The Economic, Social, and Cultural Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Independent Arts Workers in the United Kingdom: Freelancers in the Dark, Survey Data, 2020-2021

Harris, Laura (2024) The Economic, Social, and Cultural Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Independent Arts Workers in the United Kingdom: Freelancers in the Dark, Survey Data, 2020-2021. UK Data Service doi:10.5255/UKDA-SN-856883 [Dataset]

Record type: Dataset

Abstract

This dataset pertains to a research project investigating the social, cultural, and economic consequences of COVID19 on independent arts workers, specifically in the theatre sector, across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The project recognised the unique vulnerability of this workforce in dealing with the impact of COVID19. Their workplaces closed overnight and their sector transformed as theatres moved to digital delivery, and their employment status (freelance) made them ineligible for the UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The motivation of the project was to understand: the employment experiences of this workforce during the first 18 months of the pandemic; how the pandemic affected their planning for the future; how the pandemic changed their creative practices and skills; what impact government and sectoral policy had on the workforce; and to find strategies for government and industry to support this precarious workforce. This data collection includes survey responses (n=397) to an online survey which ran from 23/11/2020 to 19/03/2021,

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