‘Pompous’: research unveils public’s perception of opera

Major research into public perceptions of opera has found the art form to be considered “exclusive and pompous”.

The report was commissioned by Laidlaw Opera Trust, with more than 4,000 adults in the UK surveyed by consultancy Public First in a bid to understand the barriers to people attending live opera and how the sector can counteract them.

Entitled What the UK Public Really Feel About Opera and Why, one of the report’s main conclusions was that although audiences deemed it an impressive and timeless art form, “opera is consistently thought of as expensive, exclusive and pompous”.

The results also lay bare a gap between enjoyment and attendance, showing that while 76% of respondents who have attended an opera reported enjoying it, only 10% would be willing to pay for a ticket to a London performance due to assumed expense.

Other negative connotations associated with opera were also identified as major drains on audience numbers, with respondents reporting that “a sense of elitism” led them to feel that the art form was not “for them”.

While 71% said opera was unique – citing the sound of the vocalist and the combination of drama, music and visual art – fewer than half (42%) believed the opera sector should receive government support.

Another key finding was a lack of contact points with opera for a significant proportion of the population. Just 30% of respondents reported ever having attended a live performance and only 42% said they had met an “opera fan”.

Based on these findings, the report made five recommendations for the sector to increase its audience numbers:

• Focusing on growing the pool of people who are aware of opera performances. Suggestions for increasing visibility included longer runs of shows to allow for word of mouth to spread, as well as marketing campaigns promoting opera as a whole.
• Looking beyond cost as a barrier to attendance and focusing on social barriers. “Bring a friend” schemes and discounted group tickets are proposed as solutions.
• Leaning into the unique experience of opera by learning from other luxury events such as horse racing.
• Delivering a balance of different types of performances, from traditional repertoire to new stories, and tailoring marketing appropriately.
• Moving beyond opera as a “one-off experience” and “converting a proportion of those who are open to attending the opera into semi-regular attendees”.

The call for a balance between old and new opera repertoire echoes Arts Council England’s dismissal of an “either/or” approach to programming in its response to its own analysis earlier this week.

Responding to these findings in the report’s foreword, Glyndebourne managing director Richard Davidson-Houston said: “The report confirms some of what we might already have known; for instance that, today, live opera tends to attract a relatively specific segment of the population.

“While it’s important to note that the same could be said for almost any cultural activity, specific associations with exclusivity and high cost do raise a barrier to entry.

“Crucially, the report also busts a number of hardy myths. It finds that, in fact, attending an opera is a goal for many people, that opera definitely can captivate the young and that some of opera’s traditions and conventions can actually help to motivate new audiences, rather than deter them.

“I hope and expect that the report will inspire new ideas and inject fresh energy into already lively discussions about opera’s future.”