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Executive summary

Art and culture continue to be of high importance to the community.

• 84% agree  the Western Australian Government should invest in arts and culture to ensure they are available to the public
• 92% agree  it is important for school children to have access to arts and culture  as part of their education

Perceptions of individual and community value remains high.

When asked ‘how valuable is the role of arts and culture in your life’, the value index score is 66.

• The value index score has remained steady over the past four years.
• Perceived value continues to be highest in Perth’s western suburbs and lowest in the Goldfields-Esperance region.
• Perceived value continues to be higher among those with a higher level of education and people who mainly speak a language other than English at home.
• Perceived value is lower among those with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and among those with lower levels of education.

Arts and culture is seen to have a valuable role in the community with a value index score of 77.

• The value index score has remained steady over the past four years.
• Community value continues to be highest among those with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and those who mainly speak a language other than English at home.
• By location, perceived value is highest in Perth’s western suburbs and lowest in the Gascoyne region.

Most people believe the arts benefit the broader community, not just those who participate.

22% agree that “the arts only helps those people who participate, not the broader community”.

• The agreement index score is 36, up 3 points from last year.
• People with higher levels of education, and females, are less likely to agree. They are more likely to think the arts does help the broader community.

Most believe arts and culture contribute to WA’s sense of community and identity.

When asked ‘how valuable is the contribution of arts and culture to your sense of community in WA’, the value index score is 71, on par with recent years.

• The value index score continues to be higher among those who mainly speak a language other than English at home.
• By location, the value index score is highest in Perth’s western suburbs and lowest in Mid West and Kimberley regions.

When asked ‘how valuable is the contribution of arts and culture to the identity of the state’, the value index score is 73, on par with recent years.

• The value index score is highest among those with Aboriginal / Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and those who mainly speak a language other than English at home, and is higher among females than males.
• By location, the value index score is highest in Perth’s western suburbs and lowest in Mid West region.

The arts continue to make people feel good.

The agreement index score is 78, on par with recent years.

• Level of agreement is highest among people who mainly speak a language other than English at home and those with a postgraduate degree or higher.
• By location, perceived value is highest in Perth’s inner north and western suburbs, and the Peel region. It is lowest in the Great Southern region.

Easy access to art and culture for most; but the gap between metro and regional WA remains.

The ease of access index score is 67, on par with recent years.

• Ease of access is highest in Perth’s western suburbs and lowest in the Pilbara region. There is a gap of 39 points between these two areas.
• Access is more difficult for people with disability, those with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, people with lower levels of income, and families with young children aged up to five years.

Annual participation in the arts continues to be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

74% of respondents participated in an arts and cultural activity over the past 12 months.

• Annual participation has remained fairly steady over the past few years, but is down from a pre-COVID high of 82% in 2019.

Frequent participation, where respondents attended activities at least once a month over summer, is more common in Perth’s western suburbs and among those with higher levels of education.

• In the regions, frequent participation is highest in the South West and Great Southern.
• Frequent participation is lowest in the Gascoyne, Mid West, Kimberley and Goldfields-Esperance regions.

Interest in the content remains the main motivator for participating in art and cultural activities.

Motivators vary across different groups in the population.

• Older people and those with higher levels of education are more likely to be motivated by their interest in the content.
• While interest in content is also the greatest motivator for people with household income up to $150,000, those earning more are mostly motivated by experiencing new things.
• People who mainly speak a language other than English at home, and people with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, are also mostly motivated by experiencing new things.
• Families with children, and younger adults up to 34 years, mostly want to have fun.
• In the Gascoyne region, they are mostly motivated by opportunities to interact with family and friends.

Government and corporate support are considered to be essential for the arts.

Only 17% of respondents agree with the statement “all theatre, ballet and opera companies and public art galleries, etc should rely on their tickets sales alone”.

82% of respondents would be prepared to contribute more money to expand provision of and access to arts and culture. This is an increase from 76% in 2020.

• 58% of respondents believe a government allocation of $2.73 per person per week for arts and culture is too low.
• 50% of respondents would be prepared to pay more than $2 extra per person per week. A further 31% would be willing to pay up to $2 more per week.

The perceived value of the WA film and television industry remains high.

73% of respondents rate the industry highly.

• The value index score is 75, fairly consistent with recent years.
• Perceptions of value increases with age, and is highest among lower income earners.
• Across the regions, perceived value is highest in the Great Southern region and lowest in the Mid West.

Perceived ease of accessing WA film and TV remains moderate.

Only 37% of respondents consider it to be easy to access WA produced film and television productions.

• The overall ease of access index score is 52 points; down from a high of 61 points in 2017.
• Respondents think it is easiest to access WA film and TV in the Goldfields-Esperance region and hardest in the Pilbara region. There is a gap of 22 points between these regions.

Many missed being able to participate in arts and cultural activities due to COVID-19 restrictions.

56% of respondents said they missed being able to attend or participate in arts and cultural activities to a large degree due to COVID-19 restrictions, giving a rating of 4 or 5 out of 5.

• Arts and cultural activities were missed to the greatest degree by people living in the western and inner northern suburbs of Perth, and those with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
• By region, arts and cultural activities were missed to the greatest degree in the Peel region, and to the least degree in the Gascoyne region.