‘Audience Atlas Victoria 2024’ is a report based on 2876 responses to questions about the appetite for arts and culture in Victoria, conducted by research consultancy Morris Hargreaves McIntyre and published by Creative Victoria.
In it is one figure that stands out as perhaps a surprise: that 99% of the adult population in Victoria are ‘in the market’ for arts and culture, higher than New York city (90%), the UK (85%) and China (60%) – cities and countries that have the biggest art markets worldwide.
Let’s dig into the report to see where this figure comes from, and what it actually means for the creative industries.
In this article:
Broad definition of ‘arts and culture’
It’s worth noting first off that the definition of ‘arts and culture’ adopted by Audience Atlas is in its broadest sense, “from attending the opera to going to the cinema”. Thus, the ‘culture market’ in this case captures Victorian adults “who have engaged with at least one arts or cultural activity in the past [three years] or would do so in the future”.
The study covers 11 specific art forms, including design, film, literature, live music and comedy, alongside theatre, museums, dance and visual arts.
So how did just over 2800 respondants come to represent the 5.08 million Victorian adult population? Audience Atlas Victoria employed a weighting procedure that represented the state’s demographic composition (age, gender, education level, cultural background etc), as well as regional sampling and adjustments based on the 2021 Census to correct imbalances in regional representation. While the sample represents only a portion of the total population with findings based on extrapolated responses, the study provides a confidence interval (margin of error) of +/- 1.83%
The report’s statistics encompass people who would pay that $20 museum entry or $80 musical ticket, but that does not correlate to 99% of the Victorian adult population (i.e. 5.08 million people) being willing to spend specifically on those activities.
This statistic also does not mean that 99% of Victorians are actively engaging with arts and culture on a regular basis. In fact, the majority of Victorians (41%) are attending fewer arts and cultural events than they did five years ago, as compared to those who are engaging more or maintaining the same level of engagement.
But what the new report does signal is untapped potential, judging on the level of interest and the kind of past experiences Victorian have had with the arts.
Growing arts audiences through that 99%
The annual spend on the arts by Victorians is estimated to be $3.4 billion, with younger (18-34), educated and culturally diverse people leading the charge. This equates to an average of $164.48 spent on the arts per person in the four weeks prior to the research.
This is the same segment who anticipate increasing their arts engagement, while younger Victorians are also over-represented among current arts donors. In 2024, 12% of the market reported donating to an arts organisation in the past three years – 51% fewer than in 2019. However, 42% (around 2.1 million Victorians) are open to financially supporting the sector.
Accessibility remains a significant barrier for 22% of the Victorian culture market, equating to 1.1 million people. The study identifies factors like crowded events, lack of accessible transport and the need for quiet spaces as main considerations, alongside such elements as fiscal barriers.
There is the opportunity to explore alternative pricing and membership models, rather than making the hard decision of implementing fees or keeping things free. ‘Pay what you can’ and flexible membership options that don’t lock in specific viewing times can help encourage spending and participation.
Read: Museum of Contemporary Art Australia introduces admission fees, reversing free entry after 25 years
According to ‘Audience Atlas’, 80% of Victorian adults already engage or are open to engaging with First Peoples arts and culture. Out of this number, 1.49 million Victorians have not yet engaged with First Peoples arts, signalling growth potential. Significantly, the report notes that the relatively low engagement across different First Peoples art categories may be due to the limited availability of experiences rather than a lack of interest.
Going back to the statistic of decreasing engagement, what can organisations do? The report recognises that the current economic context is impacting arts engagement (53% have cut back on everything due to cost of living and 47% say ticket prices are too high), but close to one in five people are simply “not getting around to it”, feel there’s “less on offer’ or it “doesn’t cater to their tastes”.
The report continues, “While these aren’t as commonly cited reasons for limiting engagement as income and price, focusing on these will give organisations an edge.”
Questions organisations need to ask themselves include:
- What is it that you are striving to achieve as an organisation (your vision)?
- Who is this for (your target audience)?
- Is your offer relevant to this audience and aligned with their needs?
- Are you communicating with them in the most compelling way?
This recommendation actually suggests a targeted approach will yield a better outcome for arts organisations, especially when resources are scarce, than those who attempt to capture the entire 99% of those in the cultural market without a clear approach.
What people want out of the arts
‘Audience Atlas Victoria 2024’ identifies a variety of motivations that drive people to engage with arts and culture. They can be categorised into four segments: Social, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual. These motivations are not mutually exclusive.
Spending time with friends or family is the primary driver for half of the respondents, and a vast majority (84%) indicate at least one social motivation for engaging with the arts. But it’s more than just social interaction; successful arts offerings have the ability to combine these facts and deliver social engagement as well as deeper connection.
Those who engage for intellectual reasons enjoy expanding their knowledge or seeking out ‘big ideas’, indicating that they want to be challenged but, conversely, want “to do this with their friends and a beer in hand”. The report adds, “Ultimately, they want to be moved emotionally and challenged intellectually, but consume culture socially.”
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents seek Emotional or Spiritual fulfilment from their arts encounters. Four in 10 people want to “see beautiful things in an attractive setting”, “take a break from everyday life and recharge” and “be wowed or amazed”.
Apart from motivation, ‘Audience Atlas’ also divides people into cultural segments, a psychographic segmentation based on values towards arts and culture. For example, those in the Expression segment value community and generosity, while Affirmation considers self-identity and time well spent to be major drivers of cultural consumption.
The eight culture segments are: Essence, Expression, Affirmation, Stimulation, Enrichment, Release, Perspective and Entertainment.
The report utilises these categories throughout to share insights and predict behaviour.
Further reading
In Section 6, the report takes a deep dive into the markets for different art forms, divided into dance, design, festivals, film, First Peoples’ arts and culture, literature, live music, museums, musicals and comedy, theatre and visual arts.
Film and museums currently have the largest markets, with 85% and 64% Victorians respectively having engaged in related activities in the past three years.
Literature has the smallest current market in terms of engaging with literature events, but the largest potential, with an estimated 1.61 million Victorians open to engaging but haven’t yet. The literature market also draws heavily on the upper and upper-mid income brackets as compared to the culture market average, in addition to having an audience who are most likely to have spent on arts engagement in the past four weeks (68%).
The appendix of the report also provides more detailed insight on each of the culture segments and how to create experiences that attract, engage, develop and maintain them.
For example, the Expression segment makes the least distinction between professional and amateur art, while the Affirmation holds untapped market potential, but tends to only make very well-researched decisions.
Towards the end of Appendix 1 is a table on media consumption by culture segments, including the top social media platforms, streaming platforms, newspapers nd radio favoured by each group.
Other insights include those on regional difference (marginal in terms of anticipated arts attendance and spend) and demographics of culture segments.
Find the full ‘Audience Atlas Victoria 2024’ report.
A free online launch event will be held on 6 February 2025, 9.30-10.30am AEDT with insights from Andrew McIntyre, Director of Morris Hargreaves McIntyre; register.
