A Statewide Report on:

1
A Statewide Report on
PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS
Prepared for Arts Queensland CB
Contact(s) Sharon Bird Lisa Scott, Colmar
Brunton Research Services Final Report 18th
Sept 2006
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CONTENTS
3
Overall Background, Objectives Methodology
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BACKGROUND

• This research was commissioned to help Arts
  Queensland build a body of knowledge about the
  Arts participation habits and preferences of the
  Queensland public.
• This research was intended to complement an
  earlier report commissioned by the Australia
  Council (prepared by Saatchi Saatchi in 2000),
  which looked at the Australian publics attitudes
  to the Arts and their Arts participation habits.
  The Australia Council report proposed that
  (within Australia) there are five segments in
  terms of Arts Participation, as follows
• The Arts Lovers High consumers and/or patrons
  of the Arts who could not increase their already
  heavy involvement.
• The Satisfied Those who are perfectly happy
  with the state of the Arts, who have set
  participation levels and on this basis will not
  increase their involvement.
• The Interested Individuals with busy social
  lives, who enjoy incorporating some arts
  activities in their schedule. This group would
  go to the Arts more if it suited their
  regime/needs better.
• The Disinclined Those who are doubtful about
  the personal or social relevance of the arts and
  who face strong practical barriers to
  participation. They do not have major
  attitudinal objections to the Arts and indeed may
  value their contribution to society, but do not
  view them as a priority activity.
• The Disengaged - Individuals who feel no
  engagement with the Arts and view them as
  personally and culturally irrelevant to their
  lives. They are unlikely to develop any
  connection with the Arts.
• The overarching aim of the current research was
  to identify the characteristics, thoughts and
  feelings of the Interested and Disinclined
  segments in Queensland, as these are the groups
  that are most likely to increase participation,
  if the Arts can be delivered in a way that
  tackles their particular barriers to
  participation.

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BACKGROUND

• A two stage research project was undertaken
  during the period May-August 2006.
• The first stage was 6 focus groups 5 in
  Brisbane and 1 in Cairns. The second stage was
  an online survey of a representative panel of
  Queenslanders.
• The specification for the sample included in both
  the focus groups and the survey was that
  respondents could be identified as being from the
  Interested or Disinclined segments as defined in
  the Australia Councils 2000 Australians and the
  Arts Australia wide survey.
• It was also a specification that respondents were
  not already heavy participants in the Arts.
• The qualitative stage of the project aimed to
  profile the characteristics of these segments as
  they are particular to Queensland. The discussion
  during the focus groups was guided to uncover
  whether particular barriers and triggers to
  participation in the Arts are experienced in
  Queensland and to identify what perceptions or
  experiences people have around major arts venues
  in Brisbane.
• Another aim was to discuss peoples views of
  promotional strategies and ticketing for the
  arts, as well as looking at how they normally
  source information about entertainment.
• The major objective of the following quantitative
  stage of the research was to confirm and
  consolidate the qualitative findings, providing a
  stronger basis for inference upon which
  strategies for targeted promotion of the Arts in
  Queensland could be based.
• During the quantitative stage, 429 persons across
  five locations in Queensland were surveyed (see
  page 10 for sample specifics).
• The quantitative survey was designed to probe
  further into certain areas - such as use of
  information sources or how barriers and triggers
  are experienced on a venue by venue basis to
  provide more immediately actionable information
  that Arts Queensland can use as a basis for
  developing strategies to promote the Arts to the
  Queensland public.

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RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• The overall aims of the research were to
• Identify general attitudes towards the arts and
  seek to establish how similar Queenslanders
  attitudes towards participation in the arts are
  to those of the general Australian population, in
  order to establish the generalisability of the
  Australia wide research findings to Queensland.
• Identify gaps in knowledge regarding what Arts
  Queensland venues do namely, the range of venues
  in existence and the range of arts on offer.
• Identify perceived applicability of
  events/performances to individuals, particular
  age groups or families.
• Explore barriers that restrict participation.
• Explore views about what could increase
  participation.
• A number of objectives were explored in the
  qualitative research only. Namely
• Identify the effectiveness of current promotional
  materials, for example
• Are events advertised so as to seem important in
  terms of personal identity and development or to
  seem culturally (or sub-culturally) relevant?
• Is the impression of promoted events that they
  are high-brow or that they are accessible?
• Are the right aspects of the event emphasised
  can people find information important to them?
• Elicit suggestions for improving the types of
  promotional material currently used in a way that
  could combat the barriers to participation
  perceived by the various cross sections we
  involve in discussion.

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RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• The specific aims of the Quantitative stage were
• To quantify the breadth and depth of
  participation in the Arts by querying
  participation in regular spare time activities
  and general experience of the arts.
• To quantify what sources of information
  respondents use to find out about arts events and
  to quantify how these sources are used e.g.
  specific sections of a newspaper or specific
  entertainment radio or TV shows. Also, to
  quantify which sources are preferred so that Arts
  Queensland can identify the most appropriate
  channels to reach these people.
• To investigate perceptions of pricing for
  different kinds of events to quantify any
  misperception about cost, as the perceived cost
  of participating in the Arts (or more accurately
  whether the Arts offer value for money) emerged
  as one of the more significant barriers to
  participation during the qualitative stage of the
  research.
• To investigate how and where people purchase
  tickets for the Arts and how they would like to
  do so.
• To quantify general awareness and attendance at
  various venues in Brisbane and in regional
  Queensland, amongst these segments.
• To assess actual experiences or perceptions of
  venues established in Brisbane, versus
  perceptions and experiences of venues in Regional
  locations.

