More than half of adults in England have visited a museum or gallery in the last year, according to the latest Taking Part survey from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

During the same period, 78 per cent of adults attended or participated in the arts and 73 per cent visited a heritage site.

These encouraging figures show that visits are maintaining the high level of the last few years. There has been significant increases in adult engagement with the arts since 2005/6.

Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey, described this as a golden age for the arts: “These new figures provide a timely response to those who believe that the public’s appetite for serious culture is on the wane, or that we as nation are dumbing down. The truth is that people have an unflagging appetite for our arts, culture and heritage when they get the chance to experience it first hand.”