In May 2020, 22% of past attendees were ready to attend as soon as permitted. It’s time to see how this has changed.

Initial findings of the Audience Outlook Monitor were released on 18 May 2020, confirming that we have cause to be optimistic about long-term recovery, while needing to prepare ourselves for the enormous challenges, and opportunities, ahead.

Thanks to the involvement of six government agencies and 159 Australian arts and cultural organisations, we heard from 23,000 audience members in Phase 1. We know an enormous amount about what they’ve been doing in isolation, and how they feel about attending again when venues re-open.

The data showed that 22% were ready to start attending again as soon as permitted, but also signalled how the arts and culture sector needs to change and adapt to a very different set of conditions in the short, medium and long-term.

Two months on, venues around the country are starting to re-open. Restrictions in many places are lifting, while some jurisdictions are dealing with a new wave of infections in the community. Some people are starting to resume ‘normal life’, while others remain at home, extremely cautious about what lies ahead.

It’s now time to quantify how behaviour is changing and get a new read on audience sentiment. But before we do that, I wanted to share an update on the project, including what we learned in Phase 1, how it is being used and what we’re planning for Phase 2. I’m also keen to hear your feedback and ideas, so we can continue improving this resource for all involved.

What did we learn?

Each week, we’ve undertaken detailed analysis into key topics and audience segments. We’ve published a series of Fact Sheets and worked with the Australia Council on a webinar series to discuss the findings with experts and industry representatives.

Looking back, what stands out most to me are these insights.

The key to recovery lies in understanding past attendance

We now know that above all else, past attendance patterns are the most important predictor of future attendance, and of a whole range of sentiments towards arts and culture organisations in general.

What this means: Segmenting our audience databases by attendance frequency is critical if we are to deliver relevant communications, content, offers and ‘asks’ in this environment. One size does not fit all and won’t get us on the fastest road to recovery.

Digital distribution is now about access

Digital technology is enabling more people to access a broader range of arts and cultural experiences than they otherwise would in the physical world. Online discovery is connecting new people with new works and there is cause to believe that the pandemic is heralding one of the most exciting periods of audience development of our time.

What this means: Building digital innovation and content marketing skills are critical for us to capitalise on the opportunities and challenges ahead. These capacities are under-developed in many areas and investment is needed.

We need to get serious about social distancing

Most past attendees are comfortable to start re-attending museums, galleries and community art spaces, but social distancing is key to welcoming back the broadest possible audience as soon and as safely as possible.

What this means: Museums (and other venues re-opening first) need to be both vigilant and exuberant as they re-open and (no pressure!) have a critical role to play in rebuilding trust with cultural events of all kinds.

Financial impacts could outlast the virus

There are mixed views about attending performances, mainly due to challenges of social distancing and crowds in confined spaces. While some are eager to return, many say they will ‘wait and see’.

With 38% of past attendees experiencing the financial impacts of the pandemic, we should prepare for an extended period of suppressed sales. Audiences are particularly cautious about making big commitments and travel plans right now.

What this means: We need to find new ways to manage risk, experiment with refund policies and seek new approaches to insuring events.

It’s time to leverage goodwill

Many past attendees are increasingly conscious of the need to support arts and cultural organisations, but some feel as though they’re not in a position to donate at this time. Fundraising is likely to be affected this financial year and next, but in light of the pandemic there is a lot of goodwill for the arts in the wider community.

What this means: If we can create ways for people to show their support via non-financial means, it will help grow our sector’s support base long-term.

First Nations arts experiences are going digital

First Nations respondents and audiences for First Nations work are among the most engaged segment of all arts and culture audiences, are highly engaged online and want to return sooner. Audiences for First Nations work are more likely to pay for digital experiences, and are paying more.

What this means: Investing in high quality First Nations arts experiences and partnerships could help grow this market and have wider benefits for Australian cultural life.

To read more about the insights from Phase 1, browse the Fact Sheets and webinars via the study homepage.

How is the data being used?

Since launching on 19 May, 10,200 people have visited this website to access the research and over 18,000 reports have been accessed within the dashboard, far exceeding our expectations.

The Audience Outlook Monitor has helped us all tune into audience needs and interests during this time and it is supporting us to make the best possible decisions in difficult conditions.

We’ve heard from many culture professionals about what they’ve found in the dashboard, and how it’s helping them firm up plans for the future. In government agencies too, the data is helping with projections, strategy and support.

On a personal level, having worked in research roles in the cultural sector for over 10 years, it’s made me realise how far we’ve come as an industry. Evidence-based decision-making is flourishing in all parts of the sector, and there’s increasing appetite for research to inform strategic planning.

What’s planned for Phase 2?

The Audience Outlook Monitor is first and foremost a tracking study. This means we ask the same questions at different intervals, to build time-series data and understand how attitudes and behaviours are shifting over time.

So, we will ask a range of key questions in an identical way, using a consistent methodology. This means that the same 159 organisations will participate in all phases of research, inviting a different random sample of their audience to participate each time.

Having said that, we will ‘retire’ some parts of the Phase 1 survey. There are some topics that we now understand deeply and don’t need to collect further data on. Wherever possible, we want to minimise the burden on respondents, keeping the survey as short as possible.

We will also introduce a small number of new questions. We want to obtain a more detailed understanding of audience attitudes towards different social distancing arrangements. We also want to understand the financial impacts of the pandemic more deeply.

Participating organisations will be contacted in early July to start planning for data collection.

Background of the Audience Outlook Monitor

In Australia, the Audience Outlook Monitor is a three-phase study tracking how audiences feel about returning to events in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phase 1 data was collected between 6 and 14 May 2020, forming a baseline against which changes are being tracked. Data is being collected from audiences again in July and September 2020, as restrictions are lifted on the number of people allowed to gather for cultural events.

Six government agencies are collaborating with research agencies Patternmakers (Sydney) and WolfBrown (USA) to produce this resource.

A dashboard is freely accessible and designed to help artists and cultural organisations of all kinds to make the best possible decisions about re-opening.