January 2022
Contents
Preferred payment methods
For online audiences, the most favoured future payment method was ‘make a donation or pay-what-you-like contribution’, followed by ‘pay a fixed price for access’. The least favoured was ‘take up a paid-for subscription for this sort of content’.
- The medium-engaged Audience Spectrum groups were the least willing to pay for future online activities.
- The group aged 25-34 was the most willing to pay for all payment methods.
- Those with children were considerably more willing to pay, and urban audiences were also more willing.
Willingness to pay by activity type
The online activity for which audiences were most willing to pay was workshops (71% would pay a fixed price for access, 71% would make a donation and 48% would take up a paid subscription.) The online activities for which audiences were least willing to pay were:
- Taking a virtual tour of a heritage building or place (59% would pay a fixed price, 66% would make a donation and 38% would take-up a subscription)
- Watching a recording or stream of music, performing arts or literature event (60% would pay a fixed price, 66% would make a donation and 38% would take up a subscription).
Belief in public support for the arts
Those who had booked or were interested in online activities in the next two months were more likely to believe that cultural organisations deserve the support of members of the public (88% compared with 83% of those with no future plans).
- They were also more likely to say that the pandemic had made them want to support arts and culture more personally (58% vs 35%).
- Online audiences who said they were willing to take up paid subscriptions were more likely to say they the pandemic made them want to support arts and cultural organisations (76%, compared with 69% of those willing to pay a fixed price and 66% of those willing to make a donation).