It Is About Young People: How Poverty, Demographic Structure, Cultural Participation, Creative Labour and Digital Engagement Shaped the Recovery of London’s Performing Arts Institutions Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

Drawing on borough-level socio-economic and demographic data matched with organizational financial records, we analyse the moderating role of average age in the relationship between local poverty and the performance of performing arts institutions following the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate that poverty rates are negatively associated with return on assets; however, performing arts institutions located in boroughs with younger population profiles exhibited greater resilience. Qualitative analysis further reveals that post-pandemic recovery was driven not only by financial investment and policy interventions but also by the capacity of younger local populations to co-create value through cultural participation, creative labour, digital engagement and community collaboration. These mechanisms contributed to the recovery and long-term resilience of London’s performing arts ecosystem.