Audience Outlook Monitor - COVID-19 – Phase 1
The Audience Outlook Monitor research explores how audiences feel about attending events in the future, following the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. It will provide artists and cultural organisations with a resource to guide decision-making and forward planning.
Phase 1 results captured in May 2020 of the three-phase study have been released.
Key findings for Queensland – Phase 1
Queensland’s audiences are positive about returning to arts and culture events. Queensland audiences plan to return to arts and culture events in future (89%), with 80% planning to attend just as they did in the past and 7% even more often. On average, 22% of audiences are comfortable attending as soon as restrictions are lifted. 67% will attend when they deem the risk of transmission to be minimal. 11% won’t be back until there is no risk at all.
Venue safety measures will be critical for when people return. Almost all Queensland audiences (96%) said their decision to attend will be influenced by the measures put in place.
Queenslanders are not ready to return to large performance venues. Audiences' comfort with returning to events is largely depend on the size and type of the venue. Eight per cent of Queenslanders said they would be ‘very comfortable’ at venues seating 1,000 or more whilst 16% of Queensland audiences say they would be ‘very comfortable’ attending a venue seating 100 people today, and 31% say they would be ‘somewhat comfortable’. A greater proportion of audiences feeling comfortable attending an outdoor festival or event at present (62%).
Creative hobbies have increased in isolation. Two in five Queenslanders have been creative at home more frequently than before the pandemic and a high proportion of those being more creative are planning to continue doing so after the pandemic (91%).
Queenslanders are engaging with the arts and culture online. Three-quarters respondents are participating in arts and culture online. Queensland audiences are commonly watching arts video content (47%), watching live-streamed events (39%), or doing online classes or tutorials (34%).
Online engagement will continue to play a role for Queensland audiences after the pandemic. Among those Queenslanders who are participating online more frequently than they used to, most (67%) think they will continue doing so when the pandemic is over, suggesting there will be a long-term role for digital distribution of cultural content
Download the Queensland report
Queensland Snapshot, Audience Outlook Monitor, May 2020
Other reports available from Phase 1
Australian Snapshot Audience Outlook Monitor, May 2020
Factsheet: Museums and Galleries (May 2020)
Factsheet: Online Engagement (May 2020)
Factsheet: Fundraising, support and marketing (May 2020)
Factsheet: First Nations (May 2020)
Use the dashboard to get results for your artform and region
Survey data from over 23,000 Australian respondents has been aggregated in a freely available dashboard, to assist artists and cultural organisations to understand how audiences feel about attending events again.
Visit the Australian homepage for the dashboard, where you can watch a tour or download a guide.
Future updates
Next stages of the study will occur July and September 2020, as restrictions are lifted on the number of people allowed to gather for cultural events.
About the research
The Audience Outlook Monitor is an international study tracking how audiences feel about attending arts and culture events in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Australia, the study is being delivered in Australia by research agencies Patternmakers (Sydney) and WolfBrown (USA) in collaboration with the Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Victoria, Create NSW, Arts Queensland, Arts SA, and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (Western Australia).
Phase 1 data was collected between 6 and 14 May 2020in a cross-sector collaborative survey involving 159 arts and culture organisations, including museums, galleries, performing arts organisations and festivals, from the country’s largest companies to micro ones in regional Australia. Over 23,000 responses were collected spanning different art forms, types of events and demographic groups across Australia.
More information about the methodology and survey is available on the Patternmakers website.
How to find out more
If you have a question, or an idea for using this data, please contact Patternmakers at info@thepatternmakers.com.au