Engagement with culture and the arts during the second year of COVID-19

Arts, entertainment and cultural industries have gradually re-emerged over the latter half of 2020 and into 2021, albeit to varying extents and in different formats, as restrictions have eased. Re-engaging audiences is a key component of recovery for the industry. Accordingly, The Tasmania Project’s fifth general survey (TTP5) asked about people’s in-person engagement with arts and culture in 2021, so far.

Attending arts and cultural events was a common activity prior to the pandemic – over 80% of respondents had attended art exhibitions/galleries, museums, cultural festivals, performing arts, and/or the cinema in the year prior to the pandemic. The fifth general survey (TTP5) found that in-person engagement with the industries in 2021 is still far below pre-pandemic levels: 44% of respondents had attended an art exhibition/gallery in person in 2021 so far; 41% had attended a museum; 23% had attended a festival; 43% had attended a live performance; 48% had gone to the cinema/movies; 23% had attended a public lecture; and 24% had attended a launch/opening.