Participation Survey
This page introduces the Participation Survey and links to all relevant documents.
Applies to England
Update to the Participation Survey
The Participation Survey was a social survey run by DCMS which collected nationally representative estimates of adult engagement with DCMS sectors. The Participation Survey ran from October 2021 and fieldwork ended on 30 September 2025.
After a public consultation run in 2024, it was decided that the Participation Survey would be replaced by the Community and Engagement Survey (CES). The CES has been designed to explore how people across England engage with their community and with culture, media and live sport and allows respondents’ views to be heard on a range of issues affecting their local area.
For more information, please see the Community and Engagement Survey: guidance page or contact us at cesurvey@dcms.gov.uk.
The Participation Survey
The Participation survey was a continuous push to web survey of adults aged 16 and over in England. There were paper surveys available for those not digitally engaged. Verian carried out the survey on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Fieldwork started in October 2021 and ended in September 2025. The Participation Survey was a main evidence source for DCMS and its sectors by providing statistically representative national estimates of adult engagement with the DCMS sectors. The survey’s main objectives were to:
- Provide a central, reliable evidence source that can be used to analyse cultural and live sporting engagement, providing a clear picture of why people do or do not engage.
- Provide data at a county level to meet user needs, including providing evidence enabling us to monitor the accessibility of our sectors.
- Underpin further research on driving engagement and the value and benefits of engagement.
In February 2023, there was a Machinery of Government change and responsibility for digital policy now sits within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This did not affect the content of the Participation Survey for 2023/24 and 2024/25, however these digital sector questions were removed from the 2025/26 Participation Survey.
As a result of a partnership between Arts Council England (ACE) and DCMS, in 2023/24, DCMS boosted the Participation Survey to be able to produce meaningful estimates at the Local Authority (LA) level. The questionnaire for 2023/24 was developed collaboratively to adapt to the needs and interests of both DCMS and ACE. In 2024/25, the survey was not boosted and therefore estimates are available at the international territorial levels 2 (ITL 2: groups of counties and districts in metropolitan areas).
| Survey year | Approximate sample size | Lowest geographical breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 33,000 | ITL 2 |
| 2022/23 | 33,000 | ITL 2 |
| 2023/24 | 175,000 | Local authority |
| 2024/25 | 33,000 | ITL 2 |
| 2025/26 | 33,000 | ITL 2 |
The questionnaire for 2023/24 was developed collaboratively to adapt to the needs and interests of both DCMS and ACE.
What the survey covered
The Participation Survey collected data on adult engagement in:
- The cultural sectors: arts, libraries, heritage, museums & galleries, and tourism
- Major events: cultural and sporting events
- Live Sport and gambling
It included information on frequency of participation, reasons for participating, barriers to participation and attitudes to the sectors. The survey also gathered information on demographics (for example, age and education), and related areas including wellbeing and loneliness.
What we publish
Participation Survey data is available in three forms:
- Quarterly releases give a high level summary of the key measures.
- Annual releases give a more detailed summary of the data.
- Annual datasets are archived on the UK Data Archive.
Statistical releases
Please click the following link to find the statistical releases for the Participation Survey.
Statistical releases are Official Statistics publications. Dates of upcoming releases are published in the DCMS Official Statistics Release Calendar.
Ad hoc statistical releases
Please click the following link to find the ad hoc statistical releases for the Participation Survey.
Methodology
Please click the following link to find the methodology for this series of statistics.
Questionnaires
Please click the following link to find the questionnaires for the Participation Survey.
Record-level data
Record-level Participation Survey datasets will be accessible via the UK Data Service, University of Essex. Please note that these datasets will only be available for not-for-profit educational and research purposes only.
Information for survey participants
Participants in the survey are randomly selected from addresses from the Post Office’s list of addresses in England. This ensures results reflect the experiences and views of the whole population. You can find more information for survey participants on the Participation Survey: survey participants page.
Feedback
We are always interested in hearing your views on the Participation survey. The latest publication releases include data to a higher level of granularity, which should aid those looking to conduct more in-depth analysis. Please contact us with any suggestions or feedback by email at participationsurvey@dcms.gov.uk
Updates to this page
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Removed the digital sector from what is included in the survey in line with the changes to the survey for 2025/26.
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Information added about changes in questions, the combined social survey and minor clarifications of the survey areas of focus.
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DCMS is considering the current evidence needs of the department and our stakeholders, ensuring meeting user needs and achieving value for money is at the forefront of any survey design. Therefore we invite views from interested stakeholders about their current use of the Participation Survey and Community Life Survey and priorities for future design. A link to the consultation has been added to this page.
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Updated with information about changes coming in the 2023/24 survey year.
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Added new link to the ad hoc statistical releases page.
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Edited feedback paragraph to reflect latest publication
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First published.