PEOPLE FROM less well-off backgrounds are many times less likely to go to the cinema, music concerts or art exhibitions, new research shows.
Although education has the strongest influence on whether people attend arts events, people of higher income or social class are also much more likely to attend.
For example, people with a degree are nearly three times more likely to go to a film and twice as likely to attend a play or art exhibition compared with the rest of the population.
They are also significantly more likely to attend music events such as pop, traditional or classical music concerts.
The findings are contained in a report, In the Frame or Out of the Picture?, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF). It is due to be published later today.
Dr Pete Lunn of the ESRI said the differences in attendance applied not only to "high" arts, such as classical music and theatre, but also to mainstream films, comedy and popular or traditional music.
"What is striking is the range of events affected," said Dr Lunn. "Social background strongly influences attendance right across the arts spectrum, from a classical concert to a gig in the pub, or from the school play to the latest blockbuster."
Other findings show that those from less well-off backgrounds are not as likely to read for pleasure.
But the same pattern does not occur for direct participation in the arts, such as playing an instrument or performing in shows, where social background has a much weaker influence.
The report also points to strong gender and age differences, with women more likely to read and almost twice as likely as men to attend most arts events.
People over the age of 45 are significantly more likely to attend arts events.
The analysis does not find evidence that these large differences are down to different levels of interest in the arts.
Despite equivalent interest, those from less well-off backgrounds are much less likely to attend events. This finding suggests they face other barriers.
The chair of the NESF, Dr Maureen Gaffney, said the report underlined the need to dismantle barriers that block participation in cultural events.
She cited a report by the forum in 2006 which issued a range of policy recommendations for the Government on how to promote greater participation in the arts.
They included targeted measures for specific groups for access to the arts, such as rural dwellers and migrants; better policy co-ordination to broaden participation in the arts at national and local levels; and a strategy committee at senior level to drive forward the NESF's recommendations.
The report also examines awareness of local arts officers and arts centres, which are key aspects of arts policy.
In both cases awareness is heavily skewed towards the better off, suggesting that arts policy currently reflects rather than counters the impact of social background on the arts.
