• Younger adults from working-class backgrounds are 4 times less likely to work in the creative industries compared to their middle-class peers.
  • Top selling musicians are 6 times more likely than the public to have attended private schools (43% vs 7%). And BAFTA-nominated actors are 5 times more likely to have done so (35% vs 7%).
  • Privately-educated students represent over half of Music students at the most prestigious conservatoires.
  • At four institutions – Oxford, Cambridge, Kings College London and Bath – more than half of creative students come from ‘upper middle class’ backgrounds.

New research released today reveals the extent to which the creative industries remain elite professions. There are stark overrepresentations for those from the most affluent backgrounds (defined in this research as those from ‘upper-middle-class’ backgrounds). And those who were privately-educated also disproportionally occupy top roles in this sector.

The report, published by the Sutton Trust, reveals that amongst those aged 35 and under, there are around four times as many individuals from middle class backgrounds as working class backgrounds in creative occupations. Yet while just 20% of the UK’s working class individuals in employment have a degree, three times as many working class people in creative jobs have one. This underscores the importance of equal access to higher education for all young people.

The report finds that education and class background have a huge impact on people’s ability to reach the top of their creative profession. Across television, film and music, high-profile figures in the creative industries are much more likely to have attended private school than the UK population. BAFTA-nominated actors are 5 times more likely to have attended a private school, at 35% compared to the national average of just 7%.

Classical music is a particularly elitist profession. 43% of top classical musicians have attended an independent school (over 6 times higher than average). Additionally, 58% of classical musicians have attended an arts specialist university or conservatoire, and 1 in 4 attended the Royal Academy of Music for undergraduate study. These institutions are dominated by students from the most affluent backgrounds. 12% attended Oxbridge.

However, pop stars appear to better reflect the education backgrounds of the UK population as a whole. Only 8% were privately-educated, and 20% attended university, both close to the national averages.

64% of top actors have attended university, with 29% attending specialist arts institutions (including conservatoires). 9% attended Oxbridge and a further 6% attended other Russell Group institutions.

Access to creative degrees in subjects such as Music and Art is skewed towards those from upper-middle-class backgrounds at the most prestigious institutions. At four universities – Oxford, Cambridge, King’s College London and Bath – more than half of students on creative courses come from the most elite ‘upper-middle-class’ backgrounds.

The universities with the lowest proportions of creative students from working-class backgrounds are Cambridge and Bath (4%), Oxford and Bristol (5%), and Manchester (7%). At each of these universities, the percentage of creative students from working-class backgrounds is lower than for students on all other degrees (6% at Oxford and Cambridge, 7% at Bath and Bristol, and 19% at Manchester).

There is also a stark class divide in specialist institutions such as conservatoires and higher education institutions specialising in music and the performing arts. The Royal Academy of Music (60%), Royal College of Music (56%), Durham (48%), Kings College London (46%) and Bath (42%) all have very high proportions of privately educated students studying creative subjects. All of these institutions have higher proportions of privately educated creative students than Oxbridge (32%).

Over 50% of Oxford, Cambridge and KCL’s music students come from ‘upper-middle-class’ households, and for six Russell Group institutions this proportion is between 40-49%.

To tackle this inequality, the Sutton Trust is calling for a range of measures to improve access to the arts, such as introducing an ‘arts premium’ so schools can pay for arts opportunities including music lessons, ensuring that conservatoires and creative arts institutions that receive state funding are banned from charging for auditions, and adding socio-economic inclusion as a condition of employers receiving arts funding.

The Sutton Trust is also developing a partnership with the British Screen Forum, which aims to address socio-economic diversity through targeted skills and career initiatives.

Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said:

“It’s a tragedy that young people from working class backgrounds are the least likely to study creative arts degrees, or break into the creative professions. These sectors bear the hallmarks of being elitist – those from upper-middle-class backgrounds, and the privately-educated are significantly over-represented.

“Britain’s creative sector is admired around the world, but no child should be held back from reaching their full potential, or from pursuing their interests and dream career, due to their socio-economic background. It’s essential that action is taken to ensure access to high quality creative education in schools, and to tackle financial barriers to accessing creative courses and workplace opportunities.”

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Notes to editors:

The Sutton Trust champions social mobility from birth to the workplace so that all young people have the chance to succeed in life. It does this through evidence-led programmes, agenda setting research and policy influence.

Research was conducted by Dr Dave O’Brien, Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries at the University of Manchester; Dr Mark Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative Methods at the University of Sheffield; and Dr Orian Brook, Chancellor’s Fellow in Social Policy at the University of Edinburgh.

The report compares and contrasts students from NS-SEC I, higher managerial and professional social origins – described as ‘upper-middle-class’ students – with those from NS-SEC VI-VII, semi-routine, routine and long-term unemployed origins – described here as ‘working-class’ students.

Data comes from Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) Student Record data and HESA Graduate Outcome Survey Results, for the academic years 2017/2018 to 2021/2022 inclusive, compromising of 1,126,924 records. Percentages are based on full-time equivalent students studying a particular subject. Students registered on a part-time single honours programme are weighted at the relevant fraction of an equivalent full-time student.

Additional employment data comes from the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey (LFS) applying to 2014-2022, with an average sample of 85,000 total respondents per year.

Analysis of the socio-economic backgrounds of musicians and actors used data from BAFTA and the official charts company from 2019 to 2024. Data applies to those born or primarily based in the United Kingdom.