April 2023 Pulse Check Audience Outlook Monitor Snapshot Report, NSW Government, July 2023

Latest Pulse Check finds NSW audiences spending less on cultural events, but the most active nationally

In April 2023, Patternmakers, with the support of Create NSW, conducted a short ‘pulse check’ of the Audience Outlook Monitor survey focusing on the current concerns and behaviour  of audiences. With concerns about Covid-19 fading, the researchers asked 376 past attendees of cultural venues about other factors, including the cost of living, that may be impacting their choices.

Some key findings from the latest NSW snapshot include:

• Though attendance rates have remained steady (77% of respondents had attended a cultural event in the fortnight before data collection), attendance preferences and behaviours are changing.
• Almost half of respondents (46%) said their frequency of attendance had decreased in the past 6 months.
• Financial reasons were reportedly the top barrier to attendance (cited by 35% of respondents).

• Audiences remain eager to attend and are simply more selective about what they can fit within their budget. Half NSW attendees are looking for free/cheap activities (52%) and are taking longer to make decisions about attending (51%).
• Two-thirds of NSW audiences agree they’ll be attracted to fun, uplifting things (66%,) and more than half (54%) will be seeking new things they haven’t experienced before
• Four out of 10 NSW audience members (42%) say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, while five out of 10 (51%) say they are in the same position. Only 7% reported being better off.

• 63% of NSW audiences reported spending over $50 on tickets to in-person cultural events in April 2023, down from 71% reported in October 2022, though spending patterns varied for different demographics:
  • Under 35s: Despite being eager to get out and about, young people are attending at slightly lower levels than they did 12 months ago and are spending less too
  • Families (35-55yrs): Audiences with kids at home are more affected by rising housing costs and have reduced their arts spending more than others. High numbers are staying closer to home and looking for free/cheap things to do
  • Over 55s: With concerns about the virus fading, Australian audiences over 55 are now attending and spending more

View the April 2023 Audience Outlook Monitor Pulse Check NSW Snapshot_Report (PDF version).

View the April 2023 Audience Outlook Monitor NSW snapshot report (Accessible version).

Image: Sydney Writers Festival Sam Neill 2023 credit Jacquie Manning

Previous NSW Snapshot Reports

• Download the October 2022 Snapshot Report, or download the accessible version.
• Download the March 2022 NSW Digital Engagement factsheet.
• Download the March 2022 snapshot report, or download the accessible version.
• Download the November 2021 NSW snapshot report.
• Download the October 2021 Pulse Check report.
• Download the July 2021 NSW snapshot report.
• Download the March 2021 NSW Snapshot Report.
• Download the September 2020 NSW snapshot report, or download the accessible version.
• Download the July 2020 NSW snapshot report, or download the accessible version.
• Download the May 2020 NSW snapshot report.

National Snapshot Reports are available from the Australia Council’s website.

Use the dashboard to get results for your artform and region

Survey data from Australian respondents has been aggregated in a freely available dashboard, to assist artists and cultural organisations.

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

Access the dashboard by following the link below and entering the login details provided. For guidance on how to use the dashboard, visit the Australian homepage for the dashboard, where you can watch a tour or download a guide.

Access the Dashboard
User: [email protected]
Password: Australia
Please share your reflections and insights using the hashtag #audienceoutlookmonitor

About the Audience Outlook Monitor

The results now available represent phases of the study that track how audiences feel about returning to events in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was collected between May 2020 and March 2022.

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 throughout 2022. To receive these directly into your inbox, as soon as they are available, you can opt in to receive Audience Outlook Monitor news straight from the researchers.

If you have a question, or an idea for using this data, please contact Patternmakers at [email protected].