This page presents excerpts of relevant performing-arts-related research, including some exclusive data that isn't available in published reports. For a summary of the essential information on performing art presentation, please download our Arts Presentation Facts Sheet.
Presenters in Canada
Presenting Networks
Public Funding of Arts Presentation
Attendance and Importance of the Performing Arts
Attendance at Festivals
Consumer Spending on Live Performing Arts
Public Benefits and Social Impacts of the Performing Arts
Performing Arts and Health
Public Support to the Arts
Other Sources of Arts Statistics
Presenters in Canada
There are more than 1,400 performing arts presenting organizations in Canada. They present series or festivals or both. Annually, they present more than 80,000 performances by professional artists, and pay artistic fees estimated at more than $ 200 million.
Source: CAPACOA, Interim Report of Findings, The Value of Presenting, 2012.
Presenting Networks
There are 39 presenting networks in Canada. Presenting networks are national in scope or regionally-based and typically serve non-profit presenters as well as municipal presenters, festivals and university presenters. Other presenting networks are specialized in one type of presenting activity and may serve festivals or presenters specialized in disciplines, such as dance or theatre.
Breakdown of presenting networks in Canada:
- 26 regional multidisciplinary networks (6 of which also serve schools);
- 5 festival networks, 3 of which also have an additional focus (jazz music, children programming, theatre);
- 8 specialized networks.
Sources: Survey led by CAPACOA in April 2010 and list of presenting support organizations funded by Canadian Heritage in 2009-2010.
Public Funding of Arts Presentation
The main source of funding for presenters at the federal level is the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (formerly known as Arts Presentation Canada). The program supports more than 600 presenters in 224 communities with grants and contributions totaling 27.9 million dollars in 2010-2011.1
The 2008 Summative Evaluation of the program2 indicated that "Its focus on presenters and audiences is a unique and appreciated complement to other forms of support to the arts in Canada, both as an aid to ensuring that artists have the opportunity to present to audiences, and from the perspective of strengthening and expanding presentation capacity to fill unmet needs (such as new disciplines and genres, or professional artistic presentation of any sort, in remote locations). [CAPF] funding makes the arts more accessible." The Summative Evaluation also identified outcomes such as "economic development spin-offs; the formation of innovative partnerships; better quality of life in a revitalized, energized community."
Sources:
1 Canadian Conference of the Arts, Analysis of the 2010 Federal Budget, 2010.
2 Canada, Summative Evaluation of the Arts Presentation Canada Program, 2008.
Attendance and Importance of the Performing Arts
Three in four Canadians (75%) attended a performing arts performance by professional artists in 2011. This is an increase of 54% since 2005.
- 44% attended a theatrical performance, such as a drama, musical theatre, dinner theatre, comedy;
- 42% attended a popular musical performance such as pop, rock, jazz, blues, folk, country and western;
- 20% attended a symphonic or classical music performance;
- 15% attended a dance performance.
86% of Canadians are accessing performing arts presentations via television, Internet or other media channels. Yet, they are twice as likely to ascribe a high importance to live performing arts attendance than to any media-based consumption.
79% of Canadians say they would miss it if there were no live, professional performing arts available in their community (21% to a moderate extent and 58% to a high extent).
Source: EKOS Research Associates, Survey of the General Public, The Value of Presenting, 2012.
Research commissioned by the Ontario Arts Council also provides measures of importance given to the performing arts:
- 60% of Ontarians attended a concert by professional musicians at least once in 2011.
- Of those who did, 74% described this activity as being “very important” to them.
- 55% of Ontarians attended a play or musical with professional actors at least once in 2011.
- Of those who did, 74% described this activity as being “very important” to them.
- 25% of Ontarians attended a dance performance by professional dancers at least once in 2011.
- Of those who did, 67% described this activity as being “very important” to them.
Source : WolfBrown, Ontario Arts Engagement Study, 2011.
37% of Canadians (10.4 million) attended a cultural or artistic festival in 2010. This represents an increase of 57% since 2005. In comparison, Canada's gross domestic product grew by 18,3% over the same period.
Source : Statistics Canada, General Social Survey, 2010.
Consumer Spending on Live Performing Arts
- After adjusting for inflation, consumer spending on live performing arts increased by 49% between 2001 and 2008.
