Nearly every Australian engages with arts and culture. Politicians should pay attention

Culture is a vital part of many people’s lives.

This is the view afforded by the latest data on cultural participation from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Creative Australia and Screen Australia .

The data they present is breathtaking.

It shows a landscape of cultural participation that takes in nearly every part of the community, across a dizzying diversity of artforms and audiences.

Most Australians engage with the arts The ABS’s General Social Survey is a long-running survey of participation and attendance in cultural events and activities, collected roughly every five years.

The 2026 data suggests at least 22 million Australians aged 15 and over attended or participated in culture in 2025 – the majority of the adult population.

It found: nearly 13 million of us visited the cinema last year more than 10 million attended a concert or live music event more than 7 million went to a museum more than 6 million went to a library or art gallery.

In comparison, the Australian Football League recorded a total live attendance of 8.25 million in 2025, counting each attendance at each game.

The numbers are growing Creative Australia’s National Arts Participation Survey, undertaken every three years, has a representative sample size of more than 9,000 respondents.

The survey shows broad and deep levels of cultural engagement in artforms such as music, literature, the performing arts and online.

Last year: 19.5 million of us listened to recorded music 15.4 million Australians attended some type of live cultural event more than 14 million read for pleasure.

The figures are growing.

Live performance attendance has increased by 1.2 million since 2022, to the highest figures ever.

Around three quarters of those surveyed had attended a live performance or festival in 2025.