Demographics of the Arts Sector

Statistical Release as part of "A Portrait of the Arts Sector”

Doire Ó Cuinn, Nadia Feldkircher

Basic Income for the Arts Research Team
December 2023

This paper has been prepared by IGEES staff in

the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts,
Gaeltacht, Sports and Media. The views presented
in this paper do not represent the official views of
the Department or Minister of Tourism, Culture,
Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... 2
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 Background......................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Key Findings........................................................................................................................ 6
2. Gender ......................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 Gender Distribution of the Arts Sector .............................................................................. 7
2.2 Gender Distribution of Art Forms ...................................................................................... 8
2.3 Gender Distribution by Age ................................................................................................ 9
2.4 Gender Distribution by Time Working In the Arts ........................................................... 10
3. Age ............................................................................................................................ 11
3.1 Age Profile of the Arts Sector ........................................................................................... 11
3.2 Age Profile of Art Forms ................................................................................................... 14
4. Location ..................................................................................................................... 15
4.1 Analysis of Artists and Creative Arts Worker Prevalence by County ............................... 15
4.2 Distribution of the Arts across Settlement Types ............................................................ 17
4.3 Settlement Type by Art Forms ......................................................................................... 18
5. Living Situation ........................................................................................................... 20
5.1 Home Ownership and Rental By Age ............................................................................... 20
5.2 Home Ownership and Rental by Settlement Type ........................................................... 21
5.3 Home Ownership and Rental by Art Form ....................................................................... 22
5.4 Prevalence of Living with Parents in the Arts .................................................................. 24
5.5 Prevalence of People in the Arts with No Fixed Abode ................................................... 25
5.6 Household Size ................................................................................................................. 27
6. Education ................................................................................................................... 28
6.1 Highest Level of Educational Attainment ......................................................................... 28
6.2 Comparison of Qualification Fields .................................................................................. 29
7. Ethnic and Cultural Diversity ....................................................................................... 31
7.1 Ethnic or Cultural Background ......................................................................................... 31
7.2 Country of Birth ................................................................................................................ 32
7.3 Years Living in Ireland for Those Born Outside of Ireland ................................................ 33

2
8. Disability Prevalence .................................................................................................. 34
Annex I - Tables ..................................................................................................................... 36
Cohort Sizes .................................................................................................................................. 36
Artists and Arts Workers by County vs County Population .......................................................... 37
Annex II – Notes on Sample Selection and Data Collection ...................................................... 38
Sample Selection .......................................................................................................................... 38
Data Collection ............................................................................................................................. 39

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1. Introduction
1.1 Background

The Basic Income for the Arts Research Team presents this statistical release “Demographics of the
Arts Sector” which aims to provide new and comprehensive insights into the composition of the
arts sector, exploring topics such as gender, age profile, geographical distribution, ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, education, living situations, and the prevalence of disabled artists and
creative arts workers.

This release is the first of a series called “A Portrait of the Arts Sector”, a series of statistical reports
intended to inform policy making and research in the arts sector about the experiences of those
working in the sector. The data provides insights into the sector that are unprecedented, given the
scale of the research both in terms of the number of participants, as well as the richness and variety
of data collected. This series of releases leverages the data collected as part of the initial pre-
intervention1 survey of participants in the Basic Income for the Arts pilot, and aims to provide
insights into the sector that are unprecedented, given the scale of the research both in terms of
the number of participants, as well as the richness and variety of data collected. This data provides
a picture of the participants prior to receiving the Basic Income for the Arts and does not capture
the impact of the basic income payment. Please see the Annex for additional information on
definitions, data collection and sample selection.

Other papers in this series examine the following topics: arts work conditions and perspectives,
earnings and spending, well-being, artistic practices, and equality and inclusion.

The Basic Income for the Arts pilot that was developed on foot of a recommendation from the Arts
and Culture Recovery Taskforce and is a research programme which is examining, over a three-year
period, the impact of a basic income-style payment for artists and creative arts workers. The
scheme recognises that there is a vast body of often unpaid or underpaid work that goes into the
making of the creative work that we as a society enjoy.

The ambition of the pilot is that by addressing the issue of low pay and income instability in the
sector, arts workers can focus on artistic and creative work and be in a position to increase their
earnings from their creative practice. This scheme aims to address the identified objectives of
ensuring that self-employment for artists and creative arts workers is a viable career path in the
sector, and that the highly-educated cohort that comprises the sector can be retained in the arts

1
The pre-intervention survey was completed by participants of the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme
(BIA) prior to the first payment being made and tracks activity in the six months prior to receiving the first
BIA payment.

4
rather than choosing to work in other sectors for reasons of economic or financial pressure, thereby
ensuring that knowledge and experience is retained in the sector.

5
1.2 Key Findings

 The sector is relatively balanced in terms of gender overall, but has high disparities
in certain art forms, including Dance and Music.

 The proportion of respondents who identified themselves as female increases

steadily with age, but drops off significantly in the 65+ bracket.

 Respondents who have recently trained came from across different age bands,
indicating that people may be entering into arts work at all ages.

 There appears to be a trend whereby the proportion of respondents who identified

themselves as male increases the greater the period of time respondents have
spent working in the arts sector.

 The median age for all respondents was 40.7 years old.

 An analysis showed that Leitrim has 72% more artists and creative arts workers
than would be expected based on its population proportion, followed by Sligo and
Wicklow at 43% more, Galway at 39% more, Dublin at 33% more and Clare at 14%
more.

 Apart from Cork, all other counties had at least 10% fewer artists and creative arts
workers than would be expected based on their population, with Tipperary and
Offaly at the lower end with 55% fewer and 54% fewer respectively.

