Ardington School of Crafts Wellbeing Study 2019

We are delighted to present the results of our latest Wellbeing Study. 
Arts & Crafts are as good for your wellbeing as ever!

Following the success of, and interest in, last year’s Wellbeing Study, we are delighted to share the results of the 2019 survey with you. Once again, the evidence supporting Arts & Crafts activities as a means to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing is overwhelming. Not only that, participants told us again that they feel a strong sense of purpose, have higher concentration levels and improved social connectedness through being engaged in Arts & Crafts activities. This year’s results reinforce the strong messages on all of the points that came through in 2018. You can compare the full results of both surveys below.

2019 results

2018 results

​Interestingly, around 40% of participants also told us that they are enjoying a continued source of income through these activities, similar to the result last year of 42%. This is a particularly important aspect, and supports broader results across the UK which confirm that more and more people are making an extra income from a ‘side-line’. How nice to have an enjoyable way to earn extra money too!

Traditional or Contemporary Crafts
This year, we added a new question to the study to explore whether you preferred traditional or contemporary Arts & Crafts. Almost 77% of you believe there is a place for both, and are engaged in a whole range of new techniques and methods, such as modern quilting, mono-print, mixed media, polymer clay, precious metal clays, computer aided design, up-cycling, iPad art, and microwave dyeing to name but a few contemporary approaches. 

How many crafts do people do?
​Yet again, on average you tend to do more than one type of activity. This year’s average is 4, compared with an average of 3.4 Arts & Crafts per participant in 2018. Textiles were still the top scorer, with Mixed Media having the most notable increase on last year’s results. Calligraphy is also growing in popularity since the 2018 study, which is a particular activity that is strongly represented at Ardington.

Gender differences
​We are always interested to see and understand the gender representation in our Wellbeing studies, because last year, we noted that men formed only a very small percentage (4%) of our overall participants, despite the survey being promoted to a broad mixed audience. In 2019, yet again we find that men made up only 5% of our survey sample. Given the recent increased focus on men’s mental health and wellbeing issues, we know that more needs to be done to open the world of Arts & Crafts to a wider male audience. The student base at Ardington is changing in this respect and now we do see more and more men of all generations attending and enjoying workshops. We hope this trend continues, and will be doing our best to promote the benefits to more male students.

​Finally, it is clear how important Arts & Crafts become to our study participants as they get older. This year’s study showed that almost 80% of participants feel that Arts & Crafts are essential, and can’t imagine life without them. This compares with a slightly lower result of 75% last year.

Sample Size and Confidentiality
​There were over 200 responses to this year’s study in just one day, proving that there is a lot of interest in the topic. Last year’s study had only 112 participants over a two week period. Due to our current survey capacity, we have only been able to run the results from the first 100 participants. However, we do believe this to be a representative sample size and statistically valid, given the high scores allocated in many of the questions. 

​In order to ensure complete confidentiality, we have not published any individual comments or free text added into the survey.  However, we have found these comments to be fascinating and provide compelling insights into how important it is for people to have access to creative activities for their own sense of purpose, good mental health and wellbeing and to improve the ability to concentrate. 
 
Ardington School of Crafts will endeavour to always provide a first class curriculum, with the best tutors and facilities, as well as a warm and welcoming environment to all who wish to benefit from these activities.