Culture sector suffers 60 per cent decline during pandemic

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have revealed that the UK’s arts, culture and heritage sector suffered from a 60 per cent decline in output due to social distancing rules and lockdowns.

Restrictions led to 55 per cent of jobs being furloughed in the sector - the second highest sector in the UK behind the accommodation and food sector - and was well above the national average of 16 per cent. More than 80,000 claims were made under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) by people in the arts, culture and heritage sector - 68 per cent of the eligible population in the UK.

Nationally, output in the sector fell dramatically as Covid-19 hit in March 2020 with a decline of around one third from Q2 2019 to Q2 2020 in real terms. The creative, arts and entertainment sub-sector along with the libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities sub-sector were the worst hit with declines of 63 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

Vanessa Toulmin, director of City and Culture and chair in Early Film and Popular Entertainment at the University of Sheffield, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the UK's arts, culture and heritage sector. This landmark report reveals how social distancing and lockdowns over the past 18 months have had a catastrophic effect on the finances of people who work in the sector, as well as businesses and venues. People have lost their jobs, businesses and venues have closed and this economic impact has severely affected the mental health and well-being of people who work in the sector across the UK. People in the sector have been losing sleep and have had much higher levels of anxiety due to how the pandemic has affected their personal finances and uncertainty about the future."

In addition to the national picture, the report used the South Yorkshire region as a case study and drew on research from the University of Sheffield into how restrictions have affected the region’s arts, culture and heritage sector. The research revealed that the sector in South Yorkshire is one of the most affected by Covid-19 across the UK with an estimated sector output loss of 22 per cent - five per cent more than the UK average.