 Home ownership in the sample appears to be out of step with the general
population, with 35.85% of respondents owning their home in full or with a
mortgage. Census 2022 found that 65.77% of private households in Ireland were
owner-occupied.

 Conversely home rental in the sector appears to be high, with 44.43% of

respondents renting their home.

 Respondents had a very high education attainment rate, with 86.51% having
attained a third level education, compared with the already-high rate of 53% in the
general population.

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2. Gender

2.1 Gender Distribution of the Arts Sector

Table 1 Gender Distribution by Stream

Female Male Other Prefer not to say

Total 47.53% 49.57% 1.47% 1.44%
Artists 47.25% 49.98% 1.45% 1.33%
Creative Arts Workers 42.21% 55.02% 1.04% 1.73%
Recently Trained 57.87% 37.50% 2.31% 2.31%

A gender breakdown of all respondents shows a relatively balanced sector overall, with 49.57% of
respondents identifying themselves as male, 47.53% identifying themselves as female, 1.47%
identifying themselves as another gender, and a further 1.44% preferring not to say in respect of
this question.

However, the cohort of creative arts workers had a higher proportion who identified themselves
as male, at 55.02% of the cohort.

From these data, we can also see that respondents who were recently trained are much more likely
to have identified themselves in the survey as female than the other respondent groups, with
57.87% of this group identifying as female.

Additionally, the cohort of those who have recently trained is comprised of artists and creative arts
workers from across the age spectrum, which may indicate that greater numbers of female-
identifying artists and creative arts workers are beginning their careers in the sector.

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2.2 Gender Distribution of Art Forms

Graph 1 Gender Distribution by Art Form

Gender Distribution by Art form

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00%100.00%

Dance 83.33% 14.58% 2.08%

Visual Arts 61.33% 35.61% 1.29% 1.78%

Literature 60.08% 37.60% 0.78% 1.55%

Traditional Arts 59.46% 37.84% 2.70%

Theatre 50.86% 46.55% 1.29%1.29%

Circus, Spectacle & Street Arts 52.94% 41.18% 2.94% 2.94%

Multidisciplinary 49.32% 44.80% 3.17% 2.71%

Other 45.16% 51.61% 3.23%

Film 34.52% 61.57% 1.78% 2.14%

Music 26.63% 71.64% 0.86% 0.86%

Female Male Other Prefer not to Say

Comparing the gender breakdown of art forms provides an opportunity to identify those art forms
with significant disparities among genders. Dance has the highest gender disparity, with artists and
creative arts workers who identified themselves as female comprising 83.33% of respondents from
this art form, compared to 14.58% who identified themselves as male. More art forms with a

8
notably high cohort of respondents who identified themselves as female include Visual Arts,
Literature, Street Arts and Traditional2 Arts.

Of the art forms where artists and creative arts workers who identified themselves as male
comprise a significant proportion of respondents, Music comes in the highest with 71.64% of
respondents in this art form identifying as male, compared with just 26.63% who identified
themselves as female. Other art forms with a notably high cohort of respondents who identified
themselves as male include Film and Other.

2.3 Gender Distribution by Age

Graph 2 Gender Distribution by Age

Gender by Age Bracket

65+ 39% 61%

55-64 53% 46% 1%

45-54 52% 47% 1% 1%

35-44 46% 51% 1% 1%

25-34 44% 51% 3% 2%

18-24 41% 56% 2% 0%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Female Male Other (Please specify) Prefer not to say

The proportion of respondents who identified themselves as female compared to those who
identified themselves as male increases steadily with age until the 55-64 bracket, peaking at 53%
of respondents for this age group, following a rise from just 41% in the 18-24 age group. In the 65+

2
For clarity, in the survey, participants are given the option to identify primarily as a practitioner in
Traditional Arts (under art form). Traditional Arts is not provided for explicitly in the list of art forms in the
Arts Act; it is a medium, method or style of practice within art forms.

9
category, 61% of respondents are male, and 39% of respondents are female. This is the lowest
proportion of female artists in any age group.

Also of note is that younger cohorts are more likely to report a gender other than male or female,
or to choose not to report their gender at all.

2.4 Gender Distribution by Time Working In the Arts

Graph 3 Gender distribution by Time Working in the Arts

Years working in the arts

31+ 39% 60% 1% 1%

26-30 47% 51% 0% 1%

21-25 45% 53% 0% 2%

16-20 48% 51% 0% 1%

11-15 45% 52% 1% 2%

6-10 50% 46% 3% 1%

0-5 54% 42% 2% 2%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Female Male Other Prefer not to say

This chart indicates that the proportion of respondents who indicated that they were female drops
off significantly as the number of years worked in the arts increases. From 54% of those who have
been working for five years or fewer, down to just 39% of those have been working thirty-one years
or more.

This is in contrast with the findings of the previous section; which identified a higher proportion of
older age groups responding that they are female. This indicates that those females in older age
groups have worked for fewer years in the arts sector. There are likely to be a number of causes
for this; and identification of the significant factors at play, would require further research, beyond
the scope of this survey.

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3. Age

3.1 Age Profile of the Arts Sector

Graph 4 Age Profile

Age profile of all respondents

30.00% 28.15%
25.66%
25.00%
20.93%
20.00%
15.27%
15.00%

10.00% 7.30%

5.00% 2.70%

0.00%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Total

Table 2 Age Bracket by Stream

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Total 7.30% 28.15% 25.66% 20.93% 15.27% 2.70%
Artists 5.19% 27.43% 27% 21.65% 15.86% 2.87%
Creative Arts Workers 1.47% 28.94% 25.27% 23.81% 17.58% 2.93%
Recently Trained 39.60% 35.64% 10.40% 8.42% 5.45% 0.50%

The age profile of respondents peaks in the 25-34 bracket, which comprises 28.15% of the overall
cohort. The proportion of artists and creative arts workers who fall into each age group falls off as
age increases, with a sharp drop off in the 65+ category.

