Less than a quarter of Brits think the arts are diverse

Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky, said the survey's findings were "revealing". Photo: Matt Frost

Less than 25% of people living in the UK would describe the arts as diverse, according to a recent survey by OnePoll.

The research, commissioned by Sky Arts, also laid bare a desire for greater appreciation of backstage workers, with more than 60% of respondents saying they are underappreciated.

The survey of 2,000 UK adults was conducted earlier this month to coincide with the launch of Sky Arts’ second Arts Hero Award, which aims to highlight creative workers whose efforts are "too often unseen".

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It underlines concerns within the sector and from audiences that diversity initiatives in the arts are progressing too slowly. Only 24% of those surveyed described the arts as diverse, while 36% arguing that careers in the sector sector should be more accessible.

Sky Arts also argued that the research revealed "the scale" of barriers to the arts for working-class communities, with 21% of respondents from working-class backgrounds saying they don’t believe the arts are "for them", while 29% of respondents said that they would engage more with the arts if a wider range of people from different class backgrounds were represented.

Meanwhile, the survey also revealed a desire among audiences for greater recognition of backstage workers. Of the survey respondents, 61% argued that backstage jobs are not celebrated enough, while nearly half (48%) said that roles including riggers, engineers and costume designers contribute most to keeping the sector going.

Phil Edgar-Jones, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky, said: "While it’s revealing that only one in four people see themselves reflected in the arts, it also shows how much opportunity there is to open the doors wider.

"At Sky Arts, our mission is to make the arts more accessible to everyone, whether that’s through free-to-air programming, celebrating a diverse mix of talent at the Sky Arts Awards or shining a light on the unsung heroes who keep creativity alive.

"The arts shouldn’t feel like they’re only for the privileged – they belong to all of us, and we want more people to feel they have a place within them."