Regional audiences in Victoria
Overview

Attendance at regional galleries and museums by areas of residence

Growth potential

The decision to attend

Motivations

Barriers
Back to contents Overview
 
The propensity to attend an arts event is similar for both Melbourne and regionally-based residents of Victoria. Overall 71% of the Victorian population aged 14 years and over attended a performing arts event in the 12 months to February 1997. (72% of Melbourne residents and 69% of regional Victoria residents). However, regional Victorians attend the arts with less frequency.
Back to contents Attendance at regional galleries and museums by areas of residence
 
While more Melburnians than regional residents visit the National Gallery of Victoria, regional galleries - both large and small - have high visitation rates from both Melbourne and regional Victoria. Museum attendance reflects a similar profile. These figures suggest that regional galleries and museums attract a high number of tourist and day-trippers and are an important part of the regional tourism industry.

Attendance at arts activities such as orchestral concerts, mainstream theatre, opera, ballet and blockbuster musicals is higher for Melbourne-based people than for those in regional Victoria. On the other hand, museums and galleries and specialist arts activities such as festivals, ethnic and folk dancing, children's theatre, variety and cabaret hold their own in regional terms, and regional attendances at modern and contemporary dance are also strong.

 
 

Attenders at particular artforms by area of residence
    80%
Performing arts

  71.7
 69.0
Art gallery

  42.2
 41.0
Museum

  37.8
 37.6
Festival

  32.7
 29.7

Melbourne
Regional Victoria


Back to contents Growth potential
 
18% of respondents from regional Victoria anticipated an increase in their arts attendance over the next 12 months. A slightly higher percentage (22%) of Melbourne-based residents anticipated an increase in their arts attendance. 69% of regionally-based audiences predicted that their attendance levels would remain constant, and 11% anticipated a decline.

 
Expected attendance at arts events in the next 12 months.
Base: regional Victoria
   
Growth potential by artform
Residents in Melbourne and regional Victoria differed somewhat in the artform they would like to see more of. Regional residents were more likely than their Melbourne counterparts to want to see more comedy (56% cf 45%), more theatre (46% cf 42%), more museums (38% cf 26%), more craft exhibitions (35% cf 22%), and more dance (29% cf 23%). These figures could reflect differences in access, availability or product preferences or a combination of these factors.

 
   

 

Activities respondents would like to attend for the first time or attend more of.

Base: Regional Victoria
   60%
Museums


  38.2
 39.6
 32.4
Craft exhibitions
 35.2
 36.4
 30.0
Art galleries
 27.8
 29.9
 19.3
Arts festivals
 22.3
 25.2
 9.6
Dance


  29.1
 31.1
 20.5
Comedy shows
 55.9
 56.3
 54.1
Theatre


 46.4
 50.8
 27.6
Other opera
 8.6
 8.9
 7.2
Light opera
 17.0
 18.2
 12.1
Classical music


  19.6
 21.1
 13.3







Total
Current attenders
Non attenders

 

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The decision to attend
 
Who they mostly go with
Some regional differences emerged in terms of accompanying party. Performing arts attenders from regional Victoria attended with family members more often (72% cf 65%) than Melbourne-based attenders, who attended more often with friends (53% cf 47%)

Museum visitors from regional Victoria were also more likely than Melbourne-based visitors to attend with family (74% cf 64%). Melbourne museum visitors were more likely to visit with friends (23% cf 18%) or alone (16% cf 9%).

Similarly, gallery attenders from regional Victoria were more likely than their Melbourne counterparts to visit with family (61% cf 53%) and less likely to visit with friends (28% cf 36%) or alone (16% cf 23%).

Who mostly decides what to see
As with attendance, family played a greater role in the decision making process for attenders of performing arts from regional Victoria than for Melbourne attenders (48% cf 41%). Friends played a lesser role (23% cf 29%).

Family was more likely to play a part in the decision to attend museums for visitors from regional Victoria than Melbourne (50% cf 43%)

Visitors to galleries from regional Victoria were less likely than their Melbourne counterparts to make the decision to attend (68% cf 74%) and more likely to rely on their family (44% cf 33%)

Lead time between desicion to attend and attendance
There was little difference between Melbourne and regional Victoria in terms of planning to attend for live performances.

Museum and gallery visitors from regional Victoria and Melbourne were equally likely to plan their visit on the day. However, if they planned in advance, visitors from regional Victoria tended to plan a little further ahead (a maximum of four weeks) compared with Melbourne visitors.

