The State of Arts PR 2026

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The State of Arts PR 2026This is the third annual survey aimed at highlighting the challenges we face across arts PR and to discuss what the future might look like. The survey aims to gather thoughts from across the industry as we share in our experiences of how our jobs have changed and how we have continually adapted to an ever-changing cultural landscape. Last year's results are discussed in this article: https://www.mobiusindustries.com/news/state-arts-pr-survey-2025/ ...2024''s are here: https://www.mobiusindustries.com/news/state-arts-pr-survey-2024/ ...and 2023's are here: https://www.mobiusindustries.com/news/state-arts-pr-survey-2023/ This survey has been created by Mobius Industries: all responses will be kept anonymised. For any questions which are not applicable to your role, please leave answer blank. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. The survey will close for entries on 7 January 2026. www.mobiusindustries.com
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How long have you worked in communications?
1-3 years
3-6 years
7-10 years
10-20 years
20+ years
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How long have you worked in the arts?
1-3 years
3-6 years
7-10 years
10-20 years
20+ years
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What best describes your role?
In-house
Agency
Freelancer
Other
5
What is your level?
Assistant
Executive/Officer
Manager
Director
Head of Department
Owner of Company
Other
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Where are you based?
North
Midlands
South West
London
South East
Scotland
Wales
Other
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Which of the following options most closely aligns with your gender?
Woman
Man
Non-binary
Trans
Rather not say
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Which race/ethnicity best describes you?
White
Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups
Asian / Asian British
Black / African / Caribbean / Black British
Other ethnic group
Rather not say
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Do you identify as having a disability or neurodivergence?
Yes
No
Unsure
Rather not say
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What art forms do you cover?
Charity
Comedy
Crafts
Dance
Design
Digital Media
Education
Events
Festival
Film
Libraries
Literature
Museums
Performing Arts
Photography
Theatre
Visual Arts
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Do you work remotely, are you office based or do you have a hybrid set-up?
Fully remote
Fully office based
Hybrid
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What do you spend your time on?
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Influencer relations
Row 0, Column 0
Row 0, Column 1
Marketing
Row 1, Column 0
Row 1, Column 1
Media relations
Row 2, Column 0
Row 2, Column 1
Copywriting and editing
Row 3, Column 0
Row 3, Column 1
PR campaigns
Row 4, Column 0
Row 4, Column 1
Strategic planning
Row 5, Column 0
Row 5, Column 1
Community and stakeholder relations
Row 6, Column 0
Row 6, Column 1
Internal/employee communication
Row 7, Column 0
Row 7, Column 1
Crisis/issues management
Row 8, Column 0
Row 8, Column 1
Management of people/resources
Row 9, Column 0
Row 9, Column 1
Research, evaluation and measurement
Row 10, Column 0
Row 10, Column 1
Events, conferences (press night etc)
Row 11, Column 0
Row 11, Column 1
Project, account, client management
Row 12, Column 0
Row 12, Column 1
Defining mission/values, corporate governance
Row 13, Column 0
Row 13, Column 1
Technical/digital (excluding social media)
Row 14, Column 0
Row 14, Column 1
Writing articles for submission
Row 15, Column 0
Row 15, Column 1
Editing client self penned pieces or op-eds
Row 16, Column 0
Row 16, Column 1
Writing influencer briefs
Row 17, Column 0
Row 17, Column 1
Writing pitch documents for new business
Row 18, Column 0
Row 18, Column 1
Influencer relations
Marketing
Media relations
Copywriting and editing
PR campaigns
Strategic planning
Community and stakeholder relations
Internal/employee communication
Crisis/issues management
Management of people/resources
Research, evaluation and measurement
Events, conferences (press night etc)
Project, account, client management
Defining mission/values, corporate governance
Technical/digital (excluding social media)
Writing articles for submission
Editing client self penned pieces or op-eds
Writing influencer briefs
Writing pitch documents for new business
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 0, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 0, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 1, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 1, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 2, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 2, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 3, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 3, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 4, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 4, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 5, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 5, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 6, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 6, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 7, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 7, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 8, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 8, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 9, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 9, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 10, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 10, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 11, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 11, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 12, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 12, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 13, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 13, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 14, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 14, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 15, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 15, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 16, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 16, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 17, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 17, Column 1
Which of the following are the top five responsibilities of your role (what do you spend the most time on)? Please select five
Row 18, Column 0
What new tasks have you taken on this year or increased from last year you may have considered outside of your role? Please select all that apply
Row 18, Column 1
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Do you feel the core requirements of your current role have changed over the past year?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
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What are your main concerns for 2026 in the industry? Please tick up to three
Artificial Intelligence
Culture Wars in the media
Rage bait
Funding cuts
Campaign budget cuts
Venues closing
More publications closing
Other
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The below have been identified by various reports and institutions as some of the main opinions the public has on AI. Please tick up to three you agree with
It’s untrustworthy
It will replace humans
The quality of output is poor
It isn’t regulated properly
It’s difficult to tell what is real or fake
AI can help flag potentially unethical content or bias
AI can reduce repetitive or tedious tasks
It can assist with fact-checking and verifying sources
It can be a positive tool in media if its use is clearly regulated, transparent, and ethically guided.
