Who is aware of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?

Figure 14.2 shows that:

  • Age: 16 to 19-year-olds (52%) were aware of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee event, significantly less than any other age group.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): Adults from the lowest three deciles (most deprived) were least aware of the event compared to the higher deciles (least deprived).
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from the intermediate occupations class were the most aware (81%) of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, compared to adults in other classifications.

Figure 14.2: Awareness for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 14.3 shows that:

  • Disability status: Those who identified as disabled had greater awareness of this event (75%), compared to those who identified as not disabled (72%).
  • Gender: Adults who identified as female had greater awareness of this event (75%) than adults who identified as male (70%) or adults who preferred to self-describe their gender (53%).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Buddhist (51%), Hindu (62%), Muslim (47%), or Sikh (52%) were less aware of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee than adults who identified as Christian (79%) or as having no religion (70%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified to be from a White-English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British ethnic group were more aware (77%) of this event than adults from Any other ethnic group, except adults who identified to be from an Irish ethnic group (72%).

Figure 14.3: Awareness for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

There were no statistically significant differences in regions and counties in England and awareness of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Figure14.4 shows:

  • Urban/Rural: People living in rural settings were more aware of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (80%) than those in urban settings (70%).
  • Tenure: Adults who were homeowners were more likely to be aware of this event (77%), than people in the private rented sector (61%) and those in the social rented sector (63%).
  • Education: No statistically significant differences

Figure 14.4: Awareness for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, by urban or rural area, home ownership status, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

15. UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK

UNBOXED: Respondents were asked about their awareness of the “UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK” major event.

Headline findings

For the UNBOXED Event, 4% of respondents had heard of this event. Of those who were aware, figure 15.1 shows that,

  • 29% were interested in following coverage on TV or radio (including watching the event and/or news about the event).
  • 28% were not interested in participating in this event.
  • 27% were interested in attending a local event.
  • 21% were interested in attending a national event.

Figure 15.1: Interest in participating in UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Who is aware of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK?

Figure 15.2 shows that:

  • Age: Adults aged 16 to 24 were more aware of this event than those aged 35 to 39, those aged 50 to 54, and those aged 60 or over.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): No statistically significant differences.
  • Socio-economic classification: No statistically significant differences.

Figure 15.2: Awareness for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 15.3 shows that:

  • Disability status: No statistically significant differences.
  • Gender: No statistically significant differences.
  • Religion: No statistically significant differences.
  • Ethnicity: No statistically significant differences.

Figure 15.3: Awareness for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

There were no statistically significant differences in regions and counties in England and awareness of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. Figure 15.4 shows that:

  • Urban/Rural: No statistically significant differences.
  • Tenure: Adults who were homeowners were less likely to be aware of this event (3%), than people in the private rented sector and those in the social rented sector (approximately 4%).
  • Education: No statistically significant differences.

Figure 15.4: Awareness for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, by urban or rural area, home ownership status, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

16. Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022

Respondents were asked about their awareness of the “Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022” major event.

Headline findings

For the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, 40% respondents were aware of this event. Of those respondents, figure 16.1 shows that:

  • 55% were interested in following coverage on TV or radio (including watching the event and/or news about the event).
  • 26% were not interested in participating in this event.
  • 17% were interested in following this event on social media.

Figure 16.1 Interest in participating in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Who is aware of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022?

Figure 16.2 shows that:

  • Age: There was a correlation between age groups and awareness of this event. As age groups increased, the level of awareness increased, except at the age group 85 or older where awareness steadily falls to 38%.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): As deprivation increased, awareness of the event decreased.
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from the higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations (47%) were more aware of Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 than adults in other classifications, whilst adults in the never worked or long-term unemployed class (24%) were the least aware.

Figure 16.2: Awareness for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 16.3 shows that:

  • Disability status: No statistically significant differences
  • Gender: Adults who identified as male (43%) were more aware of this event than adults who identified as female (37%) or who preferred to self-describe their genders (26%).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Christian (45%) were more likely to be aware of this event than adults from all other religious groups with the exception of adults who identified as Sikh (39%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults from a Caribbean ethnic background (51%) were more aware of this event than all other ethnic groups, with the exception of those who identified to be from the White- English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British (44%), White and Black African (32%), or Irish ethnic groups (38%).