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OVERALL RESEARCH STRATEGY
Project Planning
The majority of this report is based on the
quantitative stage, as quantitative research
provides inferential power to draw conclusions
about the general population, whereas qualitative
research does not. The qualitative stage
provided findings upon which the quantitative
stage was based. Generally, the qualitative stage
then gave insight as to what lies behind the
findings of the quantitative stage. However, it
happens that differences may still exist between
qualitative and quantitative findings. Where
differences exist they are discussed in the body
of the report. All research is used to interpret
the quantitative findings and to draw final
conclusions recommendations. Where conclusions
are based upon qualitative research - which has
no inferential power it is clearly indicated in
the section header. The conclusions and
recommendations from the qualitative research can
be found in Appendix I.
Qualitative Research Stage 6 Focus Groups 2 x
Interested Segment Brisbane Metro (1 x 18-30yrs
1x 31-60yrs) 3 x Disinclined Segment Brisbane
Metro (1x 18-30yrs 1x31-45yrs
1 x 46-60yrs) 1 x Mix Interested and Disinclined
Regional (Cairns 25-45yrs)
Presentation and Quantitative Survey Development
Online Survey n 429 Sample Specifications 5050
Brisbane Metro Regional QLD Respondents Split
between Interested and Disinclined
Segments Representative Spread of Age, Gender and
other demography
Final Report and Presentation
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Online Survey Sample Breakdown
10
SAMPLE PROFILE Total Sample
Total Surveys commenced incl. respondents
screened out 829
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OVERVIEW SAMPLE BREAKDOWN BY SEGMENT

• Proportion of respondents per segment was
  balanced between the Regional areas and Brisbane
  Metro.
• A significantly higher proportion of the
  Disinclined segment were in the 30-44 year age
  group.
• Those who attended more than 3 arts events were
  screened out of both stages.
• Still, significantly higher proportions of the
  Disinclined had attended less Arts events in the
  last quarter than the Interested.
• Disinclined assigned a significantly lower mean
  value to the Arts, in personal life and in
  society, than the Interested.
• Based on the totality of findings from the
  research, we know that certain demographic
  factors play a role in segment inclusion and we
  suspect that inclusion in one segment or another
  is fluid depending on life stage.

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NOTES ABOUT INTERPRETATION
The major aim of the research was to investigate
the Arts participation habits of the Disinclined
vs. Interested segments and to explore the
triggers and barriers to participation
experienced by these segments. However, certain
parts of the report e.g. Use of information
sources and general satisfaction with Arts
venues, explore the data on a region by region
basis, as this split provided a more appropriate
basis for future development of Arts promotion
strategies. Throughout the report, where an area
is explored by region, or segment, the results
have been tested for statistical significance.
Where differences are significant a red circle
is used to highlight this fact
Section 4 looks at awareness of and attendance
at, venues around Queensland. It also deals with
perceptions and experiences of venues around
Brisbane and at a regional aggregated level.
Significant differences are circled in red
EXCEPT where the slide deals with a mixed
positive-negative scale. In this case
significant differences are circled in green
where they are more positive
and in red where they are
more negative. The purpose of this is to try and
distinguish between a significantly more positive
experience/perception and a significantly more
negative experience/perception. This will become
clearer when looking at the charts!
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Key Models from the Qualitative Research
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ARTS RISK MODEL OVERALL STRATEGY
Several major areas of risk which impact on the
decision to participate and general feelings
about the Arts were identified at the Qualitative
stage. Across segments these have varying levels
of influence.

• Financial Risk
• Social Inclusion Risk
• Practical Risk
• Enjoyment Risk

Cost risk occurs where there is enjoyment or
social or practical risk involved in participation
e.g. Having the right clothes to wear Not
understanding what everyone is talking about
Being culture specific
LOWEST RISK
HIGHEST RISK
e.g. Being able to find food or parking close by
Having to travel further than for local
entertainment Getting wet.
e.g. Unfamiliarity with the genre or the Subject
matter may not like it or companions may not
like it
Satisfied
Disengaged
Interested
Disinclined
Arts Lovers
Prepared to accept more risk
Prepared to accept less risk
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT RISK MODEL

• Based on the types of risk associated with the
  arts and entertainments discussed, the risk model
  can be broken into the following four sectors

High Risk, Individual Activity Generally
introspective people may choose to engage in
these alone and they are artistically
challenging. Social risk is high, there is
pressure to understand the message in the display
or the views of the people who are there.
Practical risk may be moderate. Venues accessible
i.e. open during the day and conveniently
located.
High Risk
High Risk, Social Activity Activities in which
people engage to socialise and be highly
entertained. They are probably expensive, they
may be socially elite or have unfamiliar subject
matter. The organiser might feel pressure that
their companions do not like the event. They may
be less practically accessible i.e. unsuitable
timings with limited parking.
Individual Activity
Social Activity
Low risk, Individual Activity Activities in
which people can engage alone. They are free or
cheap to do, are not socially elite and are
practically accessible i.e. open during the day
and conveniently located.
Low risk, Social Activity Activities in which
people engage with a strong social purpose, but
which are free or cheap to do. They are not
socially elite and are practically accessible
i.e. open during the day and conveniently
located.
Low Risk
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT RISK MODEL INCORPORATING
ACTIVITIES

• Based on the qualitative research the risk levels
  Queensland respondents associated with different
  types of Arts and entertainment or activities
  were as detailed below.
• These activities and types of venue were then
  explored further in the quantitative research.

