State of the Arts
PŌNEKE SURVEY JUNE-JULY 2022
This report presents the findings from an online survey of those in the creative sector in Pōneke, conducted over June-July 2022. This is the fourth and final in the current series of surveys intended to track the state of the creative sector in Pōneke; other surveys are being undertaken concurrently in other regions as well as a national survey. There were 188 respondents from Pōneke and the results from those respondents are discussed below.
INFOGRAPHIC
From the Pōneke State of the Arts Survey June-July 2022
key themes and findings
From the Pōneke State of the Arts Survey June-July 2022
- Creative freelancers dominated the Pōneke sample: More respondents reported being a creative freelancer (56%) than any other role in the creative sector. This was followed unpaid creative individuals (24%), and leaders of a creative not-for-profit (20%).
- Performing and visual arts were strongly represented in Pōneke respondents: Pōneke respondents were active in many creative areas. Performing arts was the most prominent area reported (51%), followed by visual arts (39%) and music (24%).
- Pōneke respondents have slightly restored their optimism 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 February-March 2022 survey, pessimism dropped from 71% to 60% and optimism rose from 26% to 39%, indicating an increasing trend in optimism back toward levels reported in the initial June-July 2021 survey. The increase in financial optimism between the February and June quarters was statistically significant (p<0.05).
- More respondents expected to either increase their current staff or contractor numbers, compared to the previous survey: The number of respondents who expect to take on new staff or contractors had increased (from 26% to 39%) and those who expect staff or contractor numbers to stay the same or reduce had decreased (from 45% to 43% and 15% to 11% respectively). The increase in expectations between the February and June quarterly surveys were statistically significant (p<0.05).
- Pōneke respondents view on achieving their creative goals shifted to become more optimistic once again: 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 February-March 2022 survey, pessimism dropped from 65% to 32%, and optimism increased from 34% to 67%, indicating a shift towards a more optimistic view. This increased optimism, when comparing the February and June quarterly surveys, was statistically significant (p<0.001).
- Pōneke respondents perception of audience appetite for their creative work seems to have increased: With 37% reporting audience appetite was remaining about the same, 28% reporting that it was more than usual and 20% reporting that it was less than usual. Overall, the average rating was 2.1 out of 3 (from 1 meaning less than usual to 3 meaning more than usual). This is slightly higher than the average rating for February-March 2022 (1.8). The shift away from “less than usual” between the February and June quarterly surveys was statistically significant (p<0.001), but these differences were less pronounced when comparing the June 2021 and June 2022 quarterly surveys