Figure 16.3: Awareness for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 16.4 shows that adults from the counties West Midlands (74%), Herefordshire, Worcestershire & Warwickshire (72%), and Shropshire & Staffordshire (67%) were the most aware of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Figure 16.4: Awareness for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, by county region, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 16.5 shows:

  • Urban/Rural: People living in rural settings were more aware of this event (44%) than those in urban settings (38%).
  • Tenure: Adults who were homeowners were more likely to be aware of this event (45%), than people in the private rented sector and those in the social rented sector (approximately 28%).
  • Education: People educated to a degree level or above were the most aware of this event (46%) than people with another kind of qualification (43%).

Figure 16.5: Awareness for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

17. Coventry City of Culture

Respondents were asked about their awareness of the “Coventry City of Culture” major event.

Headline findings

One in five (21%) were aware of Coventry City of Culture. Of those respondents, figure 17.1 shows that:

  • 27% were interested in following coverage on TV or radio (including watching the event and/or news about the event).
  • 53% were not interested in participating in this event.

Figure 17.1: Interest in participating in Coventry City of Culture, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Who is aware of Coventry City of Culture?

Figure 17.2 shows that:

  • Age: There was a correlation between age groups and awareness of this event. As age increased, the level of awareness increased, except for adults aged 85 or over where awareness drops to 26%.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): As deprivation increased, awareness of the event decreased.
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults from the higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations class (28%) were more aware of this event than adults in other classifications, whilst adults in the never worked or long-term unemployed class (11%) were the least aware.

Figure 17.2: Awareness for Coventry City of Culture, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation[footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 17.3 shows that:

  • Disability status: Adults who identified as disabled were significantly more aware of this event (25%) compared to adults who identified as not disabled (20%).
  • Gender: Adults who identified as male (23%) were more aware of this event than adults who identified as female (21%).
  • Religion: Adults who identified as Christian were more likely to be aware of this event (25%), than adults who identified as having any other religion, with the exception of adults who identified as Jewish (25%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults who identified as being from a White-English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British background (24%) were more likely to be aware of this event than adults from all other ethnic groups, with the exception of adults who identified as from Irish (26%), or Any other Mixed/Multiple ethnic background (20%).

Figure 17.3: Awareness for Coventry City of Culture, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 17.4 shows that adults from Herefordshire, Worcestershire & Warwickshire counties (58%) were significantly more aware of this event than adults from any other county in England. Awareness was also high in the West Midlands (42%) and Shropshire & Staffordshire (39%) counties.

Figure 17.4: Awareness for Coventry City of Culture, by county and regions, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Figure 17.5 shows:

  • Urban/Rural: People living in rural settings were more aware of Coventry City of Culture (27%) than those in urban settings (20%).
  • Tenure: Adults who were homeowners were much more likely to be aware of this event (26%), than people in the private rented sector (14%) and those in the social rented sector, (11%).
  • Education: People educated to a degree level or above were more aware of Coventry City of Culture (29%), compared to those with another kind of qualification (22%).

Figure 17.5: Awareness for Coventry City of Culture, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

18. Live Sports

Respondents were asked whether information about attendance at live sports in the last six months (that is, covering the period April 2021 to March 2022). Note that questions related to gambling refers to the last 12 months (that is, covering the period October 2020 to March 2022).

Headline findings

Over one in six adults (18%) attended live sports in person in the last six months. Of those live sports, in order of popularity:

  • football (65%)
  • other type of sport (17%) (any sport not listed in Figure 18.1)
  • rugby (16%).

68% of respondents who watched live sports on TV said all of these events were professional sports where the participants were being paid, whereas 7% said most of them were. Only 15% of respondents said none of the events were professional sports where the participants were being paid.

