Thank you very much.
Greetings, Madam Chair and members of the committee. It's a pleasure to be here today.
I am the president and CEO of Business and Arts, a charitable organization that has existed for over 40 years with a national mandate to work in partnership with arts leaders, government and the business community to ensure a thriving arts and culture sector.
Throughout the pandemic, thousands of not-for-profit arts organizations, ranging from major cultural institutions to small community-led arts groups, have turned to Business and Arts to help navigate the waves of closures, restrictions and digital pivots, and now for planning for safe reopening and to chart a path to recovery.
Throughout the pandemic, B / A, in collaboration with the National Arts Centre, has been running a research project called the “Arts Response Tracking Survey”—ARTS for short—which I am going to tell you about today.
Since the spring of 2020, the study has been conducted quarterly by Nanos Research as a way to gauge Canadian culturegoers' comfort and perceptions around returning to indoor and outdoor arts and culture events, as well as museums and galleries. The data offers valuable insights to inform reopening procedures and programming models.
We conducted the latest survey in December 2021 and released the report on January 19. In it, we're happy to show that there has been a steady increase in the number of arts patrons returning to in-person events—from just 6% in May 2021 to 27% in December who have already returned to indoor events—and 35% who have returned to outdoor events. Meanwhile, 21% said they plan to return to indoor events immediately after cultural organizations are allowed to open.
However, there is still a significant portion of culturegoers who are hesitant to return, with 20% indicating that they intend to wait several months before returning. More troubling is the 24% who are so hesitant that they are simply not sure when they might return and the 9% who say they expect to never return to indoor arts and culture events. The data is similar is for museums and galleries, with 34% who have already returned, 21% who intend to return immediately and 15% who will wait several months. We still see, though, 24% who are not sure and 6% who say they intend to never return.
Not surprisingly, there are differences in the data when we look at demographics. The 18-to-34 age group is more likely to say they will return immediately, at 27%, compared to those in the 55-plus age group, with only 16% who intend to return immediately. With higher COVID risks in the older population group, we see 13% who say they intend to never return.
We are likely to see that the types of performances that attract the younger audiences—for instance, popular music concerts—will see stronger ticket sales than those that skew to older demographics, which will likely struggle for much longer to see their audiences return.
Fear is the biggest barrier to return, with 31% of respondents listing fear of being exposed to the virus as their top concern, and crowds or other people not respecting health measures as the second. Social distancing and masks continue to be top precautions. Culturegoers say they want to feel safe to return to indoor events. Arts and culture venues and facilities are doing an exceptional job of following all safety procedures, and many are exceeding mandated guidelines. Unfortunately, fear is a powerful deterrent that is not easily assuaged.
For two years, the public has been told to avoid social gatherings and rolling closures have mandated the shuttering of theatres, performance halls, cinemas, art galleries and museums. Thus, it's going to take a lot of time and effort to change public perception about the safety of these spaces.
With this data, what measures does the sector need to be viable during the reopening and recovery phase?
First, the ARTS data shows that we should anticipate a very slow and gradual return of audiences. It is reasonable to project a three- to five-year recovery timeline. Unfortunately, most arts organizations cannot break even with only a third of their audience intending to come back immediately. The sector needs support to offset the financial risks of getting back on stage or getting artwork into galleries when we know that revenues from ticket sales will be significantly smaller for the foreseeable future.
Second, the sector needs support to rebuild consumer confidence. We need dedicated funds for a sector-led marketing and public relations campaign that shifts the perceptions about the safety of our venues and facilities and also reinforces the many benefits of arts and culture for physical and mental health, as well as community well-being, inclusion and belonging.
Finally, as much as possible, the sector needs some semblance of predictability. I know that none of us, including the government, has a crystal ball to predict future waves and the possible needs for closure; however, we can't keep lurching from one emergency short-term funding program to another to fill the gaps. What is needed is a comprehensive policy framework and corresponding support programs that are in place throughout that three- to five-year timeline and can be relied on, whether or not there are future COVID waves or other types—