- In 2008, Canadians spent more on performing arts ($1.426 billion) than on movie theatre admissions ($1.216 billion) or live sports events ($0.645 billion).
- A considerable percentage of lower-income households choose to spend some money on live performing arts. Households with incomes of $25,000 or less are more likely to spend any money on live performing arts (15%) than on museum admissions (12%) and live sports (4%).
Source: Hill Strategies Research, Patterns in Performing Arts Spending in Canada in 2008.
Public Benefits and Social Impacts of the Performing Arts
- Nine in ten Canadians believe they get personal benefits out of attending professional performing arts. Most perceive the main benefit to be the entertainment experience of it (84%), but other benefits are recognized, such as emotional, spiritual or intellectual stimulation, an opportunity to experience something new, providing exposure to different cultures, and providing an opportunity to socialize.
- 2 in 3 Canadians (65%) believe that the community as whole benefits more or as much as individual attendees from the presentation of the performing arts.
- Canadians believe that performing arts venues provide community-wide benefits, such as improved quality of life (87% say moderate to high importance), fostering a sense of community pride (87%) and contributing to economic development (88%).
Source: EKOS Research Associates, Survey of the General Public, The Value of Presenting, 2012.
- 72% of Canadians say that attending arts and cultural events is important for their quality of life and that of their family.
Source: Phoenix Strategic Perspectives, The Arts and Heritage in Canada – Access and Availability 2007.
- 95% of Ontarians said that the arts enrich the quality of our lives.
Source: Environics, The Arts And The Quality Of Life: The Attitudes Of Ontarians, 2010.
- Adults who attend live arts performances, art museums or art galleries are far more likely than non-attendees to vote [38% more, in the case of live arts attendees], volunteer, or take part in community events.
Source: National Endowment for the arts, Art-Goers in Their Communities: Patterns of Civic and Social Engagement, 2009.
Performing Arts and Health
- People who attend concert, theatre or film are significantly healthier, have lower anxiety and are less subject to depression.1
- The more frequently people attend performing arts and other receptive arts, the more likely they are to report good health.1,2
- Attending cultural events is linked with longevity. People who rarely attend such events run a nearly 60% higher mortality risk than those attending most often.3
- Rare and moderate cultural events attendees in urban areas are 3 times more likely to die of cancer over time than frequent attendees.4
Sources:
1 Patterns of receptive and creative cultural activities and their association with perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life among adults, Koenraad Cuypers et al, 2011.
2 Are variations in rates of attending cultural activities associated with population health in the United States?, Anna Wilkinson et al, 2007.
3 Attendance at cultural events, reading books or periodicals, and making music or singing in a choir as determinants for survival, Lars Olov Bygren et al, 1996.
4 Attending cultural events and cancer mortality: A Swedish cohort study, Lars Olov Bygren et al, 2009.
Public Support to the Arts
- Volunteers are crucial in performing arts presentation: for each paid staff member working in the field, there are 17 volunteers giving their time, thereby enabling a broad range of benefits for their community.
Source: Strategic Moves, Interim Report of Findings, The Value of Presenting, 2012.
- Canadians volunteered 100 million hours for arts and culture organizations in 2010.
- Those Canadians who volunteered gave on average more time for arts and culture than any other sector in 2010 (127 hours, vs 105 in 2007).
- 3% of Canadians donated $108 million to arts and culture organizations in 2010.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canada Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2010.
- Nine in ten Canadians (89%) think that governments should place importance on supporting arts and culture in Canada. In contrast, less than half (47%) believe that governments in Canada actually attribute importance to support for arts and culture in Canada.
- The largest gap emerges with respect to the government ensuring that attendance is affordable – while 89% think government should be doing this, only 47% think governments are currently doing it well.
Source: Phoenix Strategic Perspectives, The Arts and Heritage in Canada – Access and Availability 2007.
- 81% of Ontarians agree that the government should spend public dollars to support the arts.
Source: Environics, The Arts And The Quality Of Life: The Attitudes Of Ontarians, 2010.
Other sources of arts statistics
About Performing Arts Presentation
The essential information on arts presentation in a simple facts sheet.
Arts Facts
Recent and relevant statistics compiled by CAPACOA for the Canadian Arts Coalition, for the 2011 Arts Day on the Hill.
Arts Research Monitor
Database of research on the arts, indexed by theme.