Over half of adults (58%) watched live sports on TV in the last six months. Of the live sports on TV, figure 18.1 shows that the most watched was

  • football (77%)
  • tennis (41%)
  • rugby (39%).

Figure 18.1: Live sporting events watched in-person and on TV the previous 6 months, by sporting type, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

22% of adults who attended live sports (of any type) in person in the previous 6 months placed a bet. This compares to 14% of adults who watched live sports on TV who placed a bet while watching.

Figure 18.2 shows that of the adults who attended live sports in person and placed bets,

  • 36% reported to do so very rarely,
  • 34% said some of the time,
  • 15% said most of the time.

Whereas, the adults who watched live sports on TV and placed bets,

  • 42% did so very rarely,
  • 36% placed a bet some of the time,
  • 14% placed a bet most of the time.

Figure 18.2: Engagement in betting during watching live sports in person and on TV, by frequency, England: October to December 2021.

Who attends live sporting events?

Figure 18.3 shows that:

  • Age: Engagement in live sporting events steadily decreased as the age group of the respondents increased.
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD): Adults in the lowest three deciles (most deprived) engaged in live sporting events the less (approximately 15%) compared to adults in the higher six deciles (less deprived) (approximately 20%).
  • Socio-economic classification: Adults in the intermediate occupations (13%), semi-routine and routine occupations (13%), or never worked and long term unemployed (11%) classes engaged less than adults in other socio-economic classifications.

Figure 18.3: Attendance in live sporting events in the previous 6 months, by age, Index of Multiple Deprivation [footnote 2], and socio-economic classification [footnote 3], England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Socio-Economic Classification
A Higher managerial, administrative, and professional occupations
B Intermediate occupations
C Small employers and own account workers
D Lower supervisory and technical occupations
E Semi-routine and routine occupations
F Never worked and long-term unemployed

Figure 18.4 shows that:

  • Disability status: Those who identified as not disabled showed higher engagement (20%) than those who identified as disabled (13%).
  • Gender: Adults who identified as male (25%) were more likely to have attended live sporting events compared to adults who identified as female (11%) and adults who self-describe their gender (11%).
  • Religion: 20% of adults who identified as having no religion were more likely to have attended live sports than those who identified as Christian (17%), Hindu (11%), or Muslim (12%).
  • Ethnicity: Adults from a Mixed White and Black Caribbean ethnic group (21%) were more likely to have attended live sports than adults who identified to be from Any other White ethnic groups (13%), those in the Asian ethnic group (12%) or those in the Black ethnic group (12%).

Figure 18.4: Attendance in live sporting events in the previous 6 months, by disability status, gender, religion, and ethnicity, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity Bar label Ethnicity
A Bangladeshi G Caribbean M Arab
B Chinese H Any other black, African, or Caribbean background N Any other ethnic group
C Indian I Mixed white and Asian O English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, or British
D Pakistani J Mixed white and black African P Gypsy or Irish Traveller
E Any other Asian background K Mixed white and black Caribbean Q Irish
F African L Any other multi-ethnic background R Any other white background

Figure 18.5 shows that:

  • Urban/Rural: No statistically significant differences.
  • Tenure: Owners (19%) and adults in the private rented sector (18%) were more likely to attend live sport events than adults in the social rented sector (12%).
  • Education: Adults who are educated to a degree level or above (21%) were more likely to attend live sports than those with another kind of qualification (19%).

Figure 18.5: Attendance in live sporting events in the previous six months, by urban/rural classification, tenure type, and highest qualification, England: October 2021 to March 2022.

Annex A

  1. The Participation survey is commissioned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
  2. The fieldwork for the Participation survey has been conducted by Kantar Public, since October 2021.
  3. This release is based on self-completed questionnaires conducted either online or using paper questionnaires. The survey was completed between October 2021 and March 2022. The total sample size for this quarter was 33,589. Sample sizes for each breakdown can be found in the accompanying tables. All households sampled were invited to complete the survey online with the option to request a paper version. A targeted sample was also sent two paper questionnaires in their second reminder letter to encourage responses from those at risk of digital exclusion. In October 2021 to March 2022, 28,058 people (84%) completed the survey online and 28,058 (16%) completed the paper version of the questionnaire. Due to space limitations in the paper questionnaire, not all questions from the online survey are included in the paper version and the source of each survey measure is referenced in the accompanying charts and tables.
  4. Participation Survey is an Official Statistic and as such has been produced to the professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Official Statistics undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs and are produced free from any political interference. See the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for more information.
  5. Stringent quality assurance procedures have been adopted for this statistical release. All data and analysis had been checked and verified by at least two different members of the DCMS team and Kantar Public to ensure the highest level of quality.
  6. Guidance on the quality that is expected of Participation Survey statistical releases is provided in a quality indicators document. These quality indicators outline how statistics from the Participation survey match up to the six dimensions of quality defined by the European Statistical System (ESS). These are: relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, comparability and coherence.
  7. The Participation survey measures participation by adults (aged 16 and over) living in private households in England. No geographical restriction is placed on where the activity or event occurred.
  8. Unless stated, participation in activities must be for the purpose of recreation or leisure, including voluntary work. It excludes involvement in activities where the prime motivation is paid work or academic studies.
  9. Changes over time and differences between groups are only reported on where they are statistically significant at the 95% level. Statistically significant differences have been determined in this report on the basis of non-overlapping confidence intervals. This means that we can be confident that the differences seen in our sampled respondents are reflective of the population. Specifically, the statistical tests used mean we can be confident that if we carried out the same survey on different random samples of the population, 95 times out of 100 we would get similar findings. When sample sizes are smaller we can be less confident in our estimates so differences need to be greater to be considered statistically significant.
  10. The upper and lower bounds presented in this report have been calculated using a 95% confidence interval. This means that had the sample been conducted 100 times, creating 100 confidence intervals, then 95 of these intervals would contain the true value. When the sample size is smaller, as is the case for certain groups and in certain years, the confidence intervals are wider as we can be less certain that the individuals in the sample are representative of the population. This means that it is more difficult to draw inferences from the results.
  11. The data are weighted to ensure representativeness of the Participation Survey sample. Weighting is based on August-October 2021 Labour Force Survey data from the Office for National Statistics. There are two types of weighting: (i) to compensate for unequal probabilities of selection, (ii) to adjust for non-response. Detailed information on the weighting procedure can be found on page 14 of the Technical Note from Kantar Public.
  12. The GSS has a policy of monitoring and reducing statistical survey burden to participants where possible, and the burden imposed should be proportionate to the benefits arising from the use of the statistics. As a producer of statistics, DCMS is transparent in its approach to monitoring and reducing the burden on those providing their information, and on those involved in collecting, recording and supplying data. The compliance cost of a survey is calculated by [Number of responses to the survey multiplied by the median time spent completing the survey (in minutes)]. The Participation Survey had 33,589 respondents in October 2021 to March 2022, and the median survey completion time was 26 minutes, the compliance cost for this survey this year was 14,555 hours and 14 minutes.
  13. For more information about the Participation survey and to access other guidance documents and the questionnaire, see the Participation Survey web pages.
  14. The responsible statistician for this release is Ella Bentin. For enquiries on this release, please contact [email protected].

