September 2020 results from the Audience Outlook Monitor

Over the past two months the proportion of audiences nationally who say they are ‘ready to attend as soon as permitted’ has remained stable (29%, compared to 28% in July 2020), with several states working hard to contain outbreaks of the virus.

However, as more events resume, we are seeing greater levels of activity in the market, among those who are comfortable to attend right now. Slightly more past attendees have returned to a cultural event of any kind in the past fortnight, increasing from 24% in July to 29% in September.

When it comes to venue safety, more people say they are comfortable at large venues, and audiences perceive cultural venues to be safe places, thanks to social distancing guidelines. In contrast, levels of comfort at local restaurants and gyms has decreased slightly during the period, possibly due to these places being the sources of local outbreaks in some regions.

The majority of audiences now accept the use of face masks, whereas in May 2020 this was a polarising issue. Among those who have recently returned, audiences continue to report high satisfaction levels where safety measures are highly visible and reinforced by staff in a friendly way.

Although much depends on rates of community transmission, artists and cultural organisations can maximise the potential for re-engagement of audiences by taking safety seriously, and finding creative ways to present events in contexts that audiences are most comfortable with: outdoor spaces, uncongested venues with assigned seating and digital platforms.

Use the arrows below to browse the first Snapshot Report and see the national headlines. You can also download the Snapshot Report, or the Infographics alone.

Use the dashboard to get results for your artform and region

Survey data from over 12,000 respondents has been uploaded to the dashboard, which now contains insights from over 51,000 Australian participants.

It’s freely available to access, just click the image below and use the login details provided on the dashboard page.

About the Audience Outlook Monitor

The results now available represent the third phase of a three-phase study that has tracked audience sentiment over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including how audiences respond to changing restrictions on cultural events.

Data was initially collected between 6 and 14 May 2020, forming a baseline against which future changes can be tracked. Phase 2 of data collection occurred from 8 to 12 July 2020 and Phase 3 of data collection occurred from 2 to 6 September 2020.

Six government agencies are collaborating with research agencies Patternmakers (Sydney) and WolfBrown (USA) to produce this resource. The dashboard is freely accessible and designed to help artists and cultural organisations of all kinds to make the best possible decisions about re-opening.

How to find out more

More Snapshot Reports, Fact Sheets and resources will be made available in the coming weeks. To receive these directly into your inbox, as soon as they are available, you can opt in to receive Audience Outlook Monitor news below.

Subscribers to our regular Culture Insight & Innovation Updates will need to update their preferences to receive all updates about the Audience Outlook Monitor. Just enter your email below and follow the instructions provided.

If you have a question, or an idea for using this data, please contact Patternmakers at info@thepatternmakers.com.au