Following on from a previous study conducted in 2006 that took a statistical measure of the health of 66 circus and street arts companies (annual income, number of employees, level of subsidy, etcetera), The Circulation of Street Arts and Circus Artworks in Europe – 2011 collects the same quantitative data from some of the same companies (21 had either closed down or didn't reply) to get an idea of how their situations have changed in light of the global economic crisis. The years compared are 2006 and 2010.
It's not too grim, and gives a good idea of some of the trends across Europe (smaller, cheaper shows, a shift in subsidy toward projects based around community and social engagement, etcetera). As the researcher Anne Tucker writes in the introduction: 'One of the most heartening features of this updated survey is the relative health of so many of the companies surveyed. I began the update fearing that a significant number of groups might have closed their doors and many others be struggling badly in view of the very difficult economic climate in Europe over the last few years. This survey will show that most of the groups are still managing to create and present their work, frequently beyond their national borders. A few have grown quite dramatically in the four years since this survey was first undertaken; the majority have had to work hard to keep their organisations afloat; some have had to find alternative financial arrangements, whether that be accessing public funding, changing the focus of their work in part, or adding new elements or spending less of their year working as artists.'
The research was conducted by Anne Tucker and coordinated by Circostrada. Circostrada will shorty publish an annexe document that collects some of the qualitative responses from the study (which are in general quite a bit darker as they come closer to the present day in detailing some of the difficulties that companies have had since 2010).
You can download the study here [PDF].