Other
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How do you feel the media contributes to community cohesion in the UK?
Strongly feeds into a sense of division in the UK
Feeds into a sense of division in the UK
Neither agree nor disagree
Contributes to community integration in the UK
Strongly contributes to community integration in the UK
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Do you feel any of your projects last year didn’t secure the coverage you thought it would because of its themes or politics?
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
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How valued do you think your role is within your organisation? (Internally if in-house or if freelance/agency, how valued do you feel by the organisations you work with)?
Extremely valued
Very valued
Somewhat valued
Not so valued
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In the last year, how manageable has your workload been?
Very manageable
Somewhat manageable
Manageable
Unmanageable
Highly unmanageable
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How meaningful do you feel your role is?
Very meaningful
Somewhat meaningful
Neither meaningful nor not meaningful
Not very meaningful
Not meaningful at all
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Have you considered leaving the arts industry over the past year?
Yes
No
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If you have had vacancies within the PR team of the organisation you work for, how easy has it been to recruit for these roles?
Very easy
Easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Difficult
Very difficult
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Compared to last year, how hard have you found it to place the below coverage in the past year:
Very easy
Easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Difficult
Very difficult
Regional reviews
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Row 0, Column 1
Row 0, Column 2
Row 0, Column 3
Row 0, Column 4
National reviews
Row 1, Column 0
Row 1, Column 1
Row 1, Column 2
Row 1, Column 3
Row 1, Column 4
Regional broadcast
Row 2, Column 0
Row 2, Column 1
Row 2, Column 2
Row 2, Column 3
Row 2, Column 4
National broadcast
Row 3, Column 0
Row 3, Column 1
Row 3, Column 2
Row 3, Column 3
Row 3, Column 4
Regional feature
Row 4, Column 0
Row 4, Column 1
Row 4, Column 2
Row 4, Column 3
Row 4, Column 4
National feature
Row 5, Column 0
Row 5, Column 1
Row 5, Column 2
Row 5, Column 3
Row 5, Column 4
Regional news
Row 6, Column 0
Row 6, Column 1
Row 6, Column 2
Row 6, Column 3
Row 6, Column 4
National news
Row 7, Column 0
Row 7, Column 1
Row 7, Column 2
Row 7, Column 3
Row 7, Column 4
Coverage in arts trade publications
Row 8, Column 0
Row 8, Column 1
Row 8, Column 2
Row 8, Column 3
Row 8, Column 4
Regional reviews
National reviews
Regional broadcast
National broadcast
Regional feature
National feature
Regional news
National news
Coverage in arts trade publications
Very easy
Row 0, Column 0
Easy
Row 0, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 0, Column 2
Difficult
Row 0, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 0, Column 4
Very easy
Row 1, Column 0
Easy
Row 1, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 1, Column 2
Difficult
Row 1, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 1, Column 4
Very easy
Row 2, Column 0
Easy
Row 2, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 2, Column 2
Difficult
Row 2, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 2, Column 4
Very easy
Row 3, Column 0
Easy
Row 3, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 3, Column 2
Difficult
Row 3, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 3, Column 4
Very easy
Row 4, Column 0
Easy
Row 4, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 4, Column 2
Difficult
Row 4, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 4, Column 4
Very easy
Row 5, Column 0
Easy
Row 5, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 5, Column 2
Difficult
Row 5, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 5, Column 4
Very easy
Row 6, Column 0
Easy
Row 6, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 6, Column 2
Difficult
Row 6, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 6, Column 4
Very easy
Row 7, Column 0
Easy
Row 7, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 7, Column 2
Difficult
Row 7, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 7, Column 4
Very easy
Row 8, Column 0
Easy
Row 8, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 8, Column 2
Difficult
Row 8, Column 3
Very difficult
Row 8, Column 4
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In 2026, how much easier do you think it will be to place...