High Risk
Art Exhibitions
Opera
Exhibition Opening
Ballet
Outdoor Arts Festival
New Media Installations
Theatre
Social
Comedy Show
Individual
Musicals
Rock Concerts
Library
Sports
Volunteer work
Museum
Pub
Low Risk
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Section 1
Regular Pastimes Participation in the Arts
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REGULAR ACTIVITY - TOTAL SAMPLE
Q6. What sorts of things do you do on a regular
basis for entertainment or to pass spare time?
N429

• The overall tendency, identified at both
  qualitative and quantitative stages, was for
  persons from both segments to participate more in
  low risk entertainments or activities.
• That is, activities which involve less cost, are
  more entertaining than challenging and which
  are accessible to a broad cross section of
  society, or populist.

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REGULAR ACTIVITY- BY SEGMENT
Q6. What sorts of things do you do on a regular
basis for entertainment or to pass spare time?
N429

• The trend in past time activity is almost
  identical between segments.
• Although, the Interested segment are
  significantly more likely to take part in certain
  activities.
• In terms of non-Arts activities, the Interested
  are more likely to take part in outdoor
  activities and go to markets, the cinema or free
  events.

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REGULAR ACTIVITY (cont.)-BY SEGMENT
Q6. What sorts of things do you do on a regular
basis for entertainment or to pass spare time?
N429

• This chart also shows how many respondents rated
  doing certain activities regularly.
• The trend across segments is still similar as
  the arts becomes the Arts, participation
  across both segments decreases.
• However, the Interested segment are significantly
  more likely to report taking part in a larger
  range of almost all Arts activities on a regular
  basis.
• This theme was very consistent throughout the
  research.
• It should be noted that the only activities on
  this chart that are not significantly more
  participated in by one segment over another, are
  Opera, Ballet and art classes.

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ARTS PARTICIPATED IN OVER THE LAST YEAR - BY
SEGMENT
Q7. Please indicate which types of arts events or
activities you have attended or been involved in
over the last year. N429

• Over the last 12 months, respondents from the
  Interested segment were significantly more likely
  to have participated in an Arts event than those
  from the Disinclined segment.
• Across both segments, all respondents were more
  likely to report having participated in a
  populist or low risk arts event than in the
  Higher arts. This again is consistent with the
  findings from the qualitative research.
• However, the proportion of each segment that
  reported participating in each kind of Art event
  was still relatively low, peaking at 49 for live
  band performances in the Interested segment and
  dropping to 0 for attendance at Opera in the
  Disinclined segment.

Note On this page only NON-significant
differences are marked as the majority of
differences are significant.
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REGULAR ACTIVITY - BY REGION
Q6. What sorts of things do you do on a regular
basis for entertainment or to pass spare time?
N429

• The trend for spare time activity is also similar
  across regions.
• The only activity that showed significant
  difference dependent on region was going to the
  cinema, with Brisbane respondents being more
  likely to regularly go to the cinema.
• From a strategic point of view, segment profiles
  are much more relevant therefore, than geographic
  location for arts promotion purposes.

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REGULAR ACTIVITY (cont.)- BY REGION
Q6. What sorts of things do you do on a regular
basis for entertainment or to pass spare time?
N429

• Again, across regions, similar patterns were
  reported in the arts activities respondents
  regularly take part in.
• Respondents from the Brisbane area were
  significantly more likely to report going to a
  museum or art gallery regularly.
• Overall, there is no great difference in arts
  activity by region, when compared to the sizeable
  differences between segments.

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ARTS PARTICIPATED IN OVER THE LAST YEAR - BY
REGION
Q7. Please indicate which types of arts events or
activities you have attended or been involved in
over the last year N429

• Once again, Patterns of participation in the Arts
  are highly similar regardless of region.
• Only significant differences are marked here.
• The exceptions are attendance at outdoor
  festivals and free arts events, which a
  significantly higher proportion of regional
  residents report attending.

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PASTIMES PARTICIPATION SUMMARY

• There is a significant divergence between the
  segments in terms of the arts activities that are
  included as part of their regular spare time
  activity. This confirms the finding from the
  qualitative stage that the Disinclined are less
  likely to spontaneously include arts activities
  in their list of spare time activities.
• The Interested segment are significantly more
  likely to have taken part in a broader range of
  Arts activities over the last year than those in
  the Disinclined segment. This finding also
  supports the finding from the qualitative stage
  that the Interested were more likely to try out
  Arts events even if participation was not a
  regular occurrence.
• In other words, the depth and breadth of the
  Interested segments participation in the Arts
  overall is broader than that for the Disinclined.
  
• At the qualitative stage of the research a risk
  model was developed to encompass the factors that
  dictate participation in the Arts across the
  segments (see Section 5 Conclusions and
  Recommendations for a shortened version of this
  model). The qualitative stage defined the Higher
  Arts Opera, Ballet and Classical Music as
  extremely high risk artforms, given that they are
  niche and tend to social exclusivity.
• Conclusions from qualitative stage were that
  those in the Interested segment tolerated a
  higher level of risk overall with regards to Arts
  participation (i.e. were less susceptible to the
  barriers of perception of social elitism, cost,
  risk of not enjoying the event) than the
  Disinclined segment, as they demonstrated more
  positive attitudes to many artforms. However
  neither segment would tolerate the high levels of
  risk associated with the higher/niche Artforms.
  The data collected in the quantitative stage of
  the research supports this hypothesis.
• With regard to the higher Arts, there is little
  divergence between the segments in terms of the
  breadth of participation over the last year, or
  in regularity of participation. Further, both
  segments nominated the higher Arts as something
  they did least regularly and the also as the
  artforms they had participated in least over the
  last year.
• Tests for difference between Brisbane Metro data
  and Regional Data showed that there is no
  difference in the proportion of each segment who
  participate regularly, or who have participated
  over the last year, in the arts depending on
  location.
• However, those in a regional areas are
  significantly more likely to include outdoor
  festivals and free activities in their repertoire
  of regular activity, whereas those in the city
  are more likely to go to the cinema. Both these
  findings may be explained in terms of the
  proximity and visibility of these offerings in
  the relevant region.

