The results of the 2022 National Arts Participation Survey have been released today, providing an updated nationwide snapshot of Australia’s art consumption.

The survey was conducted from September to October 2022 with results drawn from a nationally representative sample of over 9000 people. It is the fifth survey in the research series from the Australia Council first conducted in 2009.

Image © Shubham Dhage/Unsplash

The previous National Arts Participation Survey was conducted in 2019, prior to the disruptions of COVID-19. The 2022 results provide insights into Australians’ arts engagement as the country emerged from pandemic lockdowns. The many behavioural shifts brought about in those time are apparent.

Many of the results show consistency with the last survey in 2019: 97% of Australians engage with the arts, 84% acknowledge positive impacts of arts and creativity, 73% believe that First Nations arts and culture are an important part of Australia’s culture and 61% agree culture and creativity should receive public funding (all consistent with 2019).

The survey reports that 68% attended arts events or festivals in person in 2022, the same proportion as in 2019. However, it appears that Australians are now attending less...