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The top 3 demographic trends you need to know in 2022

The 2021 census data is out and is telling a story about a rapidly-changing nation. Here’s what you need to know.

The 2021 census data is out and is telling a story about a rapidly-changing nation.

The results are in - Australia is more culturally diverse than ever, the country’s age profiles are shifting and our First Nations population is growing. 

Below, we share the scoop on the top 3 biggest demographic shifts underway, and how our cultural and community-based sectors can use these insights to engage larger or new audiences.

We finish with a checklist of actions so you can stay ahead of the shift.

Over a million new migrants have arrived in Australia since the last census.

Source: ABS

More than 50% of Australian residents are born overseas or have a parent born overseas, making us the first English-speaking nation to have a migrant majority. Incredible! Plus, as you can see in the chart, there’s an increase in the proportion of migrants from the Global South (eg. Asia and Africa) between 2016 and 2021, while migrants from England, New Zealand and Italy have decreased.

The many faces of Australia mean that we need to represent and redefine the Australian story. We cannot let diversity be just a buzzword to throw around aimlessly.

We have a responsibility, and an opportunity, to embrace and reflect these cultural shifts, whether it be through the people we hire, the programs we invest in or the audiences we strive to serve.

If you’re wondering what your next step is, we love the Creative Equity Toolkit and their action-oriented approach to increasing cultural diversity in the arts. Check out their resources for Audience Development and Marketing to learn more about trust, reciprocity and cultural democracy.

Millennials and Baby Boomers now have equal numbers across the nation, with Millennials overtaking most capital cities.

Young Australians see arts and culture as central to their lives. According to a report by A New Approach, young people believe ‘arts and culture are embedded in and inseparable from everyday life - it is impossible for them to imagine a world without arts and culture as they access these experiences constantly.’ Read their executive summary below for the key findings and opportunities.

Couple these sentiments with Australia’s shifting age profiles and we can see just how worthwhile it is to tailor our approaches and engage these younger audiences. Many organisations have already tapped into the idea that Millennials and younger are in the market for ‘experiences’, such as immersive and participatory installations that are perfect for sharing on social media (*cough* Van Gogh Alive). 

Take a look at our Young People Attendance Outlook to find out how Millennial and Gen Z audiences are currently feeling about cultural events (spoiler: they’re eager!) and the ways we can overcome barriers to attendance. 

And stay tuned for a new research resource on arts and young people in Spring 2022. Patternmakers, in collaboration with ATYP, is working on a series of key messages and infographics, based on rigorous, quality research, as a part of the National Youth Arts Connections program.

The number of people identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander increased by over 25% since the last census.

There are now almost one million Indigenous people in Australia and this rapid increase cannot be accounted for by births alone. What we’re seeing is an identification change - people who previously did not state they are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin are now choosing to do so. 

There are many reasons why Indigenous people may decide not to state their First Nations identity, ranging from fear of government surveillance to the failure of the census in accurately defining and measuring Indigeneity.

Despite this, people are feeling more comfortable declaring themselves as Indigenous and this is an encouraging development.

The census also revealed that traditional languages remain an important part of Indigenous households - with more than 78,000 people speaking an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language at home. First Languages Australia developed an excellent ongoing interactive map, titled Gambay, consolidating the first languages across the country with the help of language centres and community members. Search up your own area to learn about the local languages or keep an eye out for voice recordings and videos provided by the Indigenous community. Go forth and explore!

Checklist of actions

Here are some ideas to help your organisation stay ahead of the shifts occurring:

  • Ensure your leadership, executive teams and board are across the data. Schedule a briefing or send around an email. We love how this interactive scrolling tool by ABC News visualises the data.

  • Have a look at how each of these growing demographic segments are represented in your board (and executive team, and staff) and if needed, read more about implementing diversity strategies.

  • Schedule time in the next strategy meeting for a briefing on demographic trends, and brainstorm what the trends can mean for your organisation or community.

  • Identify community organisations, schools, businesses and publications in your community that serve these growing audiences - and explore how you might connect with them or include them in your partnership strategy.

  • Create (or update) your Audience Development Plan to include new strategies to serve culturally diverse communities, younger audiences and the First Nations population. Check out this guide by The Audience Agency to get started.

  • To be effective and sustainable, audience development should be woven into the fabric of your organisation. The Creative Equity Toolkit signposts a checklist to assess your capacity for successful audience development (page 135).

