Cultural Freelancers Study 2024

This Arts Council England (ACE) commissioned report is based on a study of freelance workers in the creative and cultural sector in England. It documents the current challenges and opportunities experienced by creative and cultural practitioners in England across all ACE-funded disciplines. It also establishes a dataset which forms a baseline to which future research will return. This report provides a resource for Arts Council England, creative and cultural practitioners, policymakers, and organisations that represent freelancers and advocate on their behalf. The study comprised three parts: a literature review; an online survey with over 5000 respondents, and; interviews and focus groups with 200 participants. The research covered topics such as: demographic information (including caring responsibilities and education levels), types of work and working hours, income and income sources, freelancers’ skills needs, access to representation and funding, diversity and inclusion, and experiences from those who no longer freelance in the culture sector.