Spectators of performing arts – who is sitting in the auditorium?

4Spectators of performing arts – who is sitting in the auditorium?

4.1Introduction

Approximately 5 or 6 per cent of the Finns go to see performing arts or to an art exhibition several times per month and every sixth do not go at all. Most of the Finns occasionally go¹⁶. The purpose of this study is to find out characteristics of culturual consumption to see the allocation effects of cultural subsidies. Are females and ageing citizens more likely to be heavy user of performing arts (art exhibition, opera and theatrical performances) and how this interacts with attendance to sport events? What are the regional diffences, also when the effect of person’s education is taken into account? This analysis has economic meaning to the allocation of the state subsidies. Majority of these consists of lower ticket prices for the performing arts. The state subsidies to the performing arts are substantial and increasing since 1993 in Finland. Arts may suffer from Baumol’s cost disease (Baumol and Bowen 1966). Labour productivity in cultural sectors, especially at the theatre is low since live performing arts are labour intensive: the pianist plays, the actor acts, the singer sings – and there is no way to increase output per hour. The venue or the auditorium size will limit the revenue explaining the cost drawback due to Baumol’s disease. This is especially true in speech theatre, while opera performances are suitable for increasing the size of the audience of opera via online performance transmissions to cinema theatres around the world. It is usual the performance is presented in the original language (i.e. Verdi’s operas in Italian, Mozart’s operas in German).

Private research institution (Taloustutkimus) has conducted several surveys on the visitor density of theatre, opera or ballet performances on the basis of assignments by the association of Finnish theatres (Suomen teatterit). The sample size has been around 1000 in the surveys in 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007 (table 3). The survey has also surveyed the frequency of visits and is thus somewhat comparable to the data used here.

The results in table 4-1 show that women go more often to the theatre, opera or ballet than men, especially the difference is biggest among those that visit occationally (twice or 3 – 5 times per year). It is noticeable that the share of occational visitors amount of those that visit 2-5 times per years has gradually declined throughout the years 1985 – 2007. The 45-64 years-old are the most active in this group. The effect of the visitor’s formal education is clear; higher education and a bigger frequency are related. The effect is stronger among those that go to theatre, opera or ballet more than 6 times per year. Persons living in the south Finland go most often and those in the northern Finland go least. Furthermore the visitor density of the people in the southern Finland has been growing during the period 1985 – 2007 while the northern Finns have decreased visitor activity. The most often mentioned reasons for not going were the lack of interest (56 %) or the lack of time (26 %). Furthermore, 12 % informed that there is no theatre on the locality.

Additional insights and confirmation of the results can be gained from culture and sport surveys in 1991 and 1999 (Statistics Finland 2001) reported as table A4-1 in Appendix and from Kulttuuripuntari 1999 survey reported as Table A4-2 in Appendix. In all surveys women go more often than men, highly educated are more active and the differences among provinces are substantial. The Finnish spectator profile of performing arts is remarkably similar to the audience profiles in western economies (cf. Seaman 2006, 419-422). The use of multivariable regression-based models in this study is important since these models have not generally verified the result that education is likely the most important single variable in explaining variations in performing arts attendance (Seaman 2006, 439).
Table A4-1 also confirms that the theatre visitor density did not change essentially during the 1990’s if not accounting for the temporary drop in early 1990’s recession (survey was conducted in 1991). So decrease in attendances has mostly taken place in 2000s but this can be partly explained by changes in the supply of cultural capital 1990s. The new opera house that was opened in 1995 is likely to explained the increase in attendance to opera and concert performances in the Uusimaa region (both the Helsinki metropolitan area and eastern Uusimaa province). The increase took places especially among the 25-44 and 45-64 years-old cohorts. In comparison the spectator frequency of the sport events and competitions decreased. Tables in Appendix also show that the visitor density of the dance performances is roughly half of the theatres, while these two forms of performing arts cannot be separated in our analysis.