It is interesting to note that the 18-24 category is the second-lowest age category at just 7.3%.
While this is a smaller band, comprising seven years rather than ten years in the case of the other
age bands, this likely does not fully explain why this cohort is such a small proportion of the sector

11
overall. Given the high number of artists and creative arts workers with third-level education,
explored further later in this report, it is likely the case than many in this age group are still in full-
time education. It may be useful to further consider whether artists and creative arts workers tend
to enter into artistic or creative work later in their life, or whether the potential exists that this
reflects a reduction in the number of young people going into the arts.

It is important to note that the terms of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme (from which
respondents for this survey were drawn) may have an impact in relation to the age profile of
respondents. This is due to the possibility of some self-selection bias in relation to those that chose
to apply. For example, those in full-time education were specifically excluded from participating
and the Recently Trained stream was limited to those who had completed their training in the last
five years.

Graph 5 Age Profile Comparison for Artists and Creative Arts Workers

Age Profile Comparison for Artists and Creative Arts

Workers
35.00%
28.94%
30.00% 27.43%
27% 25.27%
23.81%
25.00%
21.65%
20.00% 17.58%
15.86%
15.00%

10.00%
5.19%
5.00% 1.47% 2.87%2.93%

0.00%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Artists Creative Arts Workers

In this comparison between the age profiles of artists and creative arts workers, we see that in
general the age profile is broadly similar, however the proportion of creative arts workers in the
18-24 age band is an even lower proportion than for artists, at just 1.47% of creative arts workers
compared to 5.19% of artists. In general, creative arts workers are slightly older than artists.

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Graph 6 Age Profile of Recently Trained Artists and Creative Arts Workers

Age Profile of Recently Trained Artists and Creative Arts

Workers
45.00%
39.60%
40.00%
35.64%
35.00%

30.00%

25.00%

20.00%

15.00%
10.40%
10.00% 8.42%
5.45%
5.00%
0.50%
0.00%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

For recently trained artists and creative arts workers, we see that the 18-24 group is the largest age
cohort, comprising 39.6% of recently trained artists and creative arts workers. However, it is
interesting to note the significant numbers of respondents in older age groups who identified
themselves as recently trained. This is consistent with the view - expressed by artists and
stakeholder groups during public consultation on the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme - that
people enter artistic and creative work at all stages of life and that recently trained artists are not
just younger people who enter the arts directly following their initial education. It is useful to note
that the scheme guidelines for the Basic Income for the Arts pilot (from which the data in this
release is collated) required that those applying under the Recently Trained stream had completed
their training in the preceding five years.

13
3.2 Age Profile of Art Forms

Graph 7 Age Profile of All Respondents by Primary Art Form

Age Profile of All Respondents by Primary Art Form

Excludes outliers

This final chart in relation to the age profile of artists and creative arts workers provides us with an
insight to the age profile within each art form, ordered by median age from youngest to oldest. The
median is the “middle value” in a series of values. It can be a more representative measurement
than the average, which can be skewed if there are a lot of values at either end of a series.

Dance has the youngest median age at 33 years. The oldest median ages are for Literature, where
the median age is 48 years, followed by Visual Arts and the Traditional Arts, which both have a
median age of 45.

The overall median age for all respondents is 40.7 years old.

It is also interesting to note the interquartile range for each art form, displayed as the blue shaded
box in the chart. This shows where the middle 50% of respondents fall in terms of age range. How
this box is balanced on either side of the median provides an insight into how the respondents’ age
responses are distributed around the median.

14
4. Location

4.1 Analysis of Artists and Creative Arts Worker Prevalence by County

Graph 8 Comparison of Populations

Comparison of artists and creative arts worker population distribution

and the distribution of the general population

The map above allows us to understand whether the proportion of artists and creative arts workers
living in a county is above or below the proportion of the general population that lives in that

15
county. From this data we can see that there are more artists than would be expected in a small
number of counties. Leitrim has 72% more artists and creative arts workers than would be expected
based on its population proportion. This is followed by Sligo and Wicklow at 43% more, Galway at
39% more, Dublin at 33% more and Clare at 14% more.

The midlands is particularly underrepresented by artists and creative arts workers, with Longford
having 64% fewer artists and creative arts workers than would be expected based on its population
proportion, followed by Tipperary on 55% fewer and Offaly on 54% fewer. In fact, apart from Cork
(which is close to its population proportion having just 3% fewer artists and creative arts workers
than would be expected) all other counties have at least 10% fewer artists and creative arts workers
than would be expected based on their population.

16
4.2 Distribution of the Arts across Settlement Types

Graph 9 Living Area Type for all Respondents

Living Area Type for all Respondents

1%

Dublin City and Suburbs

25%
Other city (Cork, Galway, Limerick,
38% Waterford)
Large Town (pop. 10,000+)

Small Town (pop. 1,500-9,999)

12% A rural or remote area

Other

12% 12%

Table 3 Location Distribution

Location All Streams

Dublin City and suburbs 38.05%
Other city (Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford) 12.28%
Large Town (pop. 10,000+) 11.85%
Small Town (pop. 1,500-9,999) 12.22%
A rural or remote area 25.07%
Other 0.53%

Artists and creative arts workers who live in cities comprised just over half of all respondents at
50.33%, with 38.05% of all respondents being resident in Dublin City and suburbs, and the balance
split between Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford cities.

