The vast majority of employees working in arts or culture feel sharing ‘controversial opinions’ could lead to being “professionally ostracised”.
The Freedom of Expression survey conducted by ArtsProfessional magazine found that eight out of ten believe they have to self-censor in order to avoid a backlash from colleagues.
Many respondents felt they could not freely talk about religion, gender and sexuality or share socially conservative views.
‘Politically correct’
One respondent said: “Our arts, culture and indeed education sectors are supposed to be fearlessly free-thinking and open to a wide range of challenging views.
“However, they are now dominated by a monolithic politically correct class (mostly of privileged white middle class people, by the way), who impose their intolerant views across those sectors.”
Another said: “Anything to do with gender issues, especially trans issues, will get a lot of flak for either not being on message enough, or being off message, or too on message.”
Others felt the arts and culture sector was “nowhere near as open as it pretends to be”.
Deeply divided
The survey revealed only 40 per cent said that personal opinions are respected by others.
A respondent commented: “This is driving people who disagree away, risks increasing support for the very things this culturally dominant class professes to stand against, and is slowly destroying our society and culture from the inside.”
ArtsProfessional Editor Amanda Parker said the survey showed “deep division between public perception and the reality of working in the arts and cultural sector”.
She said: “Our survey shines a damning light on the coercion, bullying, intimidation and intolerance that is active among a community that thinks of itself as liberal, open minded and equitable.”