CircuitWest and Culture Counts have released 2025 Shifting Seats: Trends in Live Event Attendance and Ticket Buying, a new report exploring how Western Australians are returning to live performance – and how their expectations are changing.
CircuitWest is a peak body and performing arts support organisation in Western Australia. The not-for-profit organisation is membership based and represents nearly 100 artists, producers and presenters.
Across its varied programs and activities, CircuitWest seeks to demonstrate its alignment with government investment and policy criteria and to provide services that meaningfully grow and support the Western Australian arts and cultural ecology.
Background
In 2025, CircuitWest engaged Culture Counts to conduct follow-up research into performing arts audience attendance in Western Australia, and to gain insight into arts and culture motivators, barriers and behaviours at a population level. The research draws on a panel of respondents from across Western Australia, carefully structured to achieve a representative mix by age, gender and regional location.
This report builds upon the CircuitWest Audience Research Report 2022, which also explored how engagement with live arts and cultural events changed post-COVID. Survey questions were consistent with the 2022 iteration, allowing trends and behavioural changes to be tracked over time. The 2025 survey asked additional questions about people’s ticket purchasing behaviours. The key findings of this research are summarised in this report.
In planning the research, considerations were given to other research initiatives, including the Audience Outlook Monitor, the WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries’ Arts & Culture Monitor, Creative Australia’s National Arts Participation Survey, and the National Endowment for the Arts General Social Survey.
At a Glance
A selection of findings from this research are presented here.
Based on information supplied by a representative sample, 944 respondents located throughout Western Australia.
Key Insights
In the report, Culture Counts identified six key findings. Three of these insights are highlighted below.
1. Cost is the biggest barrier to attendance, especially for families
Almost two thirds of respondents to the survey cited ‘cost of tickets/entry’ as a factor preventing them from attending live events. Analysis by personal circumstance shows that this barrier is felt most by families, followed by single people aged between 25 and 64, and couples.
Results from 2022 also indicate an increase in the prevalence of this barrier to attendance, with 40% of respondents citing ‘financial reasons’ in that survey.
“For presenters and producers, this shift underscores the need for more flexible, adaptive approaches to pricing, communication, and on sale strategies that align with how younger audiences make decisions.” – Phillipa Maughan, Executive Director, CircuitWest
2. Young people are more strategic ticket buyers
Understanding ticket purchasing behaviours was a primary motivator for this research, namely when people typically buy tickets and the considerations they make prior to purchase.
Analysis by age group shows generational differences are apparent across these ticket purchasing habits, with younger people (aged 18–39) more likely to consider their strategy when buying tickets. They are most likely to sign up for pre-sales, to purchase tickets as soon as they go on sale and to buy with the intention of selling if plans change. At the same time, they are also likely to wait for a deal or cheaper option before finalising their purchase.
This highlights that younger people are able to use their technical literacy to their advantage; they are savvy buyers and can utilise different platforms to get the best deal.
3. Audiences are still motivated by ‘having fun’ but this is shifting
The main motivation for attending arts and cultural events remains to have fun/be entertained, and this is especially true for younger and family audiences; fewer people were motivated by this in the 2025 results.
The number of people seeking fun and entertainment at live events has decreased over the years. Data shows that 60% of respondents in 2022 are motivated by having fun or being entertained, compared to 54% in 2025.
Year-on-year comparison shows that two motivators have increased. An increase in respondents being motivated by socialisation with family and friends (3% higher in 2025) and expressing oneself (3% higher in 2025) indicates a shift in motivating factors and a trend away from having fun/being entertained as a primary reason for attendance.
“Overall, the research points to an audience base that is stabilising but also redefining what it wants from live performance. Expectations around affordability, social connection, and flexibility are central to participation. For CircuitWest and the wider sector, these insights provide a clear direction: to design touring, programming, and engagement approaches that respond to these emerging patterns and support sustainable audience growth.” – Phillipa Maughan, Executive Director, CircuitWest
Image: WA Showcase 2025, courtesy of CircuitWest