25.07% of artists and creative arts workers indicated that they live in a rural or remote area, while
24.07% live in towns, with a roughly even split between those who live in towns with more than
10,000 inhabitants, and those in towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

17
4.3 Settlement Type by Art Forms

Graph 10 Location by Art Form

Location by Art Form

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00% 100.00%

Traditional arts 16.22% 13.51% 13.51% 5.41% 51.35%

Dance 25% 25% 12.50% 12.50% 25%

Circus, Spectacle & Street Arts 26.47% 26.47% 8.82% 14.71% 23.53%

Visual arts 30.66% 12.66% 11.57% 14.24% 30.37% 0.49%

Other 30.65% 17.74% 17.74% 11.29% 20.97% 1.61%

Literature 36.43% 14.73% 13.18% 12.40% 22.87% 0.39%

Music 38.35% 11.34% 12.82% 11.84% 25.28% 0.37%

Multidisciplinary 42.08% 13.12% 7.69% 12.22% 23.98% 0.90%

Film 48.40% 8.54% 13.52% 11.39% 17.08% 1.07%

Theatre 64.22% 8.62% 8.62% 6.47% 11.64% 0.43%

Dublin city and suburbs Cork, Limerick, Galway, or Waterford

Large town (population - 10,000 or over) Small town (population 1,500 - 9,999)
A rural or remote area Other

Looking at the breakdown of living location by primary art form, we see that the areas in which
artists and creative arts workers live can vary quite a lot. In particular, it is notable the high degree
of centralisation toward Dublin that is evident in Theatre (64.22% living in Dublin) and Film (48.4%
living in Dublin).

For Dance, as well as Circus, Spectacle & Street Arts, the proportion of those living in cities outside
of Dublin is roughly the same as the proportion living in Dublin.

Dance is an art form that appears to have a quite an even distribution in comparison to other art
forms, with 25% of respondents each living in Dublin, cities other than Dublin, towns, and rural or
remote areas.

18
Looking in particular at rural and remote areas, we see that this group is largest for Traditional Arts,
comprising 51.35% of respondents for those who selected this primary art form. Artists in rural and
remote areas also comprise a significant proportion of respondents in the art forms of Visual Arts
(30.37%), Music (25.28%) and Multidisciplinary (23.98%). Unsurprisingly, given the centralisation
towards Dublin, Theatre and Film have the lowest proportion of artists living in rural or remote
areas.

The below graphics show the general distribution of respondents within selected art forms. While
these graphics are influenced by the population prevalence in each county, they do give an
indication of the comparative centralisation of certain art forms.

Graph 11 Geographical Distribution by Art Form

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5. Living Situation
5.1 Home Ownership and Rental By Age

The rate of home ownership for the arts sector, either in full or with a mortgage, was found to be
35.85%. The rate for those in the sector who are renting was 44.43%.

Overall, this appears to be out of step with the general population, given that CSO data from Census
2022 found that the proportion of households that are owner-occupied is 65.77%, while 27.90% of
private households were rented3. It is important to note however that CSO definitions might be
different from the ones used in our survey, and that the general population likely differs from our
sample in several aspects including household income, which is an important determinant of
housing tenure.

Graph 12 Home Ownership in the Arts by Age

Home Ownership in the Arts by Age

80.00%
73.66%
68.42%
70.00%
63.59%
58.85%
60.00%
51.71%
49.38%
50.00%

40.00%
33.01%
30.78%
30.00% 26.32%

19.35%
20.00%

10.00% 6.32%
0.49%
0.00%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Ownership Rate Rental rate

Average Artist/CAW Ownership Rate Average Artist/CAW Rental Rate

3
Census of Population 2022 – Summary Results - Fig. 7.1, CSO, Dwelling Characteristics - CSO - Central
Statistics Office

20
Unsurprisingly, home ownership in the arts grows more prevalent as age increases, peaking at
73.66% for the 55-64 age group, before home ownership falls slightly for those in the 65+ age
bracket.

With regard to the rental rate, we generally see a similar pattern in the opposite direction, with the
rental rate dropping over time, before rising slightly in the 65+ age bracket. It is also notable that
the peak for rental rate is the 25-34 age group, where the rate is 63.59%, higher even than the 18-
24 age group. This is likely explained by the high prevalence of people within the younger age group
who are still living with parents.

5.2 Home Ownership and Rental by Settlement Type

Graph 13 Home Ownership And Rental in the Arts by Settlement Type

Home Ownership and Rental in The Arts by Settlement Type

70.00%
59.24%
60.00% 53.60%
51.27%
50.00% 43.75%
40.00% 38.03% 39.44% 37.70% 38.52% 37.50%

27.36% 26.63% 28.50%

30.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%
Dublin City and Other city (Cork, Large Town Small Town (pop. A rural or Other
Suburbs Galway, (pop. 10,000+) 1,500-9,999) remote area
Limerick,
Waterford)

Ownership Rate Rental rate

Here we see that the rate of home ownership in the arts is highest in rural or remote areas, with
51.27% of artists and creative arts workers who live in these areas owning their own home, either
in full or with a mortgage. Unsurprisingly, this is also the settlement type where the rate of artists
and creative arts workers who are renting is lowest, at 28.5%.

Ownership in towns is relatively similar when comparing large and small towns, and the rental rate
is also close to the ownership rate in both of these settlement types, although the rental rate is
slightly higher than the ownership rate.

21
The rate of home ownership in the arts much lower in cities, with a rate of 27.36% in Dublin City
and suburbs, and a slightly lower rate of 26.63% in cities other than Dublin. We see the expected
pattern of much higher rental rates in cities, with a rental rate of 53.6% in Dublin City and suburbs,
and 59.24% in cities other than Dublin.

