What are morris sides' future prospects?

While the number of active sides does seem to have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, most sides remain quite optimistic about their future prospects. Sides were asked how optimistic they felt that they will still be performing in five years' time, from a scale of 1 (not at all optimistic) to 5 (very optimistic).  

A majority of sides are optimistic about their future prospects, with 59% of UK sides selecting 4 or 5 on the scale. A notable minority (16 per cent) of UK sides are not optimistic that they will still be performing in five years' time, selecting 1 or 2 on the scale. A relatively high proportion of Appalachian, Longsword and Garland sides are not optimistic about continuing into the future. Border and Molly sides are the least likely to say they are not optimistic about continuing in the future.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic impact on sides' prospects? First, it appears to have reduced the number of active sides, as quite a  number of morris sides have folded between the 2020 and 2023 Censuses (i.e. during and after the pandemic). 

However, among those sides who did not fold, few appear to perceive that the pandemic had a negative impact on their future prospects. Around a quarter said they feel their prospects are weaker since the pandemic, while 30% said they feel their prospects are stronger. Just under half said their prospects felt about the same.

While meeting up regularly in person was on hold for a long time during the pandemic, many sides took the opportunity to meet virtually while Covid-19 restrictions were in place. Around half of sides said they continued to meet online regularly during the pandemic, while a further quarter said they continued to meet occasionally. Around a quarter of sides said they did not meet virtually during the pandemic.

Interestingly, sides who met online during the pandemic were more likely to say their prospects felt stronger compared to before the pandemic. In contrast, sides that did not meet were more likely to say they felt their prospects were weaker compared to before the pandemic. However, the differences were small, suggesting that sides' pandemic experiences were very varied.