The British public’s enduring appreciation of homegrown music has been revealed in a new BPI study.
The survey places music ahead of film & TV, sport, literature and other sectors as the cultural output which is the biggest source of national pride.
More than a quarter of all those surveyed – 27.0% – chose music as the cultural output for which the UK could be most proud, ahead of film & TV (19.3%), sport (18.9%), literature (15.6%), theatre & dance (8.4%), video games (5.5%) and visual art (5.3%).
The study of more than 2,000 respondents was carried out by AudienceNet on behalf of labels trade body the BPI. It forms part of All About The Music 2026, the 47th edition of the BPI’s music industry yearbook, alongside other music industry trends, stats, artist case studies, and research.
In the study, those classified as music listeners were asked to respond to a series of statements about British music:
– Around three-quarters (74.7%) felt British music was a source of national pride.
– A similar number (73.9%) believed that music made by British artists helped to improve the UK’s reputation abroad.
– Two thirds (66.5%) said they liked to listen to and support British artists when they could.
– More than 60% (63.1%) agreed the UK punched above its weight in terms of global music access.
The survey coincides with export success for UK artists including Grammy winners Olivia Dean and Lola Young, as well as Harry Styles, Charli XCX, Sleep Token, EsDeeKid, Sienna Spiro and Myles Smith.
British music has a truly global impact – its importance and power as a cultural asset and economic force cannot be overstated
Dr Jo Twist
“The public’s admiration and support for British music comes as UK artists enjoy a significant upsurge in popularity at home and around the world, with a new generation breaking through onto the global stage in recent years, enjoying international chart successes and multiple BRITs and Grammy nominations and wins,” said the BPI in a statement.
At a time when the music industry and other creative sectors have been calling on the UK government to support them and their intellectual property rights in an ongoing policy debate over generative AI training, the survey revealed clear demand for increased government backing of UK music. Some 67.9% of those identified as music listeners agreed the government should do more to support homegrown music.
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI chief executive, said: “It’s encouraging to see that the public holds British music in such high regard and is so committed to seeing its continued success. The UK is a creative superpower both economically and culturally, as can be seen across our many world-leading creative industries.
“Music speaks to the human experience in a unique and powerful way and is there for us at every moment in our lives. As we’ve seen over the last year with numerous new artists breaking through on the world stage, British music has a truly global impact – its importance and power as a cultural asset and economic force cannot be overstated.”
The yearbook is out now, available free to BPI members or available to purchase from the BPI’s online store.
PHOTO: Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty
