Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ)
Culture is a vital part of many people’s lives. This is the view afforded by the latest data on cultural participation from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Creative Australia and Screen Australia.
The data they present is breathtaking.
It shows a landscape of cultural participation that takes in nearly every part of the community, across a dizzying diversity of artforms and audiences.
Most Australians engage with the arts
The ABS’s General Social Survey is a long-running survey of participation and attendance in cultural events and activities, collected roughly every five years.
The 2026 data suggests at least 22 million Australians aged 15 and over attended or participated in culture in 2025 – the majority of the adult population.
It found:
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nearly 13 million of us visited the cinema last year
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more than 10 million attended a concert or live music event
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more than 7 million went to a museum
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more than 6 million went to a library or art gallery.
In comparison, the Australian Football League recorded a total live attendance of 8.25 million in 2025, counting each attendance at each game.
The numbers are growing
Creative Australia’s National Arts Participation Survey, undertaken every three years, has a representative sample size of more than 9,000 respondents.
The survey shows broad and deep levels of cultural engagement in artforms such as music, literature, the performing arts and online.
Last year:
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19.5 million of us listened to recorded music
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15.4 million Australians attended some type of live cultural event
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more than 14 million read for pleasure.
The figures are growing. Live performance attendance has increased by 1.2 million since 2022, to the highest figures ever. Around three quarters of those surveyed had attended a live performance or festival in 2025.
The same is true of reading. Contrary to fears of declining literacy, more than two thirds of us (69%) are still reading for pleasure. More than a quarter of readers and audiobook listeners do so at least once a week, and young readers aged 15–24 are increasingly reading on a more frequent basis.
The value of the arts
Australians don’t just engage in culture – they value it.
Both the National Arts Participation Survey and Screen Currency establish deep reservoirs of support for the value of the creative arts, including support for public funding of the arts. The participation survey found:
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74% of respondents said artists make a contribution to Australian society
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71% agreed cultural and creative experiences make for a richer and more meaningful life
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62% supported public funding for culture.
Screen Australia’s Screen Currency report finds plenty of engagement by viewers and gamers, and strong support for Australian content:
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84% say it is important for Australians to have access to Australian-made
movies and television programs -
78% agree Australian movies and television help preserve and share our unique history and culture
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75% agree Australian productions ensure our stories are remembered for future generations.
Together, these results are very strong indicators of the value of the arts and culture for Australian audiences.
Supporting young audiences
For the first time, Creative Australia asked questions about children’s cultural participation, and 86% of parents surveyed said their child was participating in arts education, mostly at school.
Parents with young children are more likely to participate in culture than those without.
There is wide support for improved arts education, and arts access for children and young people was rated the top priority (65%) for public funding of culture amongst all those surveyed.
As future surveys are conducted, we will be better able to map the links between opportunities to access the arts in childhood and the social, cultural, wellbeing and economic benefits of the arts along the life course.
It’s not all good news
The cost-of-living crisis is a very real barrier to increased attendance and participation.
High ticket prices are deterring many who would like to go to concerts and performances, with 55% of those surveyed by Creative Australia saying there are events they didn’t attend because of the cost.
This points to the critical importance of making culture accessible to all in our society, not just the wealthy. And while 74% valued the role of artists in society and 77% valued arts education, only 62% said they support public funding of culture.
More concerningly, there is declining support and engagement from non-Indigenous Australians towards First Nations arts and culture.
The proportion of respondents who think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are an important part of Australia’s culture has trended down from 75% in 2019 to 71% in 2025.
And the screen audiences surveyed reported the fragmented current streaming landscape meant “choice is abundant, but attention is scarce”.
Gamers said they struggled to find local games, and the report also suggests there are risks related to harassment, gambling and a small proportion of players tending towards unhealthy play.
Funding counts
Popularity is not the only measure of value. Some activities are important, even if relatively few people are involved with them.
The arts help us connect, spark our imagination, and make sense of our complex world. The arts and culture also make people happy and improve wellbeing.
Politicians and policymakers should pay close attention to this recent data. Federal funding for arts and culture in Australia is among the lowest in the OECD.
We have seen many local and state and territory governments targeting culture and recreation for budget savings, demanding “return on investment” metrics such as hotel bookings to justify funding, and investing in sport while cutting arts and heritage budgets.
Governments at all levels often assume arts funding is not electorally popular. But these figures prove arts and culture are central to the social foundations of Australian life.
Ben Eltham is affiliated with the Australian Cultural Policy Research Association. He is a member of Save Our Arts, a campaign group lobbying for better public support for the arts and culture. He is a member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), the union representing workers in the cultural sector.
Justin O’Connor is affiliated with the Australian Cultural Policy Research Association.
Tully Barnett is affiliated with the Australian Cultural Policy Research Association and the the Arts Industry Council of South Australia. She receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/08/24/nearly-every-australian-engages-with-arts-and-culture-politicians-should-pay-attention/