• Audience views on attending are stable or increasing. In September 2020, 29% of past attendees are ready to attend as soon as permitted. However, this varies across the states/territories
• 29% of past attendees have returned to a cultural event recently. The proportion of audiences that attended a cultural event of any kind in the past fortnight has increased from 24% in July to 29% in September, as more venues and facilities reopen.
• As performances return to venues, more people are buying tickets. The proportion who are buying tickets has grown from 10% to 14%, and over half of ticket buyers are buying tickets for events this month (51%).
• Social distancing is helping more people feel comfortable at large venues. Comfort levels have also increased with a range of performance venues including large theatres and concert halls (67%, up from 61%) and comedy clubs or live music venues (37%, up from 34%).

• The majority of audiences now accept the use of face masks. In September 2020, 70% say they would find face masks encouraging.
• Most audiences are satisfied with venue safety. Many also acknowledge the circumstances where venue staff had made extra efforts to make people comfortable and make the experiences as ‘normal’ as possible.
• Outdoor events and digital streaming continue to be the most popular formats. However, the proportion who put digital streaming as their first choice has dropped back slightly across Australia (35%, down from 39%) and slightly more people now rank outdoor events more highly (39%).
• Slightly more people are paying for experiences, but not necessarily spending more. When asked if they have paid for an experience online, 39% of respondents said they have, compared to 36% in July and 34% in May 2020.

About the study

The Audience Outlook Monitor captures ‘active’ arts audiences – those who are on the contact database of at least one of the 159 participating organisations and have attended a cultural event since January 2018 – rather than the general population. The results will be most relevant for activities that rely on people being in public spaces, similar to those of the 159 participating museums, galleries, festivals and organisations.

Baseline data for this tracking study was collected in a cross-sector collaborative survey process involving 159 arts and culture organisations, including museums, galleries, performing arts organisations and festivals. These organisations simultaneously sent a survey to a random sample of their audiences, who had attended a cultural event since January 2018.

The responses span a diverse range of event types and encompass people who attend all types of events. The large sample provides detailed insights about different art forms, types of events, demographic groups and parts of Australia.

Read more about the methodology and the types of events which are included.

Karina Utomo performs in the 2019 Perth Festival production of Cat Hope’s Speechless, produced by Tura New Music. Credit: Toni Wilkinson

Delivery partners

Supporting partners