26
Section 2
Information Sources for Arts Events
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INFORMATION SOURCES BY SEGMENT
Q8b. Where do you normally find information about
arts events and activities? N429

• Those in the Interested segment are considerably
  more likely to access a wider range of
  information sources and to gather information
  more proactively e.g. they are more likely to
  pick up flyers in cafes, see information at
  venues they are at already or to seek information
  from websites.
• This indicates that there are different channels
  that could be used to maximise awareness of
  events for the different segments.
• This divergence in use of communication channels
  also applied across Regions.

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PREFERRED INFORMATION SOURCES BY
SEGMENT
Q9. Of these sources, which is your preferred
source or the one you use the most? NNo. who
nominated each source as one they used
INTERESTED
DISINCLINED

• Despite some differences in the breadth of
  information sources used by the Interested vs.
  the Disinclined segments, there is general
  overlap in the sources they would like to use for
  arts and entertainment information.
• While the Interested are more likely to use
  websites to find information, both segments can
  be accessed via local papers, radio and
  television. In this case, we included
  publications like City News and Brisbane News in
  Local papers to compile Brisbane Residents
  responses.
• As shown in the previous slide, word of mouth was
  a key information source used by both segments
  however the preference for this form of
  communication was relatively low.

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INFORMATION SOURCES - BY REGION
Q8b. Where do you normally find out about arts
events and activities? N429

• Regional Queenslanders reported using local
  papers, TV and Radio significantly more as
  sources of information about Arts and
  entertainment, while those living in the Brisbane
  metro region reported using email newsletters or
  websites more as a source of information.
• The differences between regions mirrored the
  trends between segments. We found that segment
  profiles change slightly in response to the
  effect of location i.e. the Metro Disinclined use
  more Interested sources and the Regional
  Interested use more Disinclined sources.

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PREFERRED SOURCES OF INFORMATION - BY REGION
Q9. Of these sources, which is your preferred
source or the one you use the most? NNo. who
nominated each source as one they used
BRISBANE N216
REGIONAL N213

• The charts above demonstrate the top 5 preferred
  sources of information for Arts and entertainment
  events by region. The trend for preferred
  sources closely mirrors the actual sources
  respondents reported using.
• For all regions the local paper/ suburban
  newspaper is the most preferred method. Brisbane
  residents have a greater preferences for sourcing
  information from a website, while those in
  regional areas have a greater preference for
  radio and TV.

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USE OF INFORMATION SOURCES - Television
Q8h. Where do you find information about the Arts
on TV?
52
48
TOTAL SAMPLE N429
54
46
57
43
BRISBANE n92
REGIONAL n114
Significantly more people in Regional areas use
Television to access entertainment information
than those in Regional Queensland. The charts
to the left and right show where (on the TV)
people find the information in question.
BRISBANE n92
REGIONAL n114
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USE OF INFORMATION SOURCES - Websites
Q8f. Which websites do you use for information?
69
31
TOTAL SAMPLE N429
23
77
60
40
REGIONAL n48
BRISBANE n86
Significantly more people in Brisbane use
websites to access information than those in
regional Queensland. Of the websites used, the
charts to the left and right show the top 5
nominated by region. There are significant
differences in the use of certain websites, but
this is clearly due to the location of the events
that are advertised on the relevant websites.
33
USE OF INFORMATION SOURCES - Radio
Q8g. Where do you find information about the Arts
on the Radio?
59
41
TOTAL SAMPLE N429
48
52
66
34
REGIONAL n103
BRISBANE n73
Significantly more people in Regional areas use
Radio as a source of information than those in
Brisbane metro. The charts to the left and
right show that there are similar trends in the
way the Radio acts as a source of information
across the regions.
34
USE OF INFORMATION SOURCES - Newspapers
Q8h. Where do you find information about the Arts
in the Regional Daily/Courier Mail?
Courier Mail N86
Regional Daily N46
22
40
78
60
35
USE OF INFORMATION SOURCES Word of Mouth
From those who said word of mouth at Q10

• There is more use of word of mouth as an
  information source for the Interested segment and
  within the Brisbane Metro region. It is
  currently viewed as one of the most powerful
  sources of promotion for a brand or product and
  (as a medium conducive to arts promotion) given
  its significance amongst channels of
  communication about the arts, may be an important
  consideration for Arts organisations.
• For the Interested segment, word of mouth
  information is received equally by face to face/
  telephone conversations and by e-mail. For the
  Disinclined segment there is slightly more
  reliance on word of mouth information being
  passed on through face to face/ telephone
  conversations. However, once again, there is
  more overlap than not.

36
COMMUNICATING SPECIAL OFFERS BY SEGMENT
Q10. How would you like to find out about special
Arts event offers e.g. Ticket and meal deals?
N429

• Overall the preference trends for channels of
  communication for special offers by segment were
  similar.
• There were some significant differences in the
  proportions of respondents who preferred certain
  channels of information. The Interested segment
  had a greater preference for e-mail newsletters
  and those in the Disinclined segment had a
  stronger preference for the local paper, however
  this was still the number one preference for the
  Interested segment.

37
COMMUNICATING SPECIAL OFFERS BY REGION
Q10. How would you like to find out about special
Arts event offers e.g. Ticket and meal deals?
N429

• There were some significant differences in the
  proportions of respondents by region who
  preferred certain channels of information.
• There was a stronger preference for the local
  paper and posters or billboards in regional
  areas, while Brisbane residents preferred
  websites, e-mail or the Courier Mail.
• However it should be noted that while Regional
  residents had a stronger preference for the local
  paper, this was still the most preferred method
  for receiving information regarding special
  offers for Brisbane residents.

