3.5 Mapping the Landscape

Early on in the life of the project, and in collaboration with the Centre for Cultural Value, we conducted an in-depth literature review to get to grips with the contextual landscape at the intersection of culture, older adults, digital and social connection. This revealed significant research gaps, including around older adults’ digital participation in culture, but this research also underlined the strength of evidence that already exists for the wellbeing value of participation in arts and culture. To the right are two findings from the extensive Research Digest – culture, community, connection. The extracts reproduced here respond to just one of the many research questions explored in this report: ‘What is the relationship between older people’s cultural participation and wellbeing?’. This Research Digest is invaluable to academics who wish to develop new research in this field, as well as policy makers who can see the ‘at a glance’ summary, which provides powerful cause to justify support of the Arts. We held an online event around the Research Digest that 60 people attended, and wrote a blog for Arts Professional magazine and Helen Manchester did a talk at Leeds Creative Ageing Forum that considered good practice in creative ageing.