Cultural and creative activities methodology

Survey estimates of counts of persons are obtained by summing the weights of persons with the characteristic of interest.

Weighting is the process of adjusting results from a sample survey to infer results for the total 'in-scope' population. To do this, a 'weight' is allocated to each enumerated person. The weight is a value which indicates the number of persons in the population represented by the sample person.

The first step in calculating weights for each unit is to assign an initial weight, which is the inverse of the probability of being selected in the survey. For example, if the probability of a person being selected in the survey was 1 in 600, then the person would have an initial weight of 600 (that is, they represent 600 people).

The initial weights were calibrated to align with independent estimates of the population of interest, referred to as 'benchmarks'. Weights calibrated against population benchmarks ensure that the survey estimates conform to the independently estimated distribution of the population rather than the distribution within the sample itself. Calibration to population benchmarks helps to compensate for over or under-enumeration of particular categories of persons/households which may occur due to either the random nature of sampling or non-response.

The survey was benchmarked to the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) living in private dwellings in each state and territory at December 2021. People living in Indigenous communities were excluded. These benchmarks are based on the 2021 Census.

While LFS benchmarks are revised every 5 years, to take into account the outcome of the 5-yearly rebasing of the ERP following the latest Census, the supplementary surveys and MPHS (from which the statistics in this publication are taken) are not. Small differences will therefore exist between the civilian population aged 15 years and over reflected in the LFS and other labour household surveys estimates, as well as over time. If comparisons are being made over time then proportions should be used rather than estimates of persons.

The estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from a sample survey. Any data collection may encounter factors, known as non-sampling error, which can impact on the reliability of the resulting statistics. In addition, the reliability of estimates based on sample surveys are also subject to sampling variability. That is, the estimates may differ from those that would have been produced had all persons in the population been included in the survey. This is known as sampling error.

Non-sampling error is caused by factors other than those related to sample selection. It is any factor that results in the data values not accurately reflecting the true value of the population.

It can occur at any stage throughout the survey process. Examples include:

• selected people that do not respond (e.g. refusals, non-contact) 
• questions being misunderstood
• responses being incorrectly recorded
• errors in coding or processing the survey data.

Sampling error is the expected difference that can occur between the published estimates and the value that would have been produced if the whole population had been surveyed. Sampling error is the result of random variation and can be estimated using measures of variance in the data.

One measure of sampling error is the standard error (SE). There are about two chances in three that an estimate will differ by less than one SE from the figure that would have been obtained if the whole population had been included. There are about 19 chances in 20 that an estimate will differ by less than two SEs.

This publication reports the relative standard error (RSE) for estimates of counts ('000) and the margin of error (MOE) for estimates of proportions (%).

Information recorded in this survey is 'as reported' by respondents, and may differ from that which might be obtained from other sources or via other methodologies. This factor should be considered when interpreting the data in this publication.

Country of birth data are classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016. 

Education data are coded to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001. The ASCED is a national standard classification which can be applied to all sectors of the Australian education system including schools, vocational education and training and higher education. The ASCED comprises two classifications: Level of Education and Field of Education.

Australian geographic data are classified according to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016. Remoteness areas are classified according to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5 - Remoteness Structure, July 2016.

Industry data are classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0). 

Occupation data are classified according to the ANZSCO – Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition, Revision 1, 2009.

This survey uses the 2016 Socio-economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).  

SEIFA is a suite of four summary measures that have been created from 2016 Census information. Each index summarises a different aspect of the socio-economic conditions of people living in an area. The indexes provide more general measures of socio-economic status than is given by measures such as income or unemployment alone.

For each index, every geographic area in Australia is given a SEIFA number which shows how disadvantaged that area is compared with other areas in Australia.

The index used in this publication is the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, derived from Census variables related to disadvantage such as low income, low educational attainment, unemployment, jobs in relatively unskilled occupations and dwellings without motor vehicles.

