New UK–Ireland research network to tackle class inequality across the creative economy
The project will examine how class inequality is understood, experienced and measured across the creative economy in the UK and Ireland
Researchers at the University of Leeds will lead a major new UK–Ireland collaboration exploring how class shapes careers across the creative economy, following the award of funding through the UKRI AHRC–Research Ireland Creative Economy Programme.
Led by Professor Beth Johnson (School of Media and Communication) in partnership with Technological University Dublin, the network brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Manchester and Brunel University London alongside major creative economy organisations including the BBC, British Film Institute (BFI), Arts Council England, Arts Council Ireland, Screen Ireland, Arts Emergency and Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet.
The project will examine how class inequality is understood, experienced and measured across the creative economy in the UK and Ireland, with the aim of developing new approaches that better reflect the realities of contemporary creative work.
The network builds on Professor Johnson's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded project What's On? Rethinking Class in the Television Industry, which examined the structural barriers shaping careers in UK television. While that research focused on television, the new collaboration broadens the conversation to consider class across the wider creative economy, recognising the increasingly interconnected nature of creative careers and labour markets.
Working collaboratively with academic, policy and industry partners, the network will explore how different national contexts shape understandings of class and inequality, and how research can better inform future policy and practice.
The programme includes two major collaborative workshops, hosted by Technological University Dublin and the University of Leeds, bringing together researchers, policymakers, funders and industry representatives from across the UK and Ireland. These discussions will inform the development of a new comparative framework for understanding class in the creative economy and a policy-focused white paper designed to support future research, policy and industry decision-making.
Professor Beth Johnson, Principal Investigator, said:
"There has been growing recognition that class remains a significant issue across the creative industries, but we still know relatively little about how class is understood and experienced across different creative sectors and national contexts.
"This network provides an exciting opportunity to bring together researchers, policymakers and industry partners from across the UK and Ireland to think collaboratively about these questions. By combining different perspectives and experiences, we hope to develop new ways of understanding class that can better support evidence-informed policy and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable creative economy."
The award strengthens the University of Leeds' growing leadership in creative industries research and builds on a wider programme of externally funded research examining inequality, workforce sustainability and public service media. It also reinforces Leeds' longstanding commitment to collaborative research that connects academic excellence with industry, policy and public impact.
The network will begin in September 2026.
