Please note: the most recent edition of the National Arts Participation Survey is here.

Overview

The Arts Participation surveys give robust and detailed information on how Australians participate in the arts and their attitudes to the arts, to help the arts sector understand its audiences and policy makers understand its value to the public.

This research paints a comprehensive picture of how Australians participate in the arts today, providing a benchmark for the health and significance of the arts in Australia. There have been two surveys in this series to date: one in 2009 and one in 2013. Analysis of the 2013 survey, published in the report Arts in Daily Life, paint a positive picture. Overall engagement with the arts is up since the 2009 survey (published as More than bums on seats), and public attitudes to the arts are highly positive, for example:

• Australians think the arts enrich our lives.
• Australians value Indigenous arts and there are great opportunities to grow audiences.
• The arts are important in the lives of Australian children.
• More Australians are participating in the arts – especially by making art themselves