Annex B

Term Definition
Arts A list of activities that are classified as engagement with the arts is given in Annex C.
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from 72 nations and territories across the Commonwealth of Nations. The 2022 Commonwealth Games is being held in Birmingham.
Confidence interval A confidence interval provides a range in which there is a specific probability that the true value for the population will fall. For the Participation Survey, 95% confidence intervals are used which means, had the sampling been conducted 100 times, creating 100 confidence intervals, then 95 of these intervals would contain the true value for adults in England.
Coventry City of Culture UK City of Culture is a competition run by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) every four years. The current UK City of Culture started in May 2021 in Coventry and ends in May 2022.
Data Information about people, things and systems. Information about people could include things like their names and addresses or it could be about the population, like the proportion of adults who own a property. Information about systems includes how companies perform, like hospital waiting times or company sales figures. Information about things might include the stock of food at a supermarket or the number of ventilators at a hospital.
DCMS Sectors The DCMS sectors referred to in this report are the arts, heritage, museums and galleries, libraries, digital, tourism, internet and 5G, major events and live sport.
Digital engagement Digital engagement in each sector is defined as visiting a website or using an app related to that sector.
Digital or online skills training The Participation Survey asks whether respondents had taken part in any digital or online skills training. This might include training in how to carry out basic functions such as using digital or online applications to communicate and carry out basic internet searches and to stay safe online.
Disability The harmonised question “Do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last for 12 months or more?” is asked to identify those respondents with a long lasting health conditions and illness and those without.
Engagement This refers to either attending and/or participating in one of DCMS’ sectors, either in person or online, for example, going to the theatre (attendance) or playing a musical instrument (participation).
Ethnic groups The Participation Survey respondents were asked to self-identify in terms of ethnicity. The options follow the harmonised question for ethnicity.
Gambling The Participation Survey captures information on respondents placing bets during sporting events.
Gender The Participation Survey respondents were asked if they would describe themselves as Male, Female, or Prefer to self-describe, or Prefer not to say, following the harmonised question for gender.
Heritage A list of activities that are classified as engagement with heritage is given in Annex C.
Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee A series of celebrations that will take place throughout 2022 to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign as Sovereign.
Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) IMD is a geographical measure which classifies the relative deprivation of an area. It combines 7 indices to produce one overall measure for the area (rather than the individual). It takes into account income, employment, education, skills and training, health and disability, crime, barriers to housing and services and living environment.
Live sports Watching sport as it is being played.
Physical engagement Engaging with DCMS sectors in-person, that is, not using digital means.
Public library use The list of activities that are classified as public library use is given in Annex C.
Religion The Participation Survey respondents were asked to self-identify themselves in terms of religious beliefs. The options follow the harmonised question for religion, and are based on affiliation (rather than belief or practice).
Router/internet hub A router is a device that communicates between the internet and the devices in your home that connect to the internet.
Significant increase/decrease A significant increase/decrease at the 95% level means that if we carried out the same survey on different random samples of the population, 95 times out of 100 we would observe the increase/decrease.
Smart device Smart products are devices or appliances controlled via an internet connection.
Socio-economic group (NS-SEC) NS-SEC is a form of socio-economic classification based on the employment status and occupation of the respondent. The individual is placed within one of the five socio-economic groups: 1. Higher managerial, administrative and professional occupations, 2. Intermediate occupations, 3. Small employers and own account workers, 4. Lower supervisory and technical occupations, 5. Semi-routine and manual occupations. There is a sixth category “never worked and long-term unemployed”, which also encompasses adult students.
Tourism Holidays (that is, staying at least one night away from your home) in England was counted as tourism within the Participation Survey.
UNBOXED UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is a celebration of creativity and innovation, taking place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and digitally from March to October 2022.
5G 5G stands for fifth generation. It is the next step in mobile technology. It offers faster mobile internet speeds.

Annex C

Arts

The respondent was asked whether they had participated in a given list of arts activities, or attended a given list of arts events (not including paid work, school or college or structured academic activities). Eligible activities and events were as follows.

Physical Participation:

  • written stories, plays, or poetry
  • read books or magazines
  • written or performed music
  • painting, drawing, printmaking, calligraphy
  • crafts (textile, ceramic, sculpting, carving, woodwork)
  • choreographed or performed a drama or dance routine
  • designed or programmed video games including on a smartphone or tablet
  • played video games including on a smartphone or tablet
  • made films or videos as a hobby including original animations
  • photography as a hobby
  • other arts, crafts, or creative activities at home

Physical Attendance:

  • an exhibition of art, photography or sculptures
  • a play, drama, musical, Pantomime, Ballet, Opera
  • an event connected with books, reading, or writing
  • a cinema screening of a film or movie
  • a craft exhibition (not a crafts market; crafts include for example textiles, woodworking)
  • a live music event
  • a festival and or carnival (music, food, culture)
  • a street art event
  • a live dance event
  • a fashion show
  • a comedy event
  • some other cultural event in England

Digital Engagement:

  • a live arts event including theatre, visual arts or literature
  • a pre-recorded arts event including theatre, visual arts or literature
  • a live music or dance event, watched as it was happening
  • a pre-recorded music or dance event

Libraries

Physical engagement:

The respondent was asked whether they had done any of the following things when they visited a public or mobile library (not including paid work, school or college or structured academic activities).