Much easier
Easier
Neither easy nor difficult
More difficult
Much more difficult
Regional reviews
Row 0, Column 0
Row 0, Column 1
Row 0, Column 2
Row 0, Column 3
Row 0, Column 4
National reviews
Row 1, Column 0
Row 1, Column 1
Row 1, Column 2
Row 1, Column 3
Row 1, Column 4
Regional broadcast
Row 2, Column 0
Row 2, Column 1
Row 2, Column 2
Row 2, Column 3
Row 2, Column 4
National broadcast
Row 3, Column 0
Row 3, Column 1
Row 3, Column 2
Row 3, Column 3
Row 3, Column 4
Regional feature
Row 4, Column 0
Row 4, Column 1
Row 4, Column 2
Row 4, Column 3
Row 4, Column 4
National feature
Row 5, Column 0
Row 5, Column 1
Row 5, Column 2
Row 5, Column 3
Row 5, Column 4
Regional news
Row 6, Column 0
Row 6, Column 1
Row 6, Column 2
Row 6, Column 3
Row 6, Column 4
National news
Row 7, Column 0
Row 7, Column 1
Row 7, Column 2
Row 7, Column 3
Row 7, Column 4
Coverage in arts trade publications
Row 8, Column 0
Row 8, Column 1
Row 8, Column 2
Row 8, Column 3
Row 8, Column 4
Regional reviews
National reviews
Regional broadcast
National broadcast
Regional feature
National feature
Regional news
National news
Coverage in arts trade publications
Much easier
Row 0, Column 0
Easier
Row 0, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 0, Column 2
More difficult
Row 0, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 0, Column 4
Much easier
Row 1, Column 0
Easier
Row 1, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 1, Column 2
More difficult
Row 1, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 1, Column 4
Much easier
Row 2, Column 0
Easier
Row 2, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 2, Column 2
More difficult
Row 2, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 2, Column 4
Much easier
Row 3, Column 0
Easier
Row 3, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 3, Column 2
More difficult
Row 3, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 3, Column 4
Much easier
Row 4, Column 0
Easier
Row 4, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 4, Column 2
More difficult
Row 4, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 4, Column 4
Much easier
Row 5, Column 0
Easier
Row 5, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 5, Column 2
More difficult
Row 5, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 5, Column 4
Much easier
Row 6, Column 0
Easier
Row 6, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 6, Column 2
More difficult
Row 6, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 6, Column 4
Much easier
Row 7, Column 0
Easier
Row 7, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 7, Column 2
More difficult
Row 7, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 7, Column 4
Much easier
Row 8, Column 0
Easier
Row 8, Column 1
Neither easy nor difficult
Row 8, Column 2
More difficult
Row 8, Column 3
Much more difficult
Row 8, Column 4
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Which social media platforms...
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Facebook
Row 0, Column 0
Row 0, Column 1
Instagram
Row 1, Column 0
Row 1, Column 1
X
Row 2, Column 0
Row 2, Column 1
Bluesky
Row 3, Column 0
Row 3, Column 1
TikTok
Row 4, Column 0
Row 4, Column 1
Reddit
Row 5, Column 0
Row 5, Column 1
Snapchat
Row 6, Column 0
Row 6, Column 1
YouTube
Row 7, Column 0
Row 7, Column 1
Facebook
Instagram
X
Bluesky
TikTok
Reddit
Snapchat
YouTube
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 0, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 0, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 1, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 1, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 2, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 2, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 3, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 3, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 4, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 4, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 5, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 5, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 6, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 6, Column 1
...do your organisation/clients use for external promotion? Tick as many as apply
Row 7, Column 0
...do you find you use the most in your/your organisation’s work (pitching, research etc)? Tick as many as apply
Row 7, Column 1
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If you would like to be entered into a draw for a £25 voucher, please enter your email address below. We will also email results of the survey when they are published in January 2026.
example@example.com
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