5.3 Home Ownership and Rental by Art Form

Graph 14 Home Ownership in the Arts by Art Form

Home Ownership in the Arts by Art Form

60.00% 54.66% 54.06%
50.00% 44.80%
40.00%
30.60% 29.87%
27.40% 26.26% 25.81%
30.00% 23.53%
18.75%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%

Looking at the rate of home ownership by art form, we see that only three art forms stand out:
Literature (54.66%), Traditional Arts (54.06%) and Visual Arts (44.8%). It is interesting to note that
these three art forms are also the art forms with the highest median ages, indicating that the
disparities in home ownership rate could be explained by demographics and the particular age
profiles of these art forms. We see the lowest level of home ownership for Dance at 18.75%, which
has a young median age.

22
Graph 15 Home Rental in the Arts by Art Form

Home Rental in the Arts by Art Form

70.00% 61.76%
60.00% 54.17% 54.31%
50.92% 49.77%
50.00% 45.91% 46.77%
38.87%
40.00%
27.91% 29.73%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%

Again, a similar pattern in the reverse direction is seen in relation to the rental rate by art form,
with typically older art forms having rental rates far below average, with Literature at 27.91% and
the Traditional Arts at 29.73%. The highest rental rates are for Circus, Spectacle & Street Arts,
Theatre, and Dance, at 61.76%, 54.31% and 54.17% respectively. For Dance, this is likely a function
of its young median age, as was the case with its low home ownership rate. Interestingly, Theatre
has a slightly older median age than some other art forms with lower rental rates, such as Music.
In these cases, the centralisation of the Theatre art form within Dublin may partially explain the
higher rental rate, given that the rental rate in Dublin is high.

23
5.4 Prevalence of Living with Parents in the Arts

Overall, one in every 6.3 people (15.85%) responded that they are living with their parents.

Graph 16 Living with Parents by Age

Living with Parents by Age

60.00%
53.17%
50.00%

40.00%

30.00% 27.81%

20.00%
10.68%
10.00% 4.08% 2.56%
0
0.00%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

When looking at age brackets, we see that the rate is highest for those in the youngest age category,
at 53.1%, falling off over time.

In general, Ireland has a high proportion of people living with their parents, with Eurostat data from
20224 showing that in Ireland 64% of young adults aged 18-34 live with their parents.

4
Share of young adults aged 18-34 living with their parents by age and sex - EU-SILC survey, Eurostat,
Statistics | Eurostat (europa.eu) (online data code: ILC_LVPS08)

24
Graph 17 Living with Parents by Location

Living with Parents by Location

25.00%
21.13%
20.00% 18.58%
16.40%
14.25%
15.00%
10.33%
10.00%

5.00%
0%
0.00%
Dublin City and Other city (Cork, Large Town Small Town A rural or Other
Suburbs Galway, (pop. 10,000+) (pop. 1,500- remote area
Limerick, 9,999)
Waterford)

When looking at location type, those living in towns are most likely to live with parents, with a rate
of 21.13% for large towns and 18.58% for small towns. Cities other than Dublin have the lowest
rate at 10.33%.

5.5 Prevalence of People in the Arts with No Fixed Abode

Graph 18 People with no Fixed Abode by Respondent Type

People with no Fixed Abode by Respondent Type

5.00% 4.50%

4.00%

3.00%
2.31%
1.85%
2.00%

1.00%

0.00%
Artists Creative Arts Workers Recently Trained

This chart indicates that one in every 54 artists responded that they have no fixed abode, rising to
one in every 43 recently trained applicants and one in every 22 creative arts workers. No direct
comparison with the general population is possible, given that statistical reporting on this issue

25
typically focusses on those who are sleeping rough or are being housed in emergency
accommodation, but these figures indicate that constraints in the housing sector are having an
impact on artists and creative arts workers.

Graph 19 People with no Fixed Abode by Settlement Type

People with no Fixed Abode by Settlement Type

3.00% 2.63%
2.50% 2.17%
2%
2.00% 1.69%
1.50%
1.00% 0.82%

0.50%
0.00%
Dublin City and Other city (Cork, Large Town (pop. Small Town (pop. A rural or remote
Suburbs Galway, Limerick, 10,000+) 1,500-9,999) area
Waterford)

In relation to the living location categories, the highest rate is seen for Dublin City and suburbs at
2.63% of respondents.

Graph 19 People with no Fixed Abode by Age Bracket

People with no Fixed Abode by Age Bracket

4.00% 3.47%

3.00% 2.44% 2.53%

2.00%
1.19%
1.00% 0.47%
0%
0.00%
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

When looking at age brackets, we see that the rate increases for each band to peak at 3.47% for
those aged between 35 and 44, before subsequently falling off.

26
Graph 20 People with no Fixed Abode by Gender

People with no Fixed Abode by Gender

5.00%

4.00%

3.00%

2.00%

1.00%
2.46% 1.68% 4.55% 4.65%
0.00%
Female Male Other Prefer not to say

There is a gender gap in relation to respondents with no fixed abode. A particular point of note is
the higher rate among those who identified their gender as “Other” and those who did not provide
information about their gender. It has been acknowledged in other research, including a 2021
qualitative report by Focus Ireland5, that the experience of homelessness may be higher for those
in LGBTQI+ groups.

5.6 Household Size

Census 2022 found that on average there were 2.74 people per private household. Our data
indicates that for the arts, this number is higher at 2.83 people per household on average, and a
median of 3 people per household.