38
INFORMATION SOURCES SUMMARY

• There are significant differences between the
  segments and the Metro vs. Regional areas in
  terms of proactive vs. reactive use of
  information sources.
• The Interested segment are significantly more
  likely than the Disinclined segment to use
  several sources for information about arts events
  and activities. No one source is exclusively in
  use by either segment and across both segments
  the Local paper is the primary source of
  information.
• The Interested segment make significantly more
  use of proactive sources of information such as
  websites, email, word-of-mouth communication,
  finding information at venues, and picking up
  flyers in cafes. Of their preferred channels for
  communicating special offers email newsletters
  and emails from friends both feature. Based on
  findings from the qualitative research, this may
  be due to these being trusted sources and also
  social conduits.
• Brisbane Metro residents (similar to the
  Interested segment) were more likely to rely on
  electronic means of communication and on email
  newsletters and websites, whereas those from
  Regional areas report using traditional media
  significantly more, such as TV, Radio and local
  papers. In regional areas people were also
  significantly more likely to rely on billboards
  or see advertisements outside venues.
• In terms of communicating special offers the
  Interested segment and Brisbane residents were
  significantly more likely to prefer email
  newsletters. Whereas the Regional and
  Disinclined were significantly more likely to opt
  for communication via local papers.
• There is some overlay between segment and
  location - that is, the Disinclined in Brisbane
  Metro are slightly more likely to use electronic
  means, whereas the Interested in a Regional area
  are slightly more likely to use traditional
  sources. This should be a consideration in any
  promotional effort that is segment based.
• Advertisements accounted for most of the
  information all segments received from Radio or
  TV. Regional residents report using general
  advertisements most but Courier Mail readers
  (nearly all Brisbane Metro) were more likely to
  use the Weekend Entertainment section.
• Ticketek was the most heavily used website across
  the Regions. Regional residents were more likely
  to use Venue websites for information and people
  in Brisbane Metro using generic sites including
  OurBrisbane, QTIX and Citysearch significantly
  more.

39
Section 3
Lead Times, Ticket Purchasing Pricing
40
LEAD TIMES TOTAL SAMPLE
Q8a. How long passed between your deciding to got
to the event and your actual attendance at it?
(NSEE X AXIS)
Overall, the stated lead times are fairly short
for most Arts events. The majority of events are
decided upon and attended within three weeks.
There is no difference between segment or region
in terms of lead time. The events that have a
longer lead time are perhaps more costly and
logistically demanding. Lead times are
significant in terms of timing the advertising
relating to these events - see qualitative
conclusions also for more discussion of this
topic.
41
BUYING TICKETS BY SEGMENT
Q11b. Once you have decided to go to a ticketed
event how do you normally look for, or obtain,
tickets for it? N429

• The Interested and Disinclined segments generally
  purchase tickets from the same sources.
• However, there was some difference - the
  Interested segment being significantly more
  likely to report using third party sales offices
  or websites to purchase tickets.
• This could be related to the Disinclined having
  less familiarity with these sources, thanks to
  more limited attendance at events generally, or
  to their tendency to attend events
  opportunistically.

42
PREFERRED TICKET PURCHASE SOURCES TOP 5 - BY
SEGMENT
Q12. How would you prefer to obtain tickets given
a choice? N429
DISINCLINED
INTERESTED

• The trend in preferred ticket purchase sources
  closely mimics the trend for actual purchase
  sources.
• Only the proportion whose preference to use a
  third party ticket sales office was significantly
  different between the segments, but the overall
  proportions who chose to use this source was
  still relatively small.

43
TICKET PURCHASE SOURCES BY REGION
Q11b. Once you have decided to go to a ticketed
event how do you normally look for, or obtain,
tickets for it? N429

• The trend for purchasing tickets is similar for
  across regions, although a significantly greater
  proportion of regional respondents called event
  specific lines and paid at venues in advance.
• This may be related to the higher use of
  billboards and posters as a source of information
  and to more convenient proximity of venues in
  smaller regional centres.

44
PREFERRED TICKET PURCHASE SOURCES TOP 5 BY
REGION
Q12. How would you prefer to obtain tickets given
a choice? N429
REGIONAL N213
BRISBANE N216

• The trend in ticket purchasing behaviour is
  closely followed by the trend for preferred
  ticket purchase sources.
• There are some significant differences in the
  proportion of regional Queensland and Brisbane
  Metro residents who nominate using event specific
  websites, but these are still the most preferred
  options in both areas.
• Significantly more regional residents would like
  to pay at the door in advance, again this may be
  due to the proximity of venues in regional areas.
  While significantly more people in Brisbane
  would like to buy tickets from a third party
  website, the overall proportion of people who
  chose this as an option is relatively small (19
  of 216).

45
PRICE PERCEPTIONS Over and Under Estimations

• Respondents were asked to estimate what range
  they thought the price of a single adult ticket
  to certain types of events cost.
• The chart above shows the percentage of those who
  over and under estimated the price of a ticket
  for each type of event.
• Results for the Arts are mixed people tend to
  over estimate the cost of ballet but
  underestimate the cost of Opera. The cost ranges
  upon which this finding is based are those
  currently published by QTIX.
• With the exception of Opera, people are more
  likely to overestimate the cost of these Arts
  events compared to the cost of more mainstream
  activities like football and theme-parks.

