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Culture overview

This section looks at attendance at cultural events, participation in cultural events, participation in sport, and the presence and support of cultural institutions and organisations. 

Culture overview infographic Apr 25

Click here to download the Culture infographic.

(Data mainly from Scottish Household Survey, 2023)

  • 64% of Glaswegians took part in some kind of cultural activity in the past 12 months. This is a large decrease from 86% in 2016.
  • Reading for pleasure is the most common cultural activity of Glaswegians — 56% of adults read for pleasure, while 17% viewed a performance online and 12% played a musical instrument.
  • Those with long-term illnesses or disabilities were much less likely to participate in cultural activities.
  • Both nationally and at a Glasgow level, people from the most deprived areas were less likely to participate in cultural activities (55% in the most deprived 20% compared to 72% in the least deprived in Glasgow)
  • The most attended cultural events or cultural places visited among Glaswegians were: cinema (54%), museums (41%), live music events (38%), art galleries (32%) and historic places (31%). Rates have all decreased since 2018.

This section also highlights participation in sporting activities.  A brief summary of sports activities is provided below.  (Data from Scottish Household Survey, 2023) 

  • Walking is by far the most popular physical activity of Glaswegians, swimming, keep fit/aerobics, running, dancing, football and weight training are also relatively common.
  • Younger adults tend to be involved in the greatest range of different activities whilst middle-aged and older adults are far more likely to walk for recreational purposes rather than take part in other activities.
  • Around 28% of Glaswegians did not participate in any sporting activity over a four week period.

Notes

The data on the Understanding Glasgow website comes from a variety of administrative sources and surveys, and the frequency of updates to these sources varies.

The Scottish Government published a report which looks at the impact of cultural engagement and sports participation on health and satisfaction with life in Scotland. Click here to access the Healthy Attendance? (2013) report.

Page last updated May 2025.