COVID-19 Response by PEC: Insights and Actions Taken

Uncensored Peek into PEC's Pandemic Response

During the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) served as a vital hub for gathering crucial information for those working in the creatives. This non-stop intel-gathering reassured policy makers who were pondering government announcements like budgets and white papers.

Through brilliant foresight, PEC swiftly addressed the emerging crisis by publishing its first COVID-19 related content at the end of March — just days after the initial lockdown was announced. This groundbreaking report, dubbed "Charities Speak," was created in partnership with Nesta, utilizing data science techniques to advocate for arts and culture's importance.

Next up, PEC touched on the immense significance of the arts for individuals during lockdown with an engaging blog. They emphatically highlighted how creative and cultural offerings — ranging from TV series to books and DIY crafts — were essential for those confined indoors, especially for vulnerable individuals who were socially isolated from friends and family. At this early stage of the pandemic, PEC soundly warned that lockdowns and the pandemic could probably batter the creative industries even more than other sectors of the economy.

Since the pandemic's onset, PEC has churned out an impressive 20 reports, discussion papers, blogs, and policy briefings with a laser focus on COVID-19. Additionally, several papers explored topics only tangentially related to the pandemic, yet offering valuable insights for the creative industries.

PEC's extensive resources were not solely informative; they also offered practical advice for those within the creative industries. For example, a popular blog provided ten tips for designing a COVID-19 sector survey for creative businesses.

The most visited page on the PEC website over the past year was an up-to-date list of open and closed surveys. This invaluable hub allowed individuals within the creative industries to share their experiences and access vital industry information, while also directing policymakers to a myriad of surveys and data sources about the pandemic's impact on the sector.

To gain a deeper understanding of the pandemic's influence, PEC commissioned a nine-week study in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and research agency, AudienceNet. This study followed 1,000 consumers, measuring changes in their cultural consumption habits and tracing their impact on people's wellbeing. All creative content categories — spanning music, film, TV, video games, and e-books — played a critical role in helping individuals navigate difficult circumstances during the pandemic.

Armed with the findings from that initial six-week period, the study was further extended for an additional three weeks, encompassing July, August, and September 2020. The expanded study revealed an acceleration of long-term trends in creative content consumption, such as the decline of downloading content in favor of streaming, during the lockdown.

Additional PEC research further supported these findings and delved deeper into the impact of the pandemic on gaming and streaming services. A report published in January 2021, dubbed "On-Demand Culture," elucidated these insights even further.

In June of the same year, PEC released a policy briefing titled "The Importance of a UK-wide Recovery Plan for the Creative Industries." This insightful document set forth an array of suggestions on how to build a post-pandemic economic recovery spread evenly across the UK, addressing issues of regional concentration that plagued the creative industries after the 2008 financial crisis.

Upon the release of that report, PEC published a guest blog by Andy Pratt, a Professor of Cultural Economy at City University of London, outlining what the government should prioritize to bolster the creative industries during the lockdown. Furthermore, PEC consulted with its Industry Champions to explore their experiences with business model disruption and innovation within their own organizations during the pandemic.

In July, PEC's focus shifted to the creative industries outside the UK. Over the course of a three-part series, they published the perspectives of individuals working in various segments of the sector from Brazil, Kenya, and the US — all members of PEC's International Council. These enlightening blogs provided new insights into the strategies different countries employed to cope with the pandemic, the creative ways people utilized arts and culture to get through lockdowns, and the specific policy solutions various countries deployed.

As the UK grappled with a spike in infection rates and reinstated social distancing and quarantine restrictions in the autumn of 2020, PEC's research began to concentrate on specific sectors of the economy and sections of society adversely affected by the pandemic. One of the most widely read PEC publications from that period was a report and accompanying blog on forging a more inclusive creative economy post-pandemic, entitled "Getting in and getting on: Class, participation, and job quality in the UK's Creative Industries."

This research brought attention to the ongoing challenges faced by individuals from working-class backgrounds attempting to kick-start careers in the creative industries. The research underscored how these difficulties must be viewed through the lens of intersectionality, which emphasizes that various social categories, such as ethnicity, gender, and class, can create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. In other words, people with physical disabilities, low skills levels, and working-class or minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to encounter multiple disadvantages than those without such social traits.

Remarkably, the research revealed that the chances of someone from a working-class background securing work in a creative occupation have remained largely stagnant since 2014. In contrast, men from privileged, middle-class backgrounds have almost five times the chance of landing creative jobs than working-class women.

These findings caught the attention of the Commons DCMS Committee and were later referenced by Lord Ed Vaizey in House of Lords questions regarding COVID-19 and social mobility.

The report on class was soon followed by two more publications in December, addressing the scale of job losses in the creative industries and the impact on diversity within the sector. "A Jobs Crisis in the Cultural and Creative Industries," a report led by the Centre for Cultural Value in collaboration with PEC and The Audience Agency, estimated 55,000 job losses (30% decline) in music, performing, and visual arts due to the pandemic.

A subsequent piece from the project found that this disproportionately affected young people and women, who were far more likely to have lost their jobs compared to their older, male counterparts.

In partnership with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Creative Diversity, PEC consulted with its Industry Champions to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on workforce diversity in the creative industries. The panel offered a range of invaluable insights and recommendations, such as encouraging creative industry organizations to pay the Living Wage to interns and considering employing people from non-traditional backgrounds in the post-pandemic landscape.

With the UK slowly emerging from lockdown and restrictions easing, the creative industries were given the chance to recover. To ensure any recovery was equitable and spread across the entire country, the government needed to implement a variety of policy measures. PEC published two essential responses to government announcements in January 2021, suggesting ways to accomplish this.

