Participation in arts and cultural activities

Arts events refers to art galleries (including online galleries), exhibitions, film festivals; performances in theatre, contemporary dance and ballet, music concerts, circuses; poetry or book readings, literary festivals or events; cultural performances and festivals, and celebrations of Māori or Pacific arts. Participation is defined as being directly involved in the making or presentation of art. It does not include such activities as listening to a CD, reading a book or going to a movie.

Relevance

Arts and cultural activities are an integral part of leisure and recreation. People attend arts events or actively participate in the arts for a wide variety of reasons: for enjoyment and entertainment, as a means of creative expression, for personal growth and the pursuit of excellence, to learn new skills, to meet new people, and to celebrate cultural traditions. A shared appreciation of the arts can help to promote understanding between peoples, both within and beyond a country’s borders.

Current level and trends

In 2008, 83 percent of New Zealanders aged 15 years and over had attended at least one arts event in the previous 12 months. Around one-third (34 percent) had high attendance at arts events, having been to more than 10 events in the past year. These proportions were similar to those found in the 2005 survey (84 percent and 32 percent, respectively).

Almost half of the population aged 15 years and over (48 percent) were actively participating in the arts in 2008, similar to the proportion in 2005 (50 percent). Just over one-quarter of the population (26 percent) were frequent participants in the arts, having been actively involved more than 12 times in the past year.

In 2008, two-thirds (65 percent) of New Zealanders agreed the arts were part of their everyday life, up from 57 percent in 2005. Commonly held views of what “the arts” included were the visual arts (painting, photography, sculpture and drawing); music and singing (symphony orchestra, concerts, opera); ballet and other dancing; theatre, plays, drama, comedy and live performances; carvings, sculpture and things people make or create; movies; literature, poetry, writings, readings. In both 2005 and 2008, attendance and participation rates were highest for the visual and performance arts.

Changes in technology are reflected in the arts. Almost one-quarter (23 percent) of the adult population aged 15 years and over said they had created original works of art using a computer. The proportion was highest among young adults aged 15–24 years: 43 percent had created digital art in the past 12 months.

Sex and age differences

While 86 percent of New Zealanders aged 15 years and over were involved in the arts, either by attending arts events or by participating in the arts, women were slightly more likely than men to be involved (89 percent, compared to 84 percent). People aged 70 years and over had a lower than average level of involvement in the arts, but it was still high, at 77 percent.

Childhood experiences of the arts influences adult attendance and participation. Of adults who were regularly taken to arts events as children, 92 percent had attended at least one arts event in the past 12 months and 62 percent were active participants in the arts.

Ethnic differences

Ideas about what the arts included tended to be broader among Māori, Pacific and Asian peoples. These ethnic groups were more likely to view crafts, cultural events and expressions or interpretations of ideas, feelings and beliefs as being part of the arts.

Māori and Pacific people had slightly higher than average attendance at arts events in 2008 (88 percent and 86 percent, respectively), compared to the national average of 83 percent. People in these two ethnic groups had much higher than average active participation in the arts (Māori 68 percent, Pacific peoples 54 percent), compared to the national average of 48 percent. Both attendance and participation rates were lower than average for Asian people, although 76 percent had attended at least one arts event in the past 12 months and 44 percent were active participants in the arts.

Figure L3.1 Proportion of the population aged 15 years and over who attended arts events or participated in the arts, by ethnic group, 2008

Source: Creative New Zealand (2009)

Socio-economic differences

Attendance at arts events varies by education level. In 2008, attendance ranged from 77 percent for people with no formal education beyond secondary school level, to 93 percent for those with a postgraduate degree. Active participation in the arts varied less markedly, from 43 percent for people with no more than secondary school education, to 54 percent for those with a postgraduate degree. Both the 2005 and 2008 surveys found no substantial relationship between income and participation in the arts.

International comparison

Surveys similar to those commissioned by Creative New Zealand have been conducted in Australia, England and Scotland. On attendance at arts events in the past year, New Zealand ranked highest with 83 percent in 2008, followed by Australia (72 percent in 2009), Scotland (68 percent in 2008) and England (67 percent in 2008). However, the New Zealand survey included attendances at film festivals (though not films generally), which were not counted in the Australian survey. A 2007 survey of leisure activities in 34 countries by the International Social Survey Program, which included questions on arts attendance, placed New Zealand among the “high attendance” countries (scoring 70–79 percent), alongside Austria, France, Germany, Australia and Great Britain.⁹⁴

In 2008, New Zealand had a relatively high level of creative participation in the arts (48 percent), compared to 47 percent in England and 41 percent in Australia.

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