Eighty-five percent of those surveyed view the arts as important and relevant to their daily lives. This is up five percent since 2009 and 14% since the surveys began in 1999. Virtually all Australians engage in the arts, in some way, each year—by attending performances or exhibitions, contributing time or money to arts organisations or by their own creative work. Two-thirds of those surveyed say the arts are important for child development and the 85% agree that the arts make for a richer and more meaningful life.

Executive summary

The arts in Australia today Australians increasingly see the arts as important and relevant to their lives.

85 percent say that the arts make for a richer and more meaningful life, an increase of 5 percentage points since 2009 and 14 points since 1999.

95 percent of Australians engaged in the arts in some way in the year before the survey.

Nearly half of Australians participate in the arts as creators in at least one artform, 7 percentage points higher than 2009. Creative participation has increased most in visual arts and craft, and music.

Nearly one in three Australians create visual arts or craft.

One in five creates music.

71 percent of people attended live events or art galleries in the 12 months before the survey.

Nearly all Australians, 94 percent, attended live events or art galleries or read literature in that period.

Only 5 percent of Australians did not engage in the arts at all, compared to 7 percent in 2009. Australians think the arts have a significant effect on our lives.

Two thirds of people say the arts have a big or very big impact on child development; a similar proportion believes the arts affect our ability to express ourselves and think creatively.

More than half of Australians believe the arts have an impact on our ability to deal with stress, anxiety or depression and on our personal sense of well-being and happiness. Australians value their artists.

Nine in 10 agree that artists make an important contribution to Australian society. About the same proportion say they ‘feel proud when Australian artists do well overseas’. Yet more change is needed in some areas. For example, less than two thirds of people agree that the arts ‘reflect the diversity of cultures present in Australia’.

As children, about half of Australians were taken regularly to the arts or cultural events by their parents. A little over a third were never taken to an arts or cultural event by their parents. Those never taken to the arts were less likely to create or attend art in 2013 than those taken at least monthly (70 percent compared to 89 percent). Those who were not taken to arts events by their parents also tended to hold less positive attitudes towards the arts than others.

Almost a quarter of Australians have a strong interest in Indigenous arts, up 5 percentage points since 2009. A further 42 percent say their interest in Indigenous arts is growing. About a quarter of Australians attended an Indigenous arts event in the previous 12 months, up from 17 percent in 2009.

Australians are using the Internet to engage with the arts. Almost a quarter of Australians create, share or sell art on the Internet. More than half use the internet to watch or download art. Nearly half use the internet to research, engage with or follow artists and arts organisations. Just over a quarter of Australians have made a personal contribution to the arts. 15 percent of Australians did this by volunteering their time, 11 percent by donating money and 7 percent by contributing to crowd funding.

Creative participation in the arts has increased among some social groups. Nearly half of people living with disabilities are creating art, an increase from 35 percent in 2009. Creative participation has also increased to 47 percent of people with at least one parent born in a non-English speaking country, up from 39 percent in 2009.