Culture pays off for pupils

Teenagers who visit museums or go to the theatre are more likely to become high achievers in education and work regardless of their family background, according to research carried out in the UK.

The BBC reported that a long-term study of the impact of how teenagers spend their leisure time has shown that exposure to culture brings a range of benefits, including higher average earnings.

It might have been expected that children from wealthier families, who were taken on cultural trips, would be more successful in later life.

But researchers have found that less well-off teenagers who were involved in cultural activities also followed a pattern of going onto academic and economic success.

The research, carried out by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, is based on the tracking of young people since 1970.

Report author Karen Robson suggests that the reason for this link between the arts and social success is because it gives young people the language and cultural references that other people associate with affluence.