4147.4.55.001 - Culture and Recreation News, Jan 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 31/01/2004   
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CULTURAL ATTENDANCE

In 2002, a total of 12.8 million people (88% of the Australian population aged 18 years and over) went to at least one cultural venue or event over a 12 month period. Popular cultural venues included cinemas (attended by 70% of the population), libraries (42%), botanic gardens (42%) and zoological parks and aquariums (40%). Attendance rates at other cultural venues and events during the 12 month period were 26% at popular music concerts, 25% at museums, 25% at art galleries, 19% at musicals and operas, 18% at theatre performances, 11% at dance performances and 9% at classical music concerts.

For most cultural venues and events:

  • females were more likely to attend than males
  • people born overseas in the main English speaking countries were more likely to attend than other people
  • people who were employed were more likely to attend than people who were unemployed or not in the labour force
  • people with higher educational qualifications (such as postgraduate degrees or graduate diplomas) were more likely to attend than other people
  • people living in households with relatively high incomes were more likely to attend than other people.

Libraries and cinemas were the most frequently attended venues - 40% of those who visited libraries in the 12 month period had gone there over 10 times during the year, while 23% of those who visited cinemas had been there over 10 times during the year.

These and other main features of Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events, Australia, 2002 are available free of charge on this web site.