CONTENT COURTESY PATTERNMAKERS (HELMED BY AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHER TANDI PALMER WILLIAMS)/AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
Editor’s note: If you’re in Victoria or a high-risk area of COVID-19, please keep safe, follow social distancing and relevant lockdown measures, and attend community spaces only as per official council or government guidelines. We’d also recommend keeping up to date with live streaming and other digital events with your favourite ensemble or orchestra.
New data shows that audiences are embracing opportunities to return to arts and cultural events, with 24 per cent nationally saying they attended a museum, gallery, cinema or cultural event in the past fortnight [at time of data collection, as at 21 July 2020].
Nationally, most audiences say that they would be somewhat or very comfortable to visit museums and galleries (93 per cent) and botanic gardens and zoos (98 per cent) today, along with community art spaces (87 per cent) and outdoor events (70 per cent). However, full recovery remains some way off, with significant variations from state to state.
Since data was first collected in May 2020, audience readiness to attend has increased from 22 per cent to 28 per cent nationally, with audiences in five states/territories reporting particularly strong increases.
Confidence is currently highest in the Northern Territory (39 per cent, stable since May 2020), Queensland (33 per cent, up from 25 per cent), South Australia (33 per cent, up from 24 per cent), Tasmania (34 per cent, up from 17 per cent) and Western Australia (37 per cent, up from 25 per cent), where there were no recent cases of community transmission at the time of data collection.
Audiences are more cautious in Victoria (20 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (20 per cent) and New South Wales (25 per cent), in line with current concerns about community transmission.
Nationally, the outlook for increasing activity in the sector is strong. A significant proportion of audiences (42 per cent) are making firm plans to attend in future and 10 per cent have bought a ticket to a live show or performance recently, for events spanning from July 2020 into 2021.
However, as of July 2020, there has now been more time for people to process the implications of the pandemic, including its associated health and financial risks. The proportion saying their future, long-term attendance will be negatively affected has increased to 22 per cent nationally from 15 per cent in May.
Some audience members expect to spend less than they did before (17 per cent), though the majority say they will spend the same (72 per cent) or more (11 per cent) when they return to arts and culture events.
Feedback from returning attendees on their recent experiences suggests that safety procedures are working well, and most people are satisfied with the way social distancing has been applied. However, some respondents would like to receive more communication by cultural venues about what to expect in different spaces and how audience members can play a part in keeping others safe.
Audiences are continuing to participate in arts and culture at home, with 73 per cent recently consuming online experiences like live streamed events and virtual exhibitions. More than half (54 per cent) say they are engaging online more frequently, and most of these people expect to continue after the pandemic ends (72 per cent).
CEO Australia Council Adrian Collette AM said:
“Arts and culture continue to be significant in the lives of all Australians. Many of us engage with arts and culture online, and 42 per cent are already actively planning to return to cultural events. These trends are encouraging and highlight the importance of supporting the cultural sector to survive and thrive, so we can all reap the significant benefits to our wellbeing and our recovery.”
Managing director of research agency Patternmakers Tandi Palmer Williams said:
“Provision of high-quality cultural experiences online has given audiences a way to stay creative, connected and well during the pandemic. The level of creative output and strong rates of participation mean that artists and cultural organisations are also driving economic activity right now. The proportion paying for experiences online has even increased slightly to 36 per cent, with 38 per cent of those spending over $50 in the past fortnight.”
About the research
The Audience Outlook Monitor is being delivered in Australia in an Australian-first partnership between seven government agencies and two research organisations Patternmakers (Sydney) and WolfBrown (USA). The agencies involved include the Australian Government through its arts funding and advisory body, the Australia Council for the Arts, along with Creative Victoria, Create NSW, Arts Queensland, The Department of Premier and Cabinet (South Australia), the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (Western Australia) and the ACT Government.
Baseline data was collected in May 2020 in a cross-sector collaborative survey involving museums, galleries, performing arts organisations and festivals from the country’s largest to micro companies in regional Australia.
Over 15,000 respondents from 152 organisations contributed to the second phase of data collection in July 2020. From today, these latest results are available to explore in the freely accessible dashboard.
Director Research and Knowledge Management Rebecca Mostyn said:
“The scale of this collaboration makes it one of the most innovative research partnerships ever seen in this field. Aggregating data in this way is mutually beneficial for all parties and gives us an accurate and timely read on audience sentiment – exactly the kind of thinking needed to fuel innovation and realise more of the benefits of arts and creativity for our society during the pandemic.”
The Audience Outlook Monitor will collect data again in September 2020, to track how audience sentiment changes as conditions change.
For more information about the study, visit the Audience Outlook Monitor website.
Image via Unsplash.