5
LGBTQI+ Youth Homelessness Report, Focus Ireland https://www.focusireland.ie/wp-
content/uploads/2021/09/LGBTQI-Youth-Homelessness-Report_FINAL-VERSION.pdf

27
6. Education

6.1 Highest Level of Educational Attainment

Table 4 Highest Level of Educational Attainment - Comparison

Highest Attainment Level All Respondents Census 2022

Junior Certificate NFQ Level 3 1.54% 13.2%

Leaving Certificate or NFQ Level 4
or 5 qualification
11.32% 25.6%
NFQ Level 6 Qualification 7.91% 5.5%
NFQ Level 7 or 8 Bachelor Degree
or equivalent
46.06% 21.4%
NFQ Level 9 Masters or equivalent 30.07% 11.2%
NFQ Level 10 Doctorate or higher 2.47% 1.1%

The arts sector has a much higher tertiary education attainment rate than the general population,
with 86.51% of respondents indicating that they have attained a third level education. Census 2022
data indicates that this compares very favourably with the general population, as shown in the
table above which provides data on the highest level of education completed for the general
population aged 15 years and over6. CSO data from 2022 shows that 53% of 25-64 year olds in
Ireland have attained a third level education7.

One interesting aspect of this high level of attainment in education, which is explored further in the
“Earnings and Spending for Artists and Creative Arts Workers” paper, is that earnings in the arts
sector are not typically reflective of this highly educated group.

6
Figure 6.2 Census of Population 2022 – Summary Results, CSO,
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpsr/censusofpopulation2022-
summaryresults/educationandirishlanguage/
7
CSO Educational Attainment Thematic Report 2022 https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-
eda/educationalattainmentthematicreport2022/keyfindings/

28
6.2 Comparison of Qualification Fields

Of those who have at least a Level 6 qualification

Table 5 Highest Level of Educational Attainment by Stream

Arts-Related* Other*
All Streams 79.24% 19.14 %
Artists 79.22% 19.18%
Creative Arts Workers 70.73% 26.02%
Recently Trained 89.15% 10.85%
*Not Applicable was available as a third choice.

Of those in the arts sector who have an NFQ Level 6 qualification or higher, for 79.24% of
respondents this qualification is in an arts-related field. An NFQ Level 6 or a higher qualification is
a tertiary qualification. The figure is somewhat lower at 70.73% of creative arts workers which may
be as a result of the diversity of job types that fall within this description.

Recently trained respondents have a higher proportion of arts-related qualifications as their highest
educational attainment, at 89.15%. This is not surprising, because eligibility for this stream was
limited to those who have completed their arts training in the previous five years. At the same time,
the question asked about their highest qualification, therefore the remaining 10% has trained in
the arts in the past five years but pursed a higher qualification in another field afterwards.

29
The below table explores in further detail the relationship between whether the respondent’s
highest qualification was in an arts-related field or another field, by the respondent’s primary art
form.

Of those who have at least a Level 6 qualification

Table 6 Highest Level of Educational Attainment by Art Form

Arts-Related % Other %**

Circus, Spectacle and Street Arts 60.71 32.14
Dance 88.89 8.89
Film 80.26 16.31
Literature 66.23 32.47
Music 73.92 23.68
Theatre 84.91 14.62
Traditional Arts 75 20.83
Visual Arts 85.45 13.47
Multidisciplinary 78.85 20.67
Other 68.42 42.86
**Not Applicable was available as a third choice.

Here we see that Dance (88.89%), Visual Arts (85.45%) and Theatre (84.91%) have an exceptionally
high proportion of respondents for whom their highest qualification is in an arts-related field.

Circus, Spectacle and Street Arts, of the named art forms, has the lowest proportion at 60.71%,
followed by Literature at 66.23%, which may indicate that these art forms are more accessible for
those who do not have a third level qualification in an arts-related field.

30
7. Ethnic and Cultural Diversity

7.1 Ethnic or Cultural Background

Table 7 Ethnic or Cultural Background

General Population
Background Arts sector8
Census 2022 Data
Asian or Asian Irish: Chinese <1% 0.53%
Asian or Asian Irish: Indian/
Pakistani / Bangladeshi
<1% 1.86%
Other Asian background <1% 0.88%
Arab <1% 0.40%
Black or Black Irish: African <1% 1.33%
Other Black background <1% 0.17%
White – Irish 80.77% 76.56%
White – Irish Traveller <1% 0.65%
White – Roma <1% 0.32%
Other white background 11.88% 9.87%
Mixed Background <3%
1.28%
Other <2%
Prefer not to say/Not Stated 1.34% 6.16%

The above table shows a comparison of ethnic or cultural background in the arts and in the general
population, using Census 2022 summary data in relation to the general population9. It appears,
based on this data, that the composition of the arts sector is somewhat out of line with the
composition of the population, with many groups appearing to be under-represented in the arts.

The comparatively high number of people who did not state a response for this question on Census
2022 should be noted, at 6.16%, as well as the fact that Census 2022 data includes data for all age
groups, including those aged below 18.

8
As this is sensitive personal data, no exact percentages are provided for the smaller cohorts.
9
Census 2022 – Table 4.8 Migration and Diversity - CSO - Central Statistics Office. Own calculations.

31
7.2 Country of Birth

Table 8 Country of Birth

Country

Ireland 73.90%
UK 9.35%
USA 2.97%
Poland 1.37%
Brazil 1.03%
France 1.00%
Other countries/territories 10.21%
Prefer not to say 0.17%

The vast majority of respondents were born in Ireland at 73.9%, with the UK, USA, Poland, Brazil
and France being the next most-reported birth countries. 10.21% of respondents were born in
other countries or territories. Overall, 75 countries and territories are represented.

Census 2022 data on this topic is available in relation to non-Irish population usually resident and
present in the State by citizenship, which indicates that Poland, the United Kingdom, Romania,
India, Lithuania, and Brazil comprise the largest proportions of this cohort, in order.10

These data again indicate that there is some incongruence between the composition of the arts
sector and the population in Ireland. However, it is important to note that the questions asked here
differ, as country of birth is not directly comparable with nationality. This is likely particularly true
in respect of the figures for the United Kingdom, given the high number of those born in the UK
who have Irish citizenship.

