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Engagement with digital culture grew during lockdown, with the number of people consuming digital culture increasing among all socio-economic groups, according to a new report by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC). But even when those without access to the internet are excluded, engagement grew “more slowly for the ‘working class’ (C2DE) than the ‘middle class’ (ABC1)” in areas like TV and music streaming.

This conclusion is based on evidence gathered during six weeks of data collection across consecutive weeks in April and May 2020, when over 1,000 consumers aged 16+ took part in a survey asking asked how they were engaging with digital cultural content in the home.

Among the areas of digital consumption examined were watching filmed performances of theatre, concerts and dance shows online, and looking at art online. The research has found that the lockdown period acted as a catalyst for engagement with arts content. By the end of the first week of lockdown, just less than half (49%) of all respondents had ‘ever’ watched filmed performances or looked at art online, a fifth of those having started since pandemic. Although engagement with these activities was slightly higher earlier on in the lockdown, it was generally sustained over the full six weeks of the research.

The extent to which consumers access illegal content was also examined, but the findings were inconclusive. The highest volume of digital content consumed, whether streamed or downloaded, was in the first week of the survey, after which it tended to decline. The proportion of respondents who had used at least one illegal source to access content varied by category. Music downloading generally had the highest proportion using illegal sources, while music streaming had the lowest.

Hasan Bakhshi, Centre Director of the PEC, said: “ The volume of content consumed (for streaming in terms of hours spent and for downloading in terms of individual downloads) generally declined over the six weeks of the study, but this was the case for content from legal as well as illegal sources, making it tricky to assess the extent of cannibalisation of legal sales by illegal activity.”

Plans are in place for further research now the lockdown has been eased, and the PEC will be updating its findings to reflect the data being collected in July, August and September 2020.