In March 2017, Arts Council England (ACE) commissioned Sound Connections to consult with children and young people in order to inform thinking around the creation of ACE’s ’25 Year Creative Talent Plan’. This plan set out to learn more about the nature of arts and cultural activities that are meaningful to children and young people throughout the first twenty-five years of their lives and to understand any barriers to their participation.

This report presents the findings of research carried out by Sound Connections, who were commissioned to facilitate consultation with 7 to 25 year olds across the country, working with groups in schools and community settings. Using a mixed methodological approach, Sound Connections gathered data from:
• nine roundtable meetings with a total of 186 young people
• 778 online surveys, targeted at two age groups: 7-11 year olds, and 11-25 year olds.

Topics included:
• How do young people perceive arts and culture?
• What activity do young people enjoy participating in and how do they access arts and culture?
• Is arts and culture important and relevant to young people?
• What are the existing barriers to engagement and what is needed to engage young people in arts and culture?

Sound Connections (2017) Arts Council Youth Consultation. London: Sound Connections.