Quantifying the Value of Culture: The Economic and Wellbeing Impact of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra enhances cultural vitality across Scotland, is a driver for economic activity, and a force for community wellbeing.

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) has a wide range of activities that deliver vast economic and wellbeing benefits across society. Far from offering live performances to a select proportion of society, the RSNO strives for inclusion and diversity, achieving far-reaching impacts that benefit communities throughout Scotland.

“For every £1 received from the Scottish Government, the RSNO leveraged an additional £2 in income, generated £4.10 in GVA, and delivered wellbeing benefits worth £2.80”

Quantifying Wellbeing Benefits (WELLBYs)

Music is a powerful source of wellbeing. It helps to reduce stress, bring joy and relaxation to people’s lives, and enhance social relationships through bringing people together. The RSNO seeks to ensure that as many people throughout Scotland have access to this vital source of wellbeing. Through the RSNO’s delivery of live and digital concerts and its wide ranging community engagement, which includes teaching, contributing to school curriculums, community choir support, and even health care interventions, the RSNO delivers £10.2 million in wellbeing benefits across Scotland.

This was estimated using a wellbeing valuation approach, known as Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years (WELLBYs). WELLBYs are a HM Treasury recommended approach for evaluating wellbeing benefits -they are helpful for assessing the impact of a wide range of activities, and which we have been using to support our clients to understand and enhance their value to society.

An additional £1.4 million in wellbeing benefits is generated by RSNO via its sector-progressive employment model, which helps to ensure members of the orchestra feel secure and valued in their work. This brings the total wellbeing benefits generated to £11.6 million, from only £4.2 million in Scottish Government funding.

Economic Impact and GVA Generation

The RSNO also has significant economic impacts, helping to create more than 300 jobs throughout Scotland and generating £17.2 million in Gross Value Added (GVA). This is achieved through activity related to concerts, staff wages, and musicians’ recording activity for film, television, and video games.

Although the RSNO’s core mission is to enhance lives and promote wellbeing, its economic viability is essential. It is evident from these substantial impacts that the RSNO is not only a resounding success in this regard but also integral to the fabric of a thriving society.

Wider Unquantified Outcomes and Future Potential

The RSNO also contributes in important ways to wider outcomes that aren’t easy to quantify, including nurturing tomorrow’s musicians and securing future audiences, fuelling the film, TV, and games sector in Scotland, and supporting the achievement of National Outcomes.

It is clear that the RSNO has the potential to do more, and we hope that this report supports the organisation in furthering its wide impacts across society.

The full report can be found here.