In response to the March budget, PEC called for the creative industries to be included in the government's definition of R&D, for a revamp of the UK's migration systems, including the introduction of a freelance visa, and for the use of fiscal tools like the Recovery Loan Scheme, the Shared Prosperity Fund, and Levelling-Up Fund to ensure a more even post-pandemic recovery across the UK's regions.

In response to the Integrated Review, PEC recommended that the Foreign Office take steps to enhance the diplomatic service's collaboration with the UK's creative industries, thereby bolstering our already significant soft power capabilities. As always, PEC reiterated its call for a reform of the migration system and changes to the government's definition of R&D.

In the spirit of reflecting on the lessons learned from the policy responses to the pandemic, PEC ran its first communications campaign in May 2021 called "Freelancer Fortnight," which focused on self-employed and freelance workers in the creative industries. Stretching over two weeks, each day featured new research, policy briefs, and discussion papers.

Freelancers make up a much greater proportion of the total workforce for the creative industries compared to other sectors; the pandemic revealed the precariousness of employment in the creative industries. Government support, such as the furlough scheme, was primarily designed to aid employees on full-time contracts, rather than self-employed or freelance workers. As a result, many creative freelancers struggled to access the assistance they needed throughout the pandemic.

The research published during "Freelancer Fortnight" offered solutions to some of these challenges. For example, a briefing note from the Industry Champions suggested strategies to support freelancers through the short term and proposed long-term policy changes. The policy challenges and proposed solutions encapsulated in the research published during "Freelancer Fortnight" were summarized and explained in a comprehensive PEC briefing note.

In June 2021, PEC published a page collecting all data and blogs published as part of the COVID-19 digital consumer survey tracker, a collaborative project with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and research agency AudienceNet.

Later in July, PEC launched a second communications campaign, "Creative Places." This endeavor explored the impact of geography and place on creative businesses and aimed to complement and parallel the government's "Levelling Up" strategy.

The flagship research for the campaign was "Creative Radar 2021," the follow-up report to the first Creative Radar. This research revealed that creative businesses were able to weather the pandemic within a "creative cluster." remarkable Findings included the fact that organizations within a creative cluster were just as likely to survive whether they were located in rural Wales or central London, as compared to those that were not within a cluster.

Prior to the festive season in December, PEC published "The Pandemic, The People, and the Creative Industries: A Year in Review," featuring research outlining the challenges and opportunities posed by the pandemic, and highlighting the diverse responses from various creatives. This comprehensive report provided insights into how policy-makers can navigate the recovery process and support the creative industries as they emerge from the pandemic.

(this blog was first published in April 2021 and updated October 2021)

Image credits: Hello I'm Nik (thumbnail image) and Chloe Evans (hero image) on Unsplash

Intersectional Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the deep-seated inequalities within the UK's creative industries, particularly for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Research by PEC revealed that social identities like gender, ethnicity, and class interact and create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination and disadvantage for those within the creative industries.

In response to the pandemic, PEC has taken a nuanced approach to addressing these challenges, acknowledging the diversity within the sector and aiming to create policies that address the unique challenges faced by individuals from various backgrounds. From focusing on the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women and young people to advocating for the inclusion of freelancers in government support programs, PEC has been at the forefront of nurturing an inclusive creative economy post-pandemic.

The Creative Sector's Pandemic Response

To survive the tumultuous challenges presented by the pandemic, creative industries had to innovate rapidly and adhere to new rules. Many embraced digital transformation to maintain operations and reach audiences, while others turned their attention toward creating meaningful virtual experiences. Investments in technology and remote work allowed creative enterprises to continue thriving, albeit with modifications.

In some cases, organizations within the creative industries formed partnerships with government bodies, research institutions, and other organizations to navigate the pandemic and adapt to evolving circumstances. This collaborative approach fostered resilience and facilitated a smoother recovery for many creative businesses.

Throughout the pandemic, the government offered various forms of financial support to creative businesses and freelance workers, recognizing the critical role they play in society. While the overall response was effective, challenges arose for certain subsectors and freelancers, underscoring the need for targeted policies to support underrepresented groups within the creative industries.

Enrichment Data:

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) has been instrumental in guiding policymakers toward evidence-based decisions on supporting the UK's creative industries throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Through research, analysis, and advocacy, PEC has championed a more inclusive creative economy, addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by the pandemic. Overall, the creative sector has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and innovation in navigating the pandemic's challenges.

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) emphasized the importance of internationalisation in their research, analyzing the strategies different countries employed to cope with the pandemic.
PEC's reports and briefings highlighted the vital role skills and talents play in the resilience and recovery of the creative industries during the pandemic.
The pandemic's impact on the economy, particularly the creative industries, was a focus of PEC's 20 reports, discussion papers, and policy briefings.
The arts, entertainment, and cultural offerings, deemed essential by PEC, helped vulnerable individuals cope with lockdown and social isolation during the pandemic.
PEC's research evidenced a significant increase in creative content consumption during lockdown, with streaming services and e-books playing a critical role in helping individuals navigate difficult circumstances.
Innovation was a key factor in the survival of many creative industries, with organizations embracing digital transformation and forming partnerships to adapt to evolving circumstances.
PEC's research revealed that the creative industries, like other sectors, were not immune to the challenges posed by the pandemic, with funding, financial support, and policy being crucial elements in their recovery strategy.
Regional clusters played a significant role in the survival of creative businesses during the pandemic, as they offered a sense of community and support among peers.
PEC's reports and briefings offered valuable insights for policy-makers, helping them make evidence-based decisions on supporting the creative industries during the pandemic.
The pandemic has underscored the need for a more inclusive approach to creative policies, addressing the unique challenges faced by individuals from various backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, and class.