 
Back to contents Information sources
 
Sources of information differed substantially for Melbourne and regional Victoria attenders with regard to the performing arts. Melbourne attenders relied heavily on the daily metropolitan newspapers (73% cf 43%). On the other hand, regional Victorians also relied heavily on local or suburban newspapers (45% cf 10%), or television (30% cf 24%) to find out about performing arts events.

Melbourne-based museum visitors were more likely than regional visitors to use daily newspapers to find out about museums (52% cf 30%). Visitors from regional Victoria more often used local / suburban papers (24% cf 8%) although the daily metropolitan papers were still their main source of information.

Melbourne visitors were more likely to use daily newspapers to find out about galleries (53% cf 34%). Visitors from regional Victoria more often used local / suburban papers (31% cf 7%) although the daily metropolitan papers were still their main source of information.

Regional Victorian-based visitors were more likely than Melbourne visitors to use local/suburban newspapers to find out about festivals (50% cf 23%). Melbourne-based visitors to festivals more frequently used daily metropolitan or national newspapers (33% cf 17%).

   

 

Sources of information for performing arts, museums and art galleries

Base: Residents of regional Victoria
   45%
Daily metro or national newspaper
 43
 30
 34
Friend or relative
 33
 14
 16
Television


  30
 16
 12
Local/ suburban newspaper
 45
 24
 31
Radio


  11
 6
 9
Notice in mail
 6
 6
 6


Performing arts
Museums
Art galleries

 

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MOTIVATIONS*
* (Total reasons- multiple answers allowed)
 
Melbourne Regional Victoria
% %
Motivation for attendance at performing arts
Base: Total been to a live performance in the 12 months to February 1997

Entertainment 34 37
To see a particular performer/show 29 26
Friends were going 22 14
Friend/relative recommended it 20 18
Good/interesting review or publicity 20 24
To support the performer(s)/company 18 21
Motivations for attendance at a museum
Base: Total been to a museum in the 12 months to February 1997

Enjoyment 23 22
To educate my children/grandchildren 16 12
On holiday 15 10
Interested in the museum 15 18
Required to attend for educational purposes 11 9
To improve myself/self education 8 12
Motivations for attendance at an art gallery
Base: Total been to an art gallery in the 12 months to February 1997

To see a particular exhibition 29 20
Enjoyment 20 23
Know of the artists work 17 14
On holiday 13 10
In my local area 8 15
Motivations for attendance at a festival
Base: Total been to a festival in the 12 months to February 1997

Entertainment 39 36
Friends were going 18 15
In my local area 13 21
Wanted to see a particular performance 11 8
To support the performer(s) company 8 9

BARRIERS
(multiple answers allowed)
 
Barriers to attending more live performances
Base: All respondents

Costs too much 48 41
Prefer to do other things with leisure time 35 39
Don't have time to go 32 37
Doesn't interest me 29 27
What's on doesn't attract 26 30
Too far to travel 18 56
Too difficult to get there 15 38
Barriers to attending museums
Base: All respondents

Doesn't interest me 33 29
Prefer to do other things with leisure time 31 32
Don't have time to go 27 31
What's on doesn't attract 21 22
Too far to travel 11 46
Have a young family 10 13
Too difficult to get there 9 27
Barriers to attending art galleries
Base: All respondents

Doesn't interest me 37 36
Prefer to do other things with leisure time 28 33
Don't have time to go 27 26
What's on doesn't attract 20 23
Have a young family 10 14
Too far to travel 10 43
Too difficult to get there 7 24
 
 



The research also incorporated the Roy Morgan Values™ developed by Roy Morgan Research in conjunction with Colin Benjamin of the Horizon Network. These group the Australian population according to the motivations and core values underlying their behaviour. Detailed information on the value segments has been incorporated into the artform specific factsheets (Factsheet No's. 2-6)

   
 
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Further Information  Arts Research and Marketing Unit

 Arts Victoria
 Level 6/2 Kavanagh Street
 South Melbourne Victoria 3205
 Telephone 03 9684 8888
 Facsimile 03 9686 6186
 Free call 1800 134 894 (regional Victoria only)
 TTY 03 9682 4864
 Email: Arts Victoria
 Internet:
 http://www.arts.vic.gov.au

 Postal address:
 Arts Victoria
 Private Bag 1
 City Road Post Office
 South Melbourne Victoria 3205