Abstract
ObjectivesThe global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 heavily affected the arts and creative industries due to the instigation of lockdown measures in the United Kingdom and closure of venues. However, it also provided new opportunities for arts and cultural engagement through virtual activities and streamed performances. Yet it remains unclear (i) who was likely to engage with the arts at home during lockdown, (ii) how this engagement differed from patterns of arts engagement prior to COVID-19, and (iii) whether home-based arts engagement was related to people’s ability to cope with their emotions during lockdown. This study was therefore designed to address these questions.MethodsWe used data collected in late May from the United Kingdom COVID-19 Social Study run by University College London. Multivariate regressions were used for the analysis (N = 19,384). Identified factors included demographic factors, socio-economic position, psychosocial wellbeing and health conditions, adverse events/worries, and coping styles.ResultsFour types of home-based arts engagement were identified during the COVID-19 pandemic: digital arts and writing, musical activities, crafts, and reading for pleasure. Our results show that the strongest predictors of the engagement were age, education attainment, social support, and emotion-focused or supportive coping styles. In particular, younger adults (aged 18–29), non-keyworkers, people with greater social support, people who had lost work, those who were worried about catching the virus, and those with an emotion-focused, problem-focused or supportive coping style were more likely to have increased arts engagement during lockdown. Arts activities were used as approach and avoidance strategies to help cope with emotions, as well as to help improve self-development.ConclusionOverall, our study suggests that while some people who engaged in the arts during the COVID-19 pandemic were those who typically engage under normal circumstances, the pandemic has also created new incentives and opportunities for others to engage virtually. Additionally, this study highlights the value of the arts as coping tools during stressful situations.
Highlights
The global spread of COVID-19 in the early months of 2020 triggered monumental upheaval within the arts and creative industries
Demographic Backgrounds Younger adults were more likely to engage in all kinds of arts activities apart from reading for pleasure during the pandemic, whereas older adults were more likely to do crafts (OR = 1.15) and read for pleasure (OR = 1.72) but were less likely to engage in musical activities (OR = 0.56), compared to adults aged 30–59
Coping Styles Respondents with emotion-focused and supportive coping styles were more likely to engage in all kinds of arts activities, while those with a problem-focused coping style were more likely to engage in digital arts and writing (OR = 1.31) and crafts activities (OR = 1.48)
Summary
The global spread of COVID-19 in the early months of 2020 triggered monumental upheaval within the arts and creative industries. Many art forms became global lockdown trends, with viral videos of people singing from households and balconies around the world and a rapid increase in the sale of crafts materials such as paints and wools (Taylor, 2020). It has been shown by a recent report from the United Kingdom Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that, amongst over 1000 respondents, nearly half of them engaged in creative activities (e.g., story-writing, painting and drawing, designed video games) at home in May 2020 (DCMS, 2020). Whilst cultural engagement and community arts engagement were entirely ceased during strict lockdown, opportunities emerged for homebased arts engagement
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