Over 16 million Australians are actively participating in the arts, according to new research released by the Australia Council for the Arts.

“We’ve discovered that nine out of every ten Australians aged over 15 made the arts part of their lives in the past year,” said the CEO of the Australia Council, Kathy Keele.

“Nearly three quarters of Australians attended the arts last year and, most impressively, four out of ten of us creatively participated in the arts – that’s over 7.2 million people exploring art around the country.”

The research provides the most comprehensive picture this century of the way Australians are involved with the arts. It covers both creative participation and attendance in all major art forms including visual arts and crafts, music, theatre, dance, reading, writing and music.

“Visual arts and crafts is the most popular creative activity – 22 per cent of people did some form of painting, sewing, woodwork or art photography for example,” said Ms Keele.

“Literature is also popular with 7 per cent of people writing a novel or short story, and 5 per cent of people have written poetry – that’s almost 900,000 Australians writing poems!”

The research also shows that the arts are becoming more inclusive. Most Australians perceive the individual, social and community benefits of the arts, and agree they make life more meaningful. A comparable Australia Council survey in 1999 showed that over half of Australians felt that the arts ‘attracted the somewhat pretentious and elitist’ – but this number has now dropped to a third.

“We can see that the internet is having a big impact on people’s attitudes to the arts and to their accessibility. People online are researching shows or exhibitions on their own terms. Knowing more about the works help people feel more confident about walking into a show or an exhibition.”

Young people in particular have embraced the creative possibilities of the internet. Overall, 15-24 year olds are the leading generation in creative participation, with 60 per cent creatively participating in at least one art form. This suggests future surveys may reveal a yet higher level of interest and participation in the arts.

Based on focus groups, stakeholder interviews and 3,000 Australians surveyed, this landmark research will help the arts sector understand the attitudes and values of their audiences and identify new ways to build attendance and participation.

“We have, for example, identified a significant new interest in Indigenous arts. And we now know the reasons why some Australians haven’t attended the arts in the last year.”

“This research will help our arts organisations understand their audiences better and help make what they do even more welcoming and accessible.”

More than bums on seats – Australian participation in the arts was conducted by instinct and reason. To find out more, or view the full report go to www.australiacouncil.gov.au/participation