Culture and the arts can have a significant impact on Australian society, and are acknowledged as a means of bringing people together, supporting quality of life and enhancing community networks as well as generating economic outcomes through employment opportunities, business and government funding.

The National Centre for Culture and Recreation Statistics, within the Australian Bureau of Statistics,  has introduced a new series, Perspectives on Culture, to provide informed commentary on a range of topics relating to this area.

The first issue of Perspectives on Culture was released on 4 March 2011. This issue brought together 4 articles covering:

• Attendance at art galleries and museums
• Cinema attendance
• Library and archive attendance
• Zoo and botanic garden attendance

Key findings:

Despite distractions like high definition TV, home theatre and the internet, going to the movies was still our most popular cultural activity in 2010.

Last year saw Australian cinemas screen just over 400 films and make the highest gross on record - $1.13 billion. Two out of every three Australians attended a cinema at least once during the year - beating art galleries, museums, zoos and live performances in attendance.

Going to the movies was enjoyed by most people more than once (90%), with over half (53%) visiting a cinema five or more times during the year. Cinema attendance rates have also increased slightly over time - from 65% in 2005-06 to 67% in 2009-10.

Canberra had the highest cinema attendance rates for a state or territory (76%) while Tasmania had the lowest (59%). Canberra also had the highest attendance rates for art galleries and museums (46% for each), followed by the Northern Territory at 30% for art galleries and 45% for museums.

Going to the zoo or aquarium was popular with Northern Territory people, with over half having attended such a venue. In fact, Territorian's zoo and aquarium attendance increased the most across all venues and events between 2005-06 and 2009-10, up from 36% to 53%.