Research, Data and Insight

For 25 years BOP has set the standard for research into culture and creative industries (CCIs). 

We believe in the transformative power of data to change perceptions and galvanise decision-making. We seek to make an impact on our clients and their stakeholders with our findings, through the rigour of our research, the clarity of presentation and the use of the latest data visualisation methods.

Our work has shone new light on the CCIs and their potential to transform people and places. Insights generated have informed the decision-making of national governments, mayors, and cultural leaders across the globe, and we have helped to design standard data frameworks for international agencies like UNESCO, for national governments and for city leaders worldwide.

The triennial World Cities Culture Report is the most comprehensive existing compendium of data on culture and the world’s largest cities. It has pushed culture up the urban agenda and helped policy-makers align the development of a city's cultural offer with broader economic, social, and environmental goals.

Our Approach

BOP continues to pioneer innovative approaches to understanding the nature and dynamics of these cultural industries. Our extensive toolkit draws on official data, specialised cultural statistics, frameworks, industry intelligence, and open ‘big’ data sources. This provides a wide and deep view of the sector, generating new evidence and insights which can be used as the basis for decision-making.

Whilst we use recognised frameworks and methods to ensure robustness and enable comparability, our research is always tailored to the unique needs of the client. Our research offer is always

• Responsive to immediate challenges and dilemmas

• Rigorous, objective, and open to external scrutiny

• Reliable, using standard, widely accepted methods, and frameworks

• Innovative, and constantly drawing on new data sources

• Practical, providing evidence for business decisions

Relevance

As we enter the new post-COVID age our research capabilities are more important than ever to our clients as they assess the impact of the pandemic and plan for a different kind of future where they are contending with ongoing changes across the sector as well as larger shifts including climate change and technology.