This is the first time that Creative New Zealand has published benchmark data on New Zealanders and the arts. The results of the survey will inform the development of Creative New Zealand’s policy and implementation of strategic initiatives including advocacy in the arts.
This survey was undertaken by research company Colmar Brunton between 17 September and 6 November 2008. The data identified in 2005 was used as a benchmark to allow the measurement of changes in attitudes, attendance and participation over time.
New Zealanders and the arts: Attitudes, attendance and participation in 2008
Nga iwi katoa o Aotearoa me nga mahi toi: he tirohanga ahua, ratou I tae atu, ratou I whai waahi I roto I te tau 2008
Download the report here.
Fact Sheet
Adult survey – New Zealanders aged 15+
How the research was undertaken:
• We surveyed 2,099 New Zealanders aged 15+.
• Face-to-face ethnic booster interviews were conducted to ensure large enough sample sizes of Maori, Pacific, and Asian respondents for meaningful analyses. We conducted 1,822 national telephone interviews and 277 face-to-face interviews in Auckland and Wellington.
• Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch City Councils commissioned region booster samples to allow comparison to the national results. They also commissioned region-specific questions to gauge the attitudes to the state of the arts in their region.
• The survey results have been weighted to Statistics New Zealand population figures so that they are nationally representative. The weighting specification included region, ethnicity and age within gender.
• The maximum margin of error, at the 95% confidence level, for a simple random sample of 2,099 is ± 2.1%
Definitions
The arts were defined as:
• Visual arts: painting, photography, sculpture, web-based/digital art, ceramic-making, film making (and film festivals included in both attendance and participation questions)
• Performing arts: theatre, dance, music: ballet or contemporary dance performances, theatre, concerts, singing or musical performances or events, circuses
• Literature: writing workshops or a literary event; writing poetry, fiction or non-fiction
• M?ori arts: arts or craft, workshops including carving, weaving or singing, kapa haka or other M?ori dance or music activities
• Pacific arts: weaving and other Pacific handicrafts, workshops, carving, traditional dance, choir or other musical activities.
• Digital arts: forms of arts practice that use digital environments to create, produce, promote, document, record, discuss and/or distribute the work of artists and practitioners.
Attendance was defined as attendance at arts events. Overall attendance at arts events was grouped into behavioural segments (low, medium and high attendance) across all categories of the arts measured in this study.
Participation was defined as active participation, that is actually making or doing something in the arts, and the potential roles were:
• An artist/performer; crew/helper/volunteer; teacher/coach; organiser/ producer/director; fundraiser/committee/board member; student, other.
What was different between the 2005 and 2008 survey?
This 2008 study has been designed to update these findings and also to extend our understanding in some specific areas of interest. These include:
• Participation in digital artforms.
• Use of the internet to engage with the arts.
• Attendance at paid and unpaid arts events.
• More detailed information on attendance and participation in various performing arts genres, specifically theatre, music and dance.
• The relationship between childhood arts experiences and attendance and participation as an adult.
• Involvement of Asians in the arts
Some key stats:
Attitudes and feelings towards the arts:
• 79% of those surveyed said the arts help define who we are as New Zealanders. (up from 75% in 2005)
• 79% agreed that the arts should receive public funding. (up from 77% in 2005)
• 51% said they can’t live without the arts. (Up from 41% 2005)
• 65% now agree that the arts are ‘part of their everyday life’ (up from 57% in 2005).
• 72% of New Zealanders say that the arts are ‘for people like me’ (up from 67% in 2005).
• 63% of adults, who say they were taken to arts events regularly as a child, are now active participants.
Attendance and Participation:
• 86% of New Zealanders aged 15+ are involved in the arts as attendees and/or participants.
• Consistent with 2005, 83% of New Zealanders aged 15+ attended at least one art event in the past year.
• 34% regularly attended arts event in the past year (once a month or more).
• Around half of the population aged 15+ (48%) are actively participating in the arts in
New Zealand. This is consistent with the overall level of participation in 2005
• Just over one-quarter (26%) of the population participate in the arts regularly – (more than 12 times in the past 12 months).
• The survey points to higher than average attendance and participation for Maori and Pacific Peoples. In total, 88% of Maori and 86% of Pacific peoples attended at least one arts event in the past 12 months.
• The frequency of childhood art experiences is an important predictor of adult attendance and participation of the arts.
Arts Online
• Almost a quarter of the populations (23%) say they have created original works of art using a computer.
• Those aged 15 to 24 are particularly likely to create digital art, and 43% have done so in the past 12 months.
• The internet is acting as a ‘teaser’ for attending live arts events. 38% of the population have watched online performances or other online artforms over the past 12 months. This proportion is likely to grow with improved access to broadband internet.
• 47% of those who paid to attend their last performing arts event said they have used the internet to book their tickets.
Young Person Survey (New Zealanders aged 10-14 yrs)
How the research was undertaken:
• 1,015 10 to 14 year old New Zealand children whose parents were randomly selected from Colmar Brunton’s online FlyBuys panel.. The panellists are well distributed on key demographics variables such as age, gender, ethinicity income and location.
– The survey was conducted between 29 September and 26 October, 2008.
• The maximum margin of error, at the 95% confidence level, for a simple random sample of 1,015 is ± 3.1%
Attitudes and perceptions
• 99% of 10 to 14-year-olds are involved in the arts.
• 79% of young New Zealanders responded very positively when asked how they feel about the arts.
• 78% of young people say they receive encouragement to be involved in the arts from their parents. 72% said encouragement came from teachers, 46% from friends and 28% from other relatives.
• Those who see themselves as very creative are more likely to be girls and younger respondents (10 to 11-year-olds).
• Boys are much more likely than girls to be involved in digital arts (59% verses 29% of girls).
Attendance and Participation
• 99% have been actively involved in at least one artform in the past 12 months. Results show that schools are instrumental in getting young people involved in the arts.
• 70% of young people surveyed have attended at least one arts event in the past 12 months outside of school time with friends and family.
• 83% of young people surveyed said they have used a computer to create their own art in the past 12 months.
• Digital art emerged as a clear favourite, with 44% of young people wanting to be more involved.
• 84% of young people participate in art outside of school time.
Asian people and the Arts
For the first time, Creative New Zealand surveyed a fully representative sample of the Asian population. Additional face-to-face booster interviews were also conducted with Asian respondents for meaningful analysis.
Among Asian New Zealanders there is:
• Particularly high uptake of digital arts and use of the internet to view art forms: Asian New Zealanders are more likely than all others to create art with a computer (30%, vs. 23% of others), and are more likely than NZ Europeans use the internet to watch art forms (48% vs. 34% of NZ Europeans).
• Higher participation in the performing arts: Overall participation is consistent with other New Zealanders, but Asian participation in the performing arts is higher than for NZ Europeans (21% vs. 14%).
• Higher attendance at Pacific arts events: Overall attendance is slightly lower than other New Zealanders (76% vs. 83% of others), but attendance at Pacific arts events is higher than for NZ Europeans (30% vs. 21% NZ Euro.). Asian non-attendees are more likely than all others to say they ‘don’t know enough about the arts’ (13% vs. 3% of others).