New research commissioned by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) found that residents feel comparable civic pride toward the city’s orchestra as they do toward its football clubs.

The preliminary findings come from the Birmingham Listening Project, a study surveying more than 1,000 residents over an 18 month period. Asked what Birmingham can be proud of on a national and international stage, 32 percent of residents named the city’s orchestras and concert halls, compared to 38 percent who named its football teams. The research also found that 93 percent of residents include some form of music in their daily lives, and that orchestral or classical music was popular in similar proportions among 25 to 34-year-olds and 55 to 64-year-olds.

The study additionally found that 91 percent of Birmingham residents want increased government spending on arts and culture, with particular support for investment in school music programs and grassroots venues.

“Birmingham is not a city waiting to be introduced to culture: it is already living it, in kitchens and on commutes, long before anyone walks through the doors of Symphony Hall,” said Emma Stenning, Chief Executive of the CBSO, per an official press release. “The audience is already there, and it always has been. Our job is not to ask who classical music is for; it is to make sure that when people arrive, the room feels like it belongs to them.”