More Australians are attending arts and cultural experiences than ever before, but costs are a growing factor in who attends such events and how often, according to the results of a new national survey released today (3 June) by Creative Australia.
The latest in the long-running National Arts Participation Survey series found that 74% of Australians attended at least one live arts event or festival in the past year – the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2009, equivalent to 15.4 million people.
Simultaneously, 60% of Australians cited cost as the biggest barrier to attendance and more than half missed out on events they wanted to attend due to cost.
Arts participation – quick links
Australians value the arts despite ‘ongoing financial pressure’
Creative Transformations: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey is the latest in a long-running series of national surveys tracking Australians’ attitudes towards and engagement with the arts. ArtsHub‘s overview of the previous survey, released in 2023, can be read here.
Today’s survey results – based on a nationally representative sample of 9065 Australians aged 15 and over – found that almost all Australians, 98%, engage with the arts in some way, whether through music, reading, festivals, creating art, digital engagement or live attendance.
The new survey found 93% of Australians hold positive views about the arts and 86% recognise the positive impacts of creative engagement on society, the economy and individual wellbeing.
‘Australians continue to engage with arts and creativity in extraordinarily high numbers, even during a period of ongoing financial pressure,‘ said Lara Wolski, Executive Director Development and Partnerships at Creative Australia.
‘What this research shows is that Australians still deeply value cultural participation and connection, but cost is increasingly shaping how people participate and what they can afford to attend.‘
Key arts participation insights from the Creative Transformations report
Key findings in the Creative Transformations: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey about Australians’ attitudes towards and engagement with the arts include:
Arts participation
- 98% of Australians engage with the arts in some way, whether it’s listening to music, reading, creating art, attending an event or engaging online
- 74% of Australians attended at least one live arts event or festival in 2025 (the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2009)
- Nine million Australians create, produce or collaborate in the making of art (43% of the population aged 15 and over)
- There is growing cultural participation across Australia’s diverse communities, with the number of those saying they engage with their cultural background or community through the arts rising from 32% in 2022 to 40% in 2025
Valuing the arts
- 93% of Australians hold positive attitudes towards the arts
- 86% recognise the positive impacts of creative engagement on our society, our economy and ourselves (up from 84% in 2022)
- Australians ranked arts access for children and young people as the top priority for arts investment, ahead of free or low-cost arts events
- More people are attending Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts events and festivals, and seven in 10 agree Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are an important part of Australia’s culture (71%, down slightly from 73% in the previous survey)
- For those who purchase First Nations arts or cultural products, authenticity (79%), fair payment to artists (77%), quality (77%) and respect for cultural ownership of stories and imagery (77%) are important considerations
- Australians expressed mixed feelings about AI for creative purposes, with 93% saying they have at least one concern about AI and creativity and 82% saying it is important to disclose when AI is used to create a work
Barriers to arts participation
- 60% identified tickets or entry costs as the main barrier (up from 55% in 2022)
- More than half (55%) missed events they wanted to attend because of the cost
The impact of arts education
- Australians taught an artform during school years are significantly more likely to engage with the arts as adults, through attendance (80% compared to 58%) reading books (75% compared to 53%) or creating art themselves (50% compared to 22%)
- They are also more likely to recognise positive impacts of the arts (90% compared to 73%) and to value the arts (96% compared to 85%)
The role of data in arts policy
Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette AM said: ‘The National Arts Participation Survey is a cornerstone of Creative Australia’s research on arts participation, seeking to understand Australians’ attitudes towards and engagement with the arts. Over more than 15 years, insights have informed government policy, strengthened advocacy and grounded audience development strategies for the arts.’
Creative Transformations, the 2025 National Arts Participation Survey, is the sixth study in the series, following editions in 2009, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022.
Collette said the new survey provides a solid evidence base to sit alongside the upcoming State of Australian Culture report, to be prepared by Creative Australia and Screen Australia.
‘As the Australian Government develops the next iteration of the National Cultural Policy, this report helps bring into focus the challenges and opportunities to which the policy can respond. It also provides the sector with clear and rigorous data to help reach and build new audiences for creative work. I trust the insights from this report are a valuable resource as we continue to work together to strengthen arts and culture in this country so that all Australians can benefit,’ he said.
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The importance of early engagement with the arts
For the first time, the survey examined the relationship between arts education and arts participation later in life.
The survey results show that Australians who were taught an artform (such as visual arts, creative writing, dance or drama) during their school years were significantly more likely as adults to attend arts events, read books, create art and engage with culture online.
Arts access for children and young people emerged as Australians’ top priority for public arts investment, overtaking free and low-cost events.
Creative Australia’s Director Research, Rebecca Mostyn, said: ‘A significant finding in this year’s survey is the relationship between arts education and lifelong participation. Those who had opportunities to learn an artform during their school years are significantly more likely to attend arts events, read books, create art and engage with culture, and to recognise the benefits of doing so later in life.’
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Identifying how Australians engage with culture
Creative Australia’s research also points to significant shifts in how Australians are engaging with culture. More people are reading at least once a week (across all formats, including audiobooks) and one in five Australians now discovers books through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
Streaming platforms are equal with radio as the most common way Australians discover new music.
ArtsHub: Community radio delivers $153 million to Australian music economy
The survey also found audiences are increasingly embracing musical theatre, cabaret and classical music, with attendance at classical music performances rising from 7% in 2022 to 10% in 2025.
The survey also explored Australians’ attitudes towards artificial intelligence and creativity. Two in five Australians reported using AI tools to create art or generate ideas, while 82% said AI use in creative works should be disclosed.
At the same time, almost three quarters questioned whether AI-generated content could be considered ‘real’ or authentic art.
The Creative Transformations: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey also points to growing cultural participation across Australia’s diverse communities. Participating in the arts to engage with one’s own cultural background, language group or community rose significantly from 32% in 2022 to 40% in 2025. Attendance at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts events and festivals also increased, with one in three Australians attending in 2025.
About the National Arts Participation Survey
Conducted roughly every three years since 2009, the National Arts Participation Survey is one of Australia’s longest-running national studies of Australians’ engagement with arts, culture and creativity.
The 2025 survey introduced new areas of research including arts education, artificial intelligence, digital creativity and ethical sourcing of First Nations arts.
Research for the survey was conducted in two phases, with the first phase consisting of nine exploratory focus groups with members of the public exploring some of the survey’s new areas of investigation (the ethical sourcing and consumption of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and attitudes around AI for creative purposes). These were conducted in June 2025 by Lonergan Research.
The second phase of the research included a quantitative survey of 9065 respondents, including 7397 completed online surveys and 1600 additional collected samples from four states and territories, including face-to-face interviews with First Nations people living in regional and remote communities, an Easy Read version of the survey conducted with 86 people with intellectual disability, and six simplified and translated versions of the survey to 183 people who spoke Korean, Punjabi, Cantonese, French (with a focus on the French-speaking African diaspora), Hazaragi and Turkish.
The 2025 National Arts Participation Survey was conducted between July to September 2025.
