Arts audiences back to pre-covid levels but concerns over costs remain

Last year saw an increase in festival attendance with the most attended festivals being local cultural or arts festivals.

Irish arts audiences are returning to pre-covid levels, but cost and value for money remain key concerns for event attendees.

After significant disruption to the sector following lockdowns and public health restrictions, new research published by the Arts Council shows that 83% of Irish people attended at least one arts event in the previous 12 months.

In 2020, this figure fell to 64%, and stood at 72% during 2022 and 2023. A further 59% of people attended events in art forms traditionally funded by the Arts Council last year, up from 51% in 2023.

Last year also saw an increase in festival attendance with the most attended festivals being local cultural or arts festivals. 

The annual Arts Insights survey shows that an estimated 2.4m people attended at least one arts event typically supported by the Arts Council in the 12 months prior to October 2024. 

In 2018, 82% of people indicated that they had attended at least one arts event, while 60% indicated that they attended events in artforms traditionally funded by the Arts Council.

For the 2024 Arts Insights survey, in-person interviews with a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 people over the age of 16 were carried out by Ipsos B&A on behalf of the Arts Council.

Cost concerns

The cost of activities and value for money remain key concerns for audiences when deciding whether to attend arts events.

Of those who said they wish they could attend the arts more often, 44% say that cost is a barrier. This figure is up from 39% in 2023.

A further 39% of respondents said they were ‘extremely satisfied’ with the value for money offered by their most recent experience attending an arts event. This is significantly down on the 2018 figure of 50%.

The survey results also highlighted concerns around equality of access to arts experiences. 

Just 12% of respondents strongly agreed that ‘there are equal opportunities for everyone living in Ireland to attend and participate in the arts regardless of class, age, ethnicity, disability, etc'. 

A further 31% of those who wish they could attend the arts more often say that there is limited choice or poor quality of this type of event where they live.

Frequent attenders of the arts are increasingly from higher socio-economic groups, the survey also found. Enthusiasts were more likely to be under the age of 50, female, living in urban areas, and of a higher socio-economic bracket. 

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A number of new policies aimed at supporting the arts and artists have launched in recent years. In 2022, a new Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) three-year pilot scheme to support the arts by giving a payment of €325 a week to artists and creative arts workers. 

The return of attendance to pre-covid levels is hugely welcomed, according to Maureen Kennelly, director of the Arts Council. 

"I would like to commend all the hard work by artists and arts organisations to engage new and returning audiences after the profound impact of the pandemic on the arts sector." 

"Increased levels of arts investment by the government have played a pivotal role in supporting the sector through the challenges of the past few years, but it is clear from the survey findings that cost and economic factors remain key barriers to arts attendance."