{
  "id": 2946856,
  "title": "Nearly every Australian engages with arts and culture. Politicians should pay attention",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/nearly-every-australian-engages-with-arts-and-culture-politicians",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T04:42:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation AU",
    "slug": "the-conversation-au",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/nearly-every-australian-engages-with-arts-and-culture-politicians-should-pay-attention-289514"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Culture plays a crucial role in the lives of the majority of Australians, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Creative Australia, and Screen Australia. The survey reveals that nearly every adult in the country engages with arts and culture in some form. Approximately 22 million Australians aged 15 and over attended or participated in various cultural events and activities in 2025, which is the majority of the adult population. Popular activities include cinema visits, concerts, museum visits, library trips, and reading for pleasure. Live performance attendance has increased significantly since 2022, reaching the highest figures ever recorded.\n\nThe value of culture is evident in the high level of support Australians have for the arts. Both the National Arts Participation Survey and Screen Currency found that a significant portion of the population believes artists contribute to society, cultural experiences enrich life, and public funding for culture is important. Furthermore, 86% of parents surveyed reported their children were involved in arts education, with arts access for children and young people being the top priority for public funding of culture.\n\nHowever, there are challenges facing cultural participation. The cost-of-living crisis is a significant barrier, with many people unable to attend events due to high ticket prices. Additionally, support for public funding of culture is declining among non-Indigenous Australians, with the proportion of respondents who think Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are an important part of Australia's culture decreasing from 75% in 2019 to 71% in 2025. The fragmented nature of the streaming landscape and the difficulty gamers have finding local games also present challenges to engagement.\n\nDespite these challenges, the data clearly demonstrates the importance of culture to Australian society. Politicians and policymakers must pay close attention to this information and understand that arts and culture are essential for the wellbeing and social fabric of the nation. Despite being among the lowest in the OECD, federal funding for arts and culture in Australia should not be overlooked, as it plays a vital role in connecting people, sparking imagination, and contributing to overall happiness and wellbeing.",
  "summary": "Governments at all levels often assume arts funding is not electorally popular. New data shows they are wrong.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}