46
PRICE PERCEPTIONS TOTAL SAMPLE
Q13a. Approximately how much do you think the
cost of a single adult ticket is to the following
events? N429

• For many events, perceptions of pricing are well
  outside of the usual price for this type of
  event. This may represent a barrier to
  participation if people believe this type of
  event is outside of their price range e.g. the
  Ballet where over 40 of people thought this type
  of event was more expensive than it is.
• The next page describes a major disparity between
  segments in terms of pricing..

47
PRICE PERCEPTIONS PROPORTIONS WHO DONT KNOW
PRICE BY SEGMENT

• For all events the Disinclined segment were the
  least likely to know the price of the event.
  There was no clear difference between the
  proportion of Dont knows by Region.
• This proportion was significantly larger for the
  higher Arts. The significant differences between
  segments are all related to events that
  Disinclined people are unlikely to have attended
  in the last year (we did not question attendance
  at ticketed museum exhibitions).
• A play at QPAC was the event that had the
  greatest proportion of respondents from both
  segments who could not estimate a price, despite
  the fact that QPAC is a well known venue.
• Given low venue attendance this may well be due
  to lack of experience with the venue it tells
  us that current promotional material may not be
  tackling the major barrier of Cost sufficiently.

48
LEAD TIMES, TICKET PURCHASING PRICING SUMMARY

• Lead Times
• A significantly higher proportion of respondents
  take more than three weeks in lead time where the
  event is a ticketed evening time type event.
  However, this only relates to musicals,
  comedy and live music/Bands. The Qualitative
  stage told us that these events were most costly
  and popular where a big name was appearing, so
  this may account for the longer lead times
  despite the general innocuity of these artforms.
  There were no significant differences across
  segment, or region, in this regard.
• Purchasing Tickets
• In keeping with the trend for reactive, rather
  than proactive, participation in the Arts, the
  Interested are significantly more likely to use
  third party ticket websites or sales offices to
  purchase tickets, whereas the Disinclined show a
  tendency to call event specific phone lines (as
  advertised along with the event) or to go to free
  events. Advertising specific directions for
  obtaining tickets along with events may remove a
  practical barrier to participation for the
  Disinclined segment. As lower participants in
  the Arts, they may not be as familiar with the
  existence of services like Ticketek and may also
  be less inclined to search for such services to
  get tickets.
• This trend is mirrored by the Brisbane vs.
  Regional segments. Brisbane residents are
  significantly more likely to use third party
  sales offices than regional residents, who are
  conversely, significantly more likely to use
  event specific ticket lines.
• Event specific websites were the most preferred
  source to buy tickets across segments and
  regions. This may be related to the qualitative
  finding that respondents want one, easy to
  access, central, comprehensive source of
  information about an event.
• Pricing Perceptions
• There was a significant difference in the
  proportion of Disinclined respondents who said
  they did not know what the ticket price for Arts
  events was compared to the Interested segment.
  There was no clear difference between Brisbane
  Metro and Regional price perceptions.
• In the case of Ballet and Opera 29 and 27 of
  the sample respectively, did not know what a
  ticket might cost. In addition a relatively
  large proportion of the sample did not estimate
  the price of a ticket within the range of
  published prices. Therefore it can be assumed
  that the sample generally, but particularly the
  Disinclined segment, may experience price
  perceptions as a barrier to participation in the
  arts.

49
Section 4
Venue Awareness, Experience and Perceptions
50
Section 4.1Queensland Venues - Awareness and
Attendance
51
Brisbane Venue Participation and Awareness
Q Which of the following venues are you aware
of? Q Which of the venues have you been to in
the last year?
Significant diffs. Between segments.

• Attendance at, and awareness of, 36 venues across
  Queensland was investigated. The rates of
  awareness and attendance, by venue type (combines
  Interested and Disinclined), in the Brisbane
  Metro area are displayed above.
• Although there is relatively high awareness of
  three of the venue types tested, there is only
  about one third attendance.
• Very few respondents knew about or had been to a
  Contemporary Arts venue.
• Tests on the data showed that significantly
  higher proportions of the Interested segment had
  been to a Performing or Contemporary arts venue.
  There was no segment difference in terms of who
  had been to the other venues.

52
Regional Venue Participation and Awareness
Q Which of the following venues are you aware
of? Q Which of the venues have you been to in
the last year?

• Attendance at, and awareness of, 36 venues in
  total was investigated. Across the Regional
  centres the awareness and attendance levels for
  the different types of venues was consistent with
  the pattern shown across Brisbane Metro venues.
• The average levels of awareness of, and
  attendance at, each type of venue within the
  total sample (combines Interested and
  Disinclined) is displayed above.
• In keeping with the trend in Brisbane metro,
  respondents were least likely to be aware of and
  have visited contemporary arts centres than other
  kinds of venue. Awareness of and attendance at
  Performing Arts centres and Museums was
  comparatively high. The gap between awareness
  and attendance is largest for Art galleries
  only about a quarter of those who were aware of
  the galleries actually attended.
• Samples were generally not large enough to test
  for significance. However, the general trend was
  for a higher proportion of the Interested segment
  were aware of, and have attended, the specific
  venues tested.

53
Venue Awareness and Attendance - Summary

• Attendance and Awareness - Regional Differences
• The most striking difference between Brisbane
  metro and Regional areas was that although
  awareness levels of venues is fairly similar,
  significantly more people in Regional areas have
  attended certain types of venues.
• People in Regional areas make significantly more
  use of their museums, performing arts centres and
  contemporary arts centres than those in Brisbane.
  