There’ll be more census updates to come, as the ABS releases new data.

Cover image: Pintupi Women’s Collaborative, Kanaputa, 2010. Obtained from National Gallery of Victoria.

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Melanie Raveendran
Digital Marketing Associate

 
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Introducing new research resources on art and young people

Watch Tandi Palmer Williams from Patternmakers present for the FUSE Youth Arts Summit as she discusses the National Youth Arts Connections Program - a new research resource in development with ATYP.

What if more people knew about the benefits of the arts for children and young people?

That is the question we’re asking as we develop a new research resource for the National Youth Arts Connections program. The resource will share a set of key messages about the value of the arts for young people - backed up with quality, relevant research.

It emerged from conversations about the need for stronger connections, advocacy, and discussion with governments and funders about what youth performing arts programs can deliver.

Read on to find out what exactly we’re doing, why, and how you can contribute to fulfilling its potential. We’d love your help!

Why develop a new resource?

There’s a growing body of evidence about the value of the arts for children and young people, but much of it is not well known. It’s buried in journals, conference papers and websites all over the country, and the world.

It’s not always in language that the average person can understand, or in a format that can be used and shared.

Many arts workers in the youth arts sector lack the time and resources to read journal articles or engage in research and/or advocacy.

What we’re doing

As a part of the National Youth Arts Connections program, supported by the Ian Potter Foundation, ATYP and Patternmakers identified an opportunity for the knowledge base to be consolidated and shared.

The goal of the project is to curate, design and share a set of evidence-based key messages - i.e. statements about youth arts that can be backed up with infographic, research citations, case studies, and links to further resources.

Presentation: Parables of Value: Introducing the NYAC Research Resources

Watch Tandi Palmer Williams from Patternmakers present for the FUSE Youth Arts Summit as she discusses the new research resource, in development with ATYP.

She provides an overview of some of the challenges and limitations, and calls for input and feedback to strengthen the draft messages.

For your convenience, you can download the presentation slides here.

We’d love your feedback!

Please take a few moments to answer the questions below about NYAC Key Messages. With your help, we can make this resource as useful as possible for all involved.

Thanks to all of those involved so far, including the Australian Theatre for Young People and stakeholders in the National Youth Arts Connections program.

Stay tuned for the final resource in September 2022!

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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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Are we ready for Generation Alpha?

Lately I’ve been thinking hard about how young people engage with art, culture and creativity. As mother of a one year old, my life (and arts participation patterns) have changed dramatically in the past year. Late nights at the theatre and gigs have been replaced with mornings at the museum, reading stories and pushing a pram through community festivals. 

Lately I’ve been thinking hard about how young people engage with art, culture and creativity.

As mother of a one year old, my life (and arts participation patterns) have changed dramatically in the past year.

Late nights at the theatre and gigs have been replaced with mornings at the museum, reading stories and pushing a pram through community festivals. 

Leo loved the immersive sound and animation in Ryoji Ikeda’s immersive exhibition Micro | Macro at Carriageworks. He enjoyed touching (and drooling all over) the art blanket at the MCA’s Art Baby class for mums and bubs. And the whole family enjoyed a trip to Mona Foma, the summertime festival of Tasmania’s excellent Museum of Old and New Art with food, drink and music aplenty.

What will engage the next generation?

It got me thinking about the kinds of experiences that kids of his generation will have access to. 

Will they be in theatres, shopping malls, schools or virtual worlds? Will he be a viewer, a player, a protagonist or a performer? 

What kinds of experiences will bring him to tears, send goosebumps down his spine and help him make sense of the worlds he inhabits?

New research in the UK with almost 2,000 young people suggests that today’s young people recognise quite different definitions to previous generations. 

Arts Connect, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre and We are Frilly found that young people associate 'art' with visual arts but arts also includes graffiti, fashion, animation, and tattooing/piercing - all of which were more widely defined as art than novels, poetry and opera.

Culture, they found, is a broader concept for them, which includes identity. They do relate to sector recognised forms such as festivals, historic sites, carnivals and museums, but also wider forms such as fashion and TV, learning a language and food.

The Australia Council's arts participation research indicates one of the biggest trends is the rise of creative participation, relative to receptive participation as an audience member. 

More and more, young people want to express their own creativity, learn new skills and access immersive experiences, and the trajectory is not slowing down. 

