Arts debate

Q: Were the views gathered representative?

A: We made every effort to ensure that the views gathered in all the formal stages of research among the general public, arts professionals and other stakeholders were as representative as possible. Participants in all these research stages were selected to be representative, either of the population as a whole in the case of the general public, or of a variety of different artforms and artistic practices in the case of the arts community. Participants were invited to take part by independent research agencies and compensated for their time. All research was conducted in compliance with the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. Details of the recruitment and selection procedures for each stakeholder group can be found in the relevant research report, available on the research & consultation page.

The consultation stage was open to anyone who wished to express their opinions on the arts and their funding. The consultation respondents were therefore self-selecting and more likely to be knowledgeable and passionate about the arts.

We believe that our method of combining a programme of formal qualitative research with an open consultation was a good way to obtain a representative range of views, whilst at the same time ensuring that there was open access to the debate.