10
Census 2022 - Figure 4.2 Migration and Diversity - CSO - Central Statistics Office

32
7.3 Years Living in Ireland for Those Born Outside of Ireland

Graph 21 Years Living in Ireland for Those Born Outside of Ireland

Years Lived in Ireland for Those Born Outside of Ireland

30.00%
26.95%
25.34%
25.00%

19.68%
20.00%

14.69%
15.00% 13.34%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%
0-5 Years 6-10 Years 11-20 Years 21-30 Years 31+ Years

Of those who were born outside of Ireland, the median number of years they have been living in
Ireland is 20 years. Overall, 71.97% of this cohort have been living in Ireland for more than ten
years, indicating that few respondents have recently arrived in Ireland. This may be an indication
that it is more difficult for those who have recently arrived in Ireland to move into the arts, or that
Ireland is not an attractive destination for international artists and creative arts workers. However
it should also be considered that the age profile of those who have been living in Ireland for a fewer
number of years may skew younger, and we have seen elsewhere in this report that the people
who comprise the arts sector have a median age of 40.7. It should also be considered that
significant proportions of recently trained applicants are older, indicating that many people choose
to become artists at later stages of their lives.

A further breakdown of this information by respondent type is provided in the table below.

Table 9 Years Lived in Ireland by Stream

0-5 Years 6-10 Years 11-20 Years 21-30 Years 31+ Years Median Years
Total 14.69% 13.34% 25.34% 26.95% 19.68% 20
Artists 13.26% 13.59% 24.50% 27.35% 21.31% 20

33
 Creative Arts
Workers
17.95% 11.54% 26.92% 24.36% 19.23% 18.5
Recently Trained 23.88% 13.43% 29.85% 26.87% 5.97% 16

8. Disability Prevalence

The proportion of those who responded “Yes” to the question “Do you have a disability” was 7.38%.

This may lag somewhat behind the general population, given that summary results from Census
2022 found that the number of people who reported experiencing at least one long-lasting
condition or difficulty to a great extent or a lot was 8% of the population. A further 14% of the
population reported a long-lasting condition or difficulty to some extent or a little. It is important
to note that respondents to this survey of artists and creative arts workers were offered the
additional option of “Prefer not to say”, which was not offered to those responding in the census.
5.44% of artists and creative arts workers indicated that they preferred not to say in respect of this
question.

Disability prevalence varied significantly across art forms, ranging from 2.5% to 15%. The art forms
with the highest rates of disability prevalence are Literature and Multidisciplinary. The art forms
with the lowest rates of disability prevalence are Music, Theatre, and Dance. Given the sensitivity
of this type of personal information, and the small sample size for some art forms, exact
percentages are not provided here.

34
The authors would like to thank Jeremiah McEvoy and Brian O’Donnell for excellent research
assistance.

35
Annex I - Tables
Cohort Sizes

Respondents
Female 1,424
Male 1,485
Other 44
Prefer not to say 43
Respondents
Artist 2,489
Creative Arts Worker 289
Recently Trained 216
Total 2,994

Respondents
Circus, Spectacle & Street Arts 34
Dance 48
Film 281
Literature 258
Music 811
Theatre 232
Traditional Arts 37
Visual Arts 1011
Multidisciplinary 221
Other 62

Respondents
18-24 205
25-34 791
35-44 721
45-54 588
55-64 429
65+ 76

36
Gender Distribution by Art Form

Other and Prefer

Female % Male %
not to say %
Circus, Spectacle &
Street Arts
52.94 41.18 5.88
Dance 83.33 14.58 2.08
Film 34.52 61.57 3.92
Literature 60.08 37.60 2.33
Music 26.63 71.64 1.72
Theatre 50.86 46.55 2.58
Traditional Arts 59.46 37.84 2.70
Visual Arts 61.33 35.61 3.07
Multidisciplinary 49.32 44.80 5.88
Other 45.16 51.61 3.23

Artists and Arts Workers by County vs County Population

County % All Streams % General Population Census 2022*

Carlow 0.84 1.21%
Cavan 1.04 1.58%
Clare 2.84 2.49%
Cork 11.03 11.34%
Donegal 2.91 3.25%
Dublin 37.79 28.31%
Galway 7.52 5.40%
Kerry 2.64 3.03%
Kildare 3.91 4.82%
Kilkenny 1.64 2.02%
Laois 1.20 1.79%
Leitrim 1.17 0.68%
Limerick 2.77 4.01%
Longford 0.33 0.91%
Louth 1.60 2.71%
Mayo 2.14 2.68%
Meath 2.84 4.30%
Monaghan 0.74 1.27%
Offaly 0.74 1.61%
Roscommon 0.87 1.37%
Sligo 1.94 1.36%

37
 Tipperary 1.47 3.27%
Waterford 1.87 2.48%
Westmeath 1.17 1.87%
Wexford 2.67 3.19%
Wicklow 4.34 3.03%
*FP003 Preliminary Population 2022, Central Statistics Office. Own calculations.

Annex II – Notes on Sample Selection and Data Collection

Sample Selection

A random sampling technique was employed to select participants from within the cohort of the
8,209 eligible applicants to the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme in September 2022.

Given that there is no sufficient consensus on the scale of the arts sector, nor on where the
boundary of what comprises the arts sector lies, precise data in relation to the scale and
composition of the arts sector is difficult to ascertain.

To be considered eligible for the basic income for the arts pilot scheme applicants had to
demonstrate that their creative practice met the definition of art in the Arts Act (2003) which is:

‘any creative or interpretive expression (whether traditional or contemporary), in whatever

form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film,
circus, and architecture, and includes any medium when used for these purposes.’

The guidelines also provided for applications from those who considered that they were “Creative
Arts Workers”, which was defined as

‘…someone who has a creative practice and whose creative work makes a key contribution
to the production, interpretation or exhibition of the arts.”

