Young people are eager to re-connect through cultural events — and there are opportunities to overcome barriers to attendance

Read on to find out how young people are feeling about attending cultural events in 2022:

  • In March 2022, 9 in 10 audiences under 25 attended an in-person arts or cultural activity in the past fortnight.

  • Two-thirds (64%) of audiences under 35 are ‘ready to attend whenever permitted’ — higher than audiences generally (59%).

  • Comments from young audiences reveal that two years of missed opportunities has heightened their appreciation for the arts and many are eager to support artists and cultural organisations in the recovery from the pandemic.

  • While young people are optimistic about attending, 1 in 3 are inhibited by financial barriers, compared to 17% of audiences generally.

The latest Fact Sheet uncovers the attendance outlook for audiences aged 16-34, as well as suggested strategies for supporting their attendance:

Below you can access the Young People Attendance Outlook Fact Sheet.

If you would like to request any report in an accessible format, please email Holly at holly@thepatternmakers.com.au.

Click the report to download the Young People Attendance Outlook Fact Sheet

Use the dashboard to get results for your artform and region

Survey data from 8,300 respondents has been uploaded to the dashboard, which now contains insights from almost 90,000 Australian participants.

You can use the dashboard to explore the findings by state/territory, artform and audience segment.

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 Audience Outlook Monitor provides the results of a 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 collected in six phases throughout 2020 and 2021 and is again being tracked in 2022.

Government agencies across Australia 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

To receive new releases 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

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About the Author

Tandi Palmer Williams
Managing Director

Tandi is Founder and Managing Director of Patternmakers. She’s an arts research specialist and leader of the agency’s research projects.

 

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