Hotspot

Population growth in the UK is at a 47-year high, and there are now more than 61m of us. The regional population projections reveal where the real challenges and opportunities lie. Audiences Yorkshire’s region bucks the UK trend, with a population increase of 3.5% between 2002 and 2007, compared to a national average of 2.8%. Despite the UK overview suggesting that natural change – births minus deaths – is key to population growth, international migration is a major contributor to regional population increases. For every 10,000 residents in Yorkshire and The Humber, 45 people arrive from abroad. At a recent Audiences Yorkshire event, ‘Time To Change’, delegates considered diversity post Arts Council England’s (ACE) ‘Race Equality Action Plan’, and how to embrace diversity with regard to artistic, audience and organisational development. Delegates spoke of a very strong desire for change in understanding of diversity, and recognised that “more interesting work” could be a positive outcome, as well as being able to “exploit the best skills in the world” and “to change perceptions of who art is for”.
In the future, might this translate into positive change in demographic patterns of attendance and participation, as evidenced by ACE’s Taking Part survey? The report on findings from the first three years of the survey says that “inequalities reflect and perpetuate longstanding social norms and patterns of stratification and exclusion in society”. What truths will the future Taking Part surveys reveal about how arts and cultural organisations and policy-makers have collectively taken advantage of diversity? And will we be ready for future population change? It’s down to us to make the difference. Let’s not overlook our role in taking charge of change and determining how we can take advantage of it.