  • borrowed, browsed or returned books, newspapers, music, CDs, DVDs or audiobooks
  • accessed online resources such as e-books, magazines or journals
  • used free Wi-Fi, computer or printing facilities
  • sought information related to your or someone else’s health
  • used the space to study or work
  • took part in an event (for example a reading group, film screening or author visit)
  • took a child to an event
  • visited the library café or met up with someone
  • did something else

Digital engagement:

The respondent was asked whether they had done any of the following things when accessing library services online (not including paid work, school or college or structured academic activities).

  • Reserved or renewed books or paid a fine
  • Searched online catalogues or dictionaries or made an enquiry
  • Borrowed digital or online resources such as e-books, e-audio or e-magazines but without visiting the library
  • Viewed or participated in an online event or activity organised by the library
  • Checked information online about the library such as opening hours, available facilities or services offered
  • Accessed online services via library membership such as journals or family history sites
  • Accessed some other library service online

Heritage

Physical engagement:

The respondent was asked whether they had visited any of the following places in person (not including paid work, school or college or structured academic activities):

  • a city or town with celebrated historic nature
  • a historic building open to the public (non-religious)
  • a historic place of worship attended as a visitor (not to worship)
  • a park or garden open to the public with historic or artistic features
  • a place connected with industrial history (such as an old factory, mine or railway)
  • an ancient monument or archaeological site (such as a castle, fort, burial site)
  • a site connected with sports heritage NOT visited for the purposes of watching sport (such as Wimbledon or Wembley stadium)
  • a site connected with maritime or underwater heritage (such as shipwrecks)
  • a historic landscape or habitat (such as coastline, countryside)
  • Some other heritage site or historic place

Digital engagement:

The respondent was asked which of these virtual or online activities they had done (not including paid work, school or college or structured academic activities):

  • taken a virtual tour of a museum or gallery in England
  • taken a virtual walking tour of a historic town or city, heritage site, castle or monument in England (Not including drone flights)
  • researched your local history online
  • researched items from a museum or gallery collection in England online
  • viewed documents from an archive in England online
  • engaged with text, image, audio, video, or animation, games, or podcast content from heritage sites in England
  • engaged with text, image, audio, video, or animation, games, or podcast content from museums in England

Museums and galleries

The respondent was asked if they had visited a museum or gallery in person in England in the last 12 months. There was not a specific online engagement question for a museum or gallery activity. 

Annex D

The questionnaire has been produced as a result of a series of engagements with key stakeholders and the social survey needs of DCMS sectors. We have worked closely with Kantar Public to devise a clear and effective questionnaire to acquire data for DCMS policy teams. There is some overlap with questions observed in the Taking Part Survey, however we advise not to compare findings from these two different surveys. For more information on the distinction between the Taking Part Survey and the Participation Survey please look in the methodology documents on the website.

  1. The 95% confidence intervals are indicated by error bars on the charts. They show the range that we are 95% confident the true value for the population falls between. When there is no overlap between the error bars for two or more groups, we can be more confident that the differences between groups represent true differences between these groups in the population. 

  2. The Index of Multiple Deprivation a geographical measure which classifies the relative deprivation of an area. It combines seven indices to produce one overall measure for the area (rather than the individual). It takes into account income, employment, education, skills and training, health and disability, crime, barriers to housing and services, and living environment.  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

  3. This is a form of socio-economic classification based on the employment status and occupation of the respondent.  2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12