The requirement for applicants to demonstrate that they met either of these definitions also took
an open approach, allowing applicants to demonstrate their eligibility by their choice of providing
evidence of either proof of any income from work as an artists, proof of active engagement within
their creative field or art form, or evidence of membership of a relevant representative body.

The Basic Income for the Arts Research Team considers that this cohort of eligible applicants likely
provides a representative sample of the composition of the arts sector comparative to other
available data sources. To address potential selection bias, efforts were made to maximise
response rates in the sector, including large public information efforts and the use of arts
representative organisation to inform the sector of the pilot’s existence.

38
The sample of 2,997 individuals was selected using a statistical software package which allowed for
the random selection from the overall cohort, using anonymised data, and in the presence of a
representative of an independent company contracted to oversee and verify the selection process.

The selected sample was subsequently analysed by the Basic Income for the Arts Research Team
to ensure that the demographic composition of the selected sample fell within expected ranges,
based on the composition of the cohort of all applicants.

This large sample is likely to mitigate the potential biases in the selection of participants, and
increase the generalisability of the findings. However, while this sample is substantial in size, it is
important to note that without precise knowledge of the target population, the representativeness
of the sample may be subject to uncertainties. Additionally, there may be a degree of self-selection
bias in the sample, accounting for those who may have chosen not to apply to the Basic Income for
the Arts pilot, and for those small numbers of people who were selected but ultimately declines to
participate. An analysis of the reasons provided by those who were selected but who subsequently
declined to participate, showed that reasons given included those who indicated that they did not
want to participate due to a reduced financial need, those moving abroad, those taking up full-time
education, and those who have left the sector. Self-selection bias may be more pronounced in the
control group, given a reduced incentive to participate in the research programme.

Despite a large initial sample, subsamples in respect of some art forms are comparatively small,
given that these art forms comprise a much smaller proportion of the overall sector than other art
forms. Architecture and Opera have therefore been grouped together with Other. It is also worth
noting that, within the survey, participants are given the option to identify primarily as a
practitioner in Traditional Arts (under art form). Traditional Arts is not provided for explicitly in the
list of art forms in the Arts Act; it is a medium, method or style of practice within art forms such as
Music or Literature.

Regardless of these limitations, the research team is confident that the approach taken was the
most prudent, given the limitations within which the research took place, and appropriate caution
has been exercised in interpreting the findings.

Data Collection

The data for this study was collected through a comprehensive online survey administered to 2,997
participants as part of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot programme. The survey was administered
through a bespoke online platform, wherein pilot participants log in and complete the survey at
their convenience. This online platform provided for efficient data collection and ensured the
privacy and confidentiality of the respondents, with the responses provided to the Basic Income
for the Arts Research Team having been removed of personally identifying information such as
names and addresses.

The survey instrument was designed by the BIA Research Team, drawing on desk research in
relation to basic income schemes internationally, as well as prior research on the arts sector. The

39
team also conducted research into the policy context of the arts sector and consulted with other
Government Departments to ensure consistency with existing research and allow for meaningful
comparisons to be made with the results of other survey research. In particular, consistency with
questions common to the Census, the Survey on Income and Living Conditions, and the Arts Council
definitions was pursued where possible.

The survey drafting process included a peer review process with colleagues from the Irish
Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) to ensure the robustness of the instrument.
Additionally, a final draft of the survey was reviewed by the Economic and Social Research Institute
(ESRI).

The primary objective of the data collection was to capture a wide range of information related to
the artists' demographics, income sources, spending habits, financial well-being, work and job
quality, perceptions of the arts sector, time use, health and well-being, and experiences of
discrimination.

The data collection period opened in October 2022, and participants were asked to respond based
on their experiences and circumstances in the preceding six months. The data collection period
extended until early January 2023 to allow for the receipt of responses from participants.

The following limitations should be acknowledged when interpreting the findings of this statistical
release:

 The data collected for this study was based on a sample of 2,997 participants who
voluntarily chose to participate in the Basic Income for the Arts pilot program. There
therefore exists a potential for sampling bias, as the participants may not fully represent
the entire population of artists working in the arts sector. It is possible that those who
chose to participate have different characteristics or experiences compared to non-
participants, which could introduce some degree of bias in the results.

 The data collected relies on self-reported information provided by the participants. Self-
reporting is subject to various biases, including recall bias and social desirability bias.
Participants may have difficulty accurately recalling certain details or may provide
responses that they perceive to be more socially acceptable, potentially leading to
inaccurate or biased data. An additional consideration is in relation to the potential
differences in responses for those who were assigned to either the treatment or control
group of the research pilot.

 While efforts were made to obtain a diverse and representative sample, it is important to
note that the findings of this study may not be fully generalisable to the entire arts sector
or to other contexts. The characteristics and experiences of artists and creative arts
workers can vary widely, and the specific circumstances of the BIA pilot programme may
introduce unique factors that limit the generalisability of the findings.

40
  The data collection process relied on an online survey administered through a bespoke
survey platform, and applying to participate in the scheme required the use of an online
application system. Together, these may have a potential selection bias impact although
accommodations were made to allow participants to fill out the application process and
subsequent survey by phone where needed. It is possible that artists who are less
technologically inclined or have limited internet access may be underrepresented in the
sample, which could impact the representativeness of the findings.

 The data collection period was limited to a specific time frame, asking participants to
report on their experiences and circumstances in the preceding six months. This time
constraint may introduce some limitations, as artists' situations and conditions can vary
over time and work in the sector is often sporadic or seasonal.

Despite any potential limitations, the Basic Income for the Arts Research Team is confident that
findings of this study provide valuable insights into the experiences of artists and creative arts
workers in Ireland.

41