Omicron Variant Impact Survey Report

MEASURING THE IMPACT OF THE OMICRON VARIANT FOR THE PERIOD DECEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 

Orginal Survey designed in collaboration with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport are working with a number of sectoral bodies to further build their evidence base on the impact of the Omicron variant on freelancers across the Performing Arts sector in England – (devolved Administrations are responsible for arts policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Freelancers Make Theatre Work were connected with DCMS via Society of Theatres London in the week commencing 20th December. During this week Freelancers Make Theatre Work and DCMS met to discuss the most appropriate means of gathering evidence whilst taking into consideration the time of year and deep sense of fatigue in the sector. DCMS evidence-building is looking at a range of sources, including organisations across the performing arts sector.

This work is not an official government survey but, as DCMS wanted to understand the scale of the challenges faced as a result of the Omicron variant, Freelancers Make Theatre Work members felt that it was important that information be gathered directly from freelancers.

The deadline for data gathering was 31st December 2021. This created a short window to disseminate the survey, and then gather and analyse responses. The survey was therefore kept as short as possible in the hope of returning as many responses as possible.

The survey was released on Sunday 26th December (allowing for Christmas Day) with a deadline of midnight on Thursday 30th December (allowing time for data to be sent to DCMS).

Freelancers Make Theatre Work has undertaken this work on a voluntary basis