Are we ready?

So how are our artists, organisations and major institutions adapting to these changes? 

I suspect we could be doing more.

Research is one of the best ways for us to identify trends and anticipate the changes that will be needed. But we also need to be testing new concepts and experimenting with new forms of engagement.

One great creative industries example I saw recently is PlayingField, a 'game jam' where teams of professional game developers are paired with young people aged 10 to 13 and tasked with realising their game idea.

The two-day experience has been designed to educate young people about the wide variety of roles available in the industry, whilst giving the young participants a chance to devise a game idea and see it brought to life in the hands of inspiring role models.

The impact of programs like this could be profound. 

Research with young people

This year we are lucky to be working with The MCA to evaluate their GENEXT program for 12-18 year olds, working with the MCAs youth committee to design & deliver the a methodology that will trace what ideas past participants have taken into their adult lives. 

We are working with Barking Gecko Theatre Company to explore the impact of their Ensembles program for 5 to 17 year olds on things like confidence, empathy and relationships. 

We are also lucky to be again working with UTS, Australia’s #1 young university to explore the role of art on campus, and how it can support reflection, knowledge sharing and debate among students, researchers and the public. 

I can’t wait to see what we find out about how young people want to engage with the arts now, and where things are headed next. 

Maybe now I've got a vested interest!

If you have an idea about how research and evaluation can help unearth new possibilities for young people and the arts, get in touch with the team at info@thepatternmakers.com.au. 
 

 

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Tandi Williams
Managing Director

Patternmakers’ Founder and Managing Director Tandi Williams is an experienced consultant and arts and culture research specialist. 

 
 

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Evaluating with the next generation

In 2018, Patternmakers is working with the Museum of Contemporary Art to research the impact of their GENEXT program on young people now, and later in life. 

The team have developed a bespoke methodology to empower the MCA Youth Committee to co-design the evaluation, and lead creative data collection exercises throughout the year.

In 2018, Patternmakers will be working with the Museum of Contemporary Art to research the impact of their GENEXT program on young people now, and later in life. 

GENEXT is a peer-led, festival-style event, programmed by the MCA’s Youth Committee exclusively for young people aged 12–18. It’s inspired by the artists, works and ideas that shape the MCA’s exhibition program throughout the year. You can read more about the program here.

The program has been running since 2005 – and has seen over 26,948 young people through their doors (but who’s counting!) from across Greater Sydney and beyond – from as far afield as Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and Newcastle. 

Because of this reach, we’re really excited to hear what impact attending GENEXT has in the short term, and over the long. Think: self-expression, confidence, empathy, cultural and social awareness, friendships. Also think: challenging conversations, visual literacy, and diverse careers inside and outside of the arts, all influenced by the program. 

GENEXT is all about peer-led engagement, and so we knew we would need a bespoke methodology for the project. It would need to be owned by young people, and combine rigorous research techniques with creative processes to make it as engaging and meaningful as possible. 

In April we met with MCA stakeholders to co-design the evaluation, including Young Creatives Coordinator Jo Higgins, artist educators and past and present Youth Committee members.

Co-designing the evaluation: Jo Higgins, Dylan Mighell and Jodie Whalen

Co-designing the evaluation: Jo Higgins, Dylan Mighell and Jodie Whalen

Some key features of our approach from here are:

  • Providing opportunities for Youth Committee members to learn and take part in the research process, and a couple will be joining us in the field: collecting data and conducting interviews

  • Collecting data in creative ways: in addition to depth interviews, focus groups and an online survey, we are working with the team to hear from attendees through workshop activities at some of the GENEXTs this year.

On a side note: If you ever attended GENEXT in your younger days AND like filling out user-friendly, accessible surveys, let us know. We can make sure you get on the list.

Strengthening, growing and sharing the different ways arts and culture organisations engage young people is very close to our hearts – especially with two new little Patternmakers born into our team in the last year. And we’re thrilled to be working with the MCA on this project.

Keep your eyes peeled early 2019 to hear about the findings. 

 

OTHER READING

If you can’t wait until then, but are passionate about the arts and young people, check out our report on the impact the Australian Theatre for Young People is having on the mental health and wellbeing of young people here.

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Brooke Boyce
Research Manager

Brooke is experienced in delivering complex quantitative and qualitative research projects, and is our in-house expert on all things methodological. 

 
 

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