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Over 42% of children aged 11–15 attended a theatre performance in 2007, according to the ‘Taking Part’ survey produced by the DCMS and published this month. The survey was based on interviews with 2,454 children between January and April this year, asking about their engagement and non-engagement in activities during the previous 12 months. Compared with a similar survey in 2006, children’s engagement with cultural activity remained consistent, with just under 74% of children attending an arts event, 93% of those doing so outside school. In addition, 92% took part in arts activity, 68% of them at least once a week. The activities ranged from crafts and knitting, to writing poetry or stories, performing and film-making.

Unsurprisingly, children reported that their three main leisure activities were spending time with friends, watching television and listening to music. They also identified sports activities and playing computer games as among their most enjoyed activities. More girls than boys attend arts events (81% as compared with 67%). The data also show that a high proportion of disabled children attended arts events (72%) and participated in arts activity (91%). There was little difference in the level of arts engagement between children from White ethnic backgrounds and those from Black or minority ethnic backgrounds. The report measured enjoyment by asking children to rate their arts experiences “on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being awful and 10 being brilliant”. Both attendance and participation experiences were given a mean rating of 8. In all cultural sectors, a high proportion of engagement was made outside school hours: the report states that “less than one per cent of children had only engaged in a cultural sector or sports activity inside school lessons”. The Taking Part survey is part of the DCMS’s strategy to assess “what helps or hinders people taking part” in cultural and sporting activity. The project is supported by Arts Council England, English Heritage, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Sport England.