• However, attendance at, and awareness of,
  contemporary Arts venues was still relatively
  low.
• Attendance at, and awareness of, Art galleries in
  both regions was similar.
• Attendance and Awareness - Segment Differences
• Due to small sample sizes in some locations
  statistical analysis of segment differences was
  not possible for venues. However, some trends
  emerged from the data which point towards a
  difference between the attendance levels of the
  Interested and Disinclined.
• General awareness of venues tended to be similar
  between segments but the Interested were, in most
  cases, very much more likely to have attended
  venues.
• This is reflected in the Interested segments
  higher regular participation levels and also to
  the finding that they participate in more art
  forms on an annual basis than the Disinclined.
• It should be noted that in part, the higher
  levels of participation at an overall level in
  Regional areas is accounted for by the activity
  of the Interested segment.
• This is an important issue when considering
  promotion of the Arts in regional areas. The
  barriers to participation in regional areas for
  the Interested segment may be partially removed
  by the higher visibility of venues and a lack of
  other social options when compared to the
  Brisbane Metro area.
• Any promotion of the Arts therefore, would need
  to take account of the already (relatively)
  strong presence of this segment at venues in
  Regional areas.

54

Section 4.2
Venue Based Participation Barriers and Triggers
55
Brisbane Venue Perceptions - Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
MEAN SCORES ON PERCEIVED ATTRIBUTESFOR ALL
BRISBANE VENUES
More Negative
More Positive
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher No. Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Negative
More Positive
- ve Attributes Lower No. Better

• Overall satisfaction with arts venues tested for
  Brisbane was quite high (overall mean of 7.4).
  The Disinclined gave a significantly lower
  overall satisfaction rating than the
  Interested, however there was no segment
  difference on the other attributes.
• Respondents had slightly poorer perceptions of
  the facilities at Brisbane arts venues than they
  do of staff or value for money, however these are
  not significant.
• Among those that attended any Brisbane arts venue
  in the last 12 months, there was a low agreement
  with the statement that the experience was
  uncomfortable.
• There is a slightly higher agreement with the
  opinion that (across all venues tested) those who
  attended an event in the last 12 months were not
  sure what to do or where to go when they got
  there.

56
Regional Venue Perceptions - Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
Q Thinking back to when you went to VENUE can
you tell me how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements?
MEAN SCORES FOR ALL REGIONAL VENUES
More Positive
More Negative
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Positive
More Negative
- ve Attributes Lower Better

• Overall satisfaction with the experience at all
  regional venues was high, achieving a mean score
  of 7.3 and was comparable to Brisbane Metros 7.4
  satisfaction rating.
• There was a slightly higher perception that the
  regional venues have helpful and approachable
  staff and provide good value for money than for
  Brisbane venues.
• Similar to the situation in Brisbane, there was a
  low overall perception that experiences at
  regional venues are uncomfortable.

57
Statewide Venue Perceptions Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements?
MEAN SCORES FOR ALL VENUES Brisbane v. Regional
MORE POSITIVE
MORE NEGATVE
- ve Attributes Lower No. better

• Respondents were asked how strongly they agreed
  with the statements above for a range of venues.
  The average score across regional locations for
  all venues was compiled, as was the average score
  across all Brisbane venues. The diagram above
  gives an indication of how strongly these
  statements are agreed with in reference to Arts
  venues overall in Queensland.
• There a several significant, statistical
  differences in how venues (generally) are
  perceived in Brisbane vs. Regional areas.
• In Brisbane, expense and location are bigger
  barriers, in Regional areas lack of awareness
  about events, not liking the programming or
  having a negative perception about the
  facility/likely enjoyment of the experience are
  more significant barriers.

58
Brisbane Venue Perceptions Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements?
MEAN SCORES FOR ALL BRISBANE VENUES
MORE POSITIVE
MORE NEGATVE
- ve Attributes Lower Better
Disinclined Significantly more likely to agree
with these statements.

• Overall, the Interested and Disinclined agreed
  most strongly with the perception that arts
  venues in Brisbane are difficult to get to and
  from and that they are expensive.
• The Disinclined were significantly more likely to
  agree with the statement that they were not the
  kind of people who went to arts venues and that
  they didnt know much about the programming.

59
Regional Venue Perceptions Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements?
MEAN SCORES FOR ALL REGIONAL VENUES
MORE NEGATVE
MORE POSITIVE

• Across all regional venues respondents agreed
  most strongly with the statements that related to
  lack of knowledge about programming, that there
  was never anything interesting on and that they
  were not the kind of people who go to art
  venues.
• The items whose scores are circled in red
  indicate statements that the Disinclined agreed
  with significantly MORE strongly with than the
  Interested did (i.e. they are greater barriers
  for the Disinclined).
• With the exception of perceptions about cost,
  knowledge about/distance to location and previous
  experiences, all other factors are more
  significant barriers for the Disinclined segment.

60
Section 4.3 Performing Arts/Civic Centres vs.
Arts Venues in General
61
Brisbane Metro Performing Arts Centre -
Perceptions of Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
Q Thinking back to when you went to VENUE can
you tell me how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements? BASE Attended last 12
months
QPAC
More Negative
More Positive
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Negative
More Positive
- ve Attributes Lower Better

• Those Interested in and Disinclined who attended
  the relevant performing arts centre rated
  performance on almost every attribute close to
  the average level.
• However, those who had attended were
  significantly more likely to state that they were
  not sure what to do or where to go upon arrival
  at this type of venue compared to other Brisbane
  venues.
• This may be related to the relatively lower
  attendance levels for this type of venue.

62
Brisbane Metro Performing Arts Centre -
Perceptions of Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements? BASE Aware of
venue, but havent attended last 12 months

• Across the sample, the perceptions most strongly
  agreed with were that Brisbane arts venues are
  difficult to get to and from, that they were
  expensive and that programming is not relevant.
• In comparison to the average, respondents in
  Brisbane were significantly more likely to feel
  that a Performing arts centre would be expensive.
  

