ATTENDANCE
According to (ABS, 2010a) Attendance at Selected Cultural Venues and Events 2009–10 (cat. no. 4114.0), 52% of the population aged 15 years and over attended at least one type of Performing arts performance in the 12 month period prior to interview in 2009–10. Almost one-third (30%) had attended a Popular music concert, while under one-fifth had seen a Theatre performance (16%) or a Musical or opera (16%).
12.1 ATTENDANCE RATES FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS(a) - 2009-10
The attendance rates of females were generally higher than those of males for most events, particularly for Musicals and operas where 21% of females and 12% of males attended. For most events, attendance was correlated with age. The best example of this is Popular music concerts, where attendance peaked with the 18-24 year age group (45%) and dropped progressively with each older age group, to 9% for those aged 75 years and over. Conversely, the highest attendance rates for Classical music concerts were in the 55-64 year and 65-74 year age groups with 13% and 14% respectively.
Popular music concerts and Classical music concerts were the events most likely to attract multiple visits within a 12 month period (64% and 59% respectively). More than one-third (40%) of people attended Popular music concerts more than twice in the 12 months prior to interview. During the same time period, 33% attended Classical music concerts more than twice.