State of the Arts
NATIONAL SURVEY SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2021
This report presents the findings from an online survey of those in the creative sector in Aotearoa, between September-October 2021. In total there were 530 respondents nationwide.
INFOGRAPHIC
From the national State of the Arts Survey September – October 2021
key themes and findings
From the national State of the Arts Survey September – October 2021
- Creative freelancers dominated the total sample: More respondents reported being a creative freelancer (50%) than any other role in the creative sector. This was followed by unpaid/voluntary creative individuals (24%), and leaders of a creative not-for-profit (23%).
- Performing and visual arts were strongly represented in the total sample: Respondents were active in many creative areas. Performing arts was the most prominent area reported (47%), followed by visual arts (45%) and music (28%).
- Respondents have shifted towards a more pessimistic view about their financial position: Respondents rated their outlook on whether their creative work would support their financial position in the next 12 months (from 1 meaning very pessimistic to 6 meaning very optimistic). Compared to the June-July survey, pessimism increased from 51% to 59%, and optimism fell from 48% to 38% indicating a shift towards a pessimistic view.
- A majority of respondents expected to either increase or maintain their current staff or contractor numbers, which is consistent with the previous survey’s findings: For respondents where this question was applicable, most respondents expected to take on new staff or contractors (37%) or expected to stay at the same level (38%). Findings were consistent with the previous June-July survey results.
- Respondents’ views on achieving their creative goals shifted to become more pessimistic: Respondents rated their outlook on whether they would achieve their own or their organisations’ creative goals in the next 12 months (from 1 meaning very pessimistic to 6 meaning very optimistic). Compared to the June-July survey, pessimism increased from 24% to 44%, and optimism fell from 73% to 54%, indicating a shift towards a pessimistic view.
- Respondents’ perceptions of audience appetite for their creative work seem to have decreased: With 32% reporting audience appetite being more than usual, 31% reporting that it was the same as usual and 25% reporting that it was less. Overall, the average rating was 2.1 out of 3. This is lower than the average rating of the June-July survey (2.3) which was captured during an Alert Level 1 setting.
- The timeframe that respondents expected to be impacted by the latest COVID-19 lockdowns was largely between four months to two years: Nearly all (95%) respondents reported being affected by the latest COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdowns. Nearly half of respondents indicated their creative work would be impacted by more than six months (47%), with 16% indicating seven months to one year, 20% indicating one to two years, and 11% indicating two years or more.
- Recognition of the role arts, culture and creativity plays in a COVID environment and emergency funding were most important to respondents: Creatives were asked a series of statements about what is important for the arts, culture, and creative sector as it faces ongoing disruption from COVID19 (from 1 meaning strongly disagree to 4 meaning strongly agree). Statements that were most important to respondents where more than 90% either strongly agreed or agreed were: Recognition 4 of the role arts, culture, and creativity plays in a COVID environment; Emergency relief / resilience funding to support core operations during Alert Levels 4, 3, 2; Mental health and wellbeing support; and sector guidelines and resources for operating at different alert levels.