63
Regional Performing Arts/Civic Centre -
Perceptions of Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
Q Thinking back to when you went to VENUE can
you tell me how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements? BASE Attended last 12
months
More Negative
More Positive
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Negative
More Positive
- ve Attributes Lower Better

• On average overall satisfaction with the entire
  experience at Regional civic centres was
  significantly more positive than overall
  satisfaction with regional venues generally.
• There was also a significantly more positive
  perception of helpful and approachable staff at
  civic centres compared to regional venues as a
  whole.
• Meanwhile, transport issues were significantly
  less of a barrier for regional civic centres than
  other regional venues.

64
Regional Performing Arts/Civic Centre -
Perceptions of Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements? BASE Aware of
venue, but havent attended last 12 months

• There is a significantly stronger perception
  that, despite looking, there is never anything
  interesting at regional civic centres when
  compared to other regional arts venues.
• There is also a significantly stronger perception
  that regional civic centres are more expensive
  than other regional arts venues.

65
Section 4.3 Art Galleries vs. Arts Venues in
General
66
Brisbane Metro - Art Gallery -
Perceptions of Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
Q Thinking back to when you went to VENUE can
you tell me how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements? BASE Attended last 12
months
BRISBANE ART GALLERY
More Negative
More Positive
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Negative
More Positive
- ve Attributes Lower Better

• Overall satisfaction among those who had attended
  a Brisbane Art Gallery was significantly higher
  than other Brisbane arts venues.
• There was also significantly stronger agreement
  that there were helpful and approachable staff
  and quality facilities than for other Brisbane
  Metro arts venues.

67
Regional Art Gallery -
Experience of Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
Q Thinking back to when you went to VENUE can
you tell me how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements? BASE Attended last 12
months
More Positive
More Negative
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Negative
More Positive
- ve Attributes Lower Better

• There was no statistical difference in the
  experience of regional art galleries compared to
  the average for other regional arts venues.

68
Brisbane Metro - Art Gallery -
Perceptions of Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements? BASE Aware of
venue, but havent attended last 12 months
BRISBANE - ART GALLERY

• Among those who have not attended this venue type
  over the last year, there is significantly higher
  awareness of its location, than there is of
  other Arts venues in Brisbane.
• An Art Gallery is also significantly less likely
  to be perceived as expensive compared to the
  other arts venues in Brisbane.
• There is, however, a stronger perception that
  respondents friends/family wouldnt attend with
  them, that they are not they type of person who
  goes to an Art Gallery and that they dont know
  much about the shows / events there, compared to
  other arts venues in Brisbane.

69
Regional Art Gallery
Perceptions of Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements? BASE Aware of
venue, but havent attended last 12 months

• Across both segments in regional areas, there was
  significantly less agreement with the statement
  that I look, but never see anything interesting
  (at the Art Gallery) when compared to other
  regional arts venues.
• However, there is a perception that regional art
  galleries are less child friendly than other
  regional arts venues.

70
Section 4.4 Libraries vs. Arts Venues in
General
71
Regional Library Awareness and Attendance
Q Which of the following venues are you aware
of? Q Which of the venues have you been to in
the last year?

• The range of awareness of, and attendance at,
  Regional libraries is indicated above.
  Insufficient data was collected to make a
  comparison to Brisbane Metro.
• Use of Regional libraries was high when compared
  to other types of venue.

72
Regional Library - Perception of Attendees
OVERALL SATISFACTION
Q Thinking back to when you went to VENUE can
you tell me how much you agree or disagree with
the following statements?
MEAN SCORES FOR ALL BRISBANE VENUES
More Positive
More Negative
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES
ve Attributes Higher Better
NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES
More Positive
More Negative
- ve Attributes Lower Better

• Overall satisfaction with regional libraries was
  quite high, at an overall mean of 8.0.
• There was also a very strong intent to re-use the
  library, and a high opinion of the helpfulness
  and approachability of staff.
• Despite the high overall satisfaction with the
  library, there was a slightly poorer perception
  of the library facilities.
• There was no statistical difference between the
  segments on these attributes.

73
Regional Library Perception of Non-Attendees
Q Can you tell me how much you agree or disagree
with the following statements? BASE Aware of
venue, but havent attended last 12 months
REGIONAL LIBRARIES
MORE POSITIVE
MORE NEGATVE

• Combined perceptions of regional libraries are
  generally positive.
• There is, however, a strong negative perception,
  for respondents overall, that they do not have
  much in common with people who use the library.
• There was no statistical difference between the
  segments on these attributes.

74
Section 4.5Venue Summary
75
Increasing Venue Attendance Summary

• Generally, the aim for Queensland venues is to
  increase traffic.
• There were no particular points of
  dissatisfaction with the venues investigated, as
  demonstrated by the generally high satisfaction
  levels reported. Although, there are some
  specific barriers associated with specific venue
  types (e.g. performing arts is more expensive)
  these are perhaps, expected perceptions.
• This suggests that venues (generally) need to
  concentrate on emphasising and developing
  triggers to participation. Triggers to
  participation were investigated at the
  Qualitative stage of the research.
• From the Qualitative research it was concluded
  that (see qualitative conclusions and profiles)
• The Interested were motivated to participate when
  the arts option was more exciting/interesting/wort
  hwhile than the other entertainment options open
  to them and when it offered a way to combine
  social obligations i.e. the need to spend time
  with family and friends.
• The Disinclined were more motivated to
  participate when the arts event was something
  they could not miss. For those with children
  this might be a (free) educational opportunity,
  or for those without, it might be a guaranteed
  good event.
• Both segments, for these reasons, emphasised the
  need for clear promoti