SEIFA uses a broad definition of relative socio-economic disadvantage in terms of people's access to material and social resources, and their ability to participate in society. While SEIFA represents an average of all people living in an area, it does not represent the individual situation of each person. Larger areas are more likely to have greater diversity of people and households.

For more detail and for the SEIFA 2016 Technical paper (under Downloads) go to Census of Population and Housing: Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2016.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any libraries or archives in the last 12 months. See entry for Libraries and archives for more information.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any public art galleries in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification, they were advised to include national and state art galleries, regional art galleries, art museums and visits for the sole purpose of going to an on-site gallery shop. They were also advised to exclude instances where the viewing of a display or collection by chance rather than intention, attending a commercial outlet where works are exhibited for sale, and where the sole purpose of the visit was to go to a cafe, restaurant or toilet or to attend a product launch.

For any group, this is calculated by expressing the number of people who attended a venue or event at least once during the year as a percentage of the total corresponding population. The total adult attendance rate is the number of people aged 15 and over who attended a venue or event at least once during the year expressed as a percentage of the total population aged 15 years and over. For children, the total children's attendance rate is the number of children aged 5-14 years who attended a venue or event at least once during the year expressed as a percentage of the total population of children aged 5-14 years.

Respondents were asked about their selected children's attendance at selected cultural venues or events outside of school hours in the 12 months preceding the interview. Outside school hours is defined as the period outside the hours of 9am to 3pm or the hours prescribed by the school, kindergarten/pre-school or home-school. Included were visits while at after-school care, weekends and public holidays. Attendance during lunchtimes on school days was excluded.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to a cinema or drive-in in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include public screenings of films at other locations (e.g. at a library or park); and to exclude movies viewed on public transport such as in-flight movies. The terms 'going to the movies' and 'attending a cinema' used in the publication refer to attending a cinema or drive-in.

A household consisting of a couple and at least one dependent child usually resident in the household. Related non-dependent children may also be present in the household. Households which also have other related or unrelated residents are included.

Includes participation in drama activities, singing, playing a musical instrument, dancing, art and craft, creative writing and creating digital content. Excludes participation in screen- based activities and reading for pleasure.

A cultural activity has been defined as an activity in which a person has participated, which has not been done for secondary or tertiary studies. Respondents were asked whether they participated in each of the selected cultural activities listed below, in the 12 months before interview:

• drama, comedy, musical or variety act (including acting on stage and film, street theatre, stand-up comedy, opera, cabaret, circus performances and rehearsals and classes)
• singing or playing a musical instrument as a soloist or as part of a band, choir or orchestra (including singing or playing in a public forum with an audience, such as a church choir, performing at an aged care facility or retirement home. Also included is practicing and having lessons. Excludes informal or impromptu singing around the home or karaoke)
• dancing, including rehearsals or classes (including dancing for which the respondent has practised or taken lessons. Excludes dancing for another performance such as singing in a band and informal or impromptu dancing such as at weddings or nightclubs)
• writing song lyrics or mixing or composing music, including digital composition
• writing any fiction or non–fiction such as stories, poetry, scripts or blogs
• visual art activities such as painting, drawing or sculpting (including face and body painting, cartooning, digital art pieces, tattooing, printmaking, screen printing and etching)
• craft activities (including knitting, embroidery, cross stitch, tapestries, quilting, applique, dressmaking or tailoring, jewellery making, beading, scrapbooking, card making, collage, wood crafts, pottery, ceramics and mosaics. Respondents were asked to exclude mending, repairing and maintenance for clothing and wood craft)
• photography, apart from personal events
• film–making or editing, apart from personal events (excluding acting in a film, scriptwriting and use of video or DVD as a tool in another activity)
• designing websites, computer games or interactive software
• fashion, interior or graphic design (excluding home DIY projects).

A cultural activity has been defined as an activity in which a child has participated in outside of school hours. Outside school hours is defined as the period outside the hours of 9am to 3pm or the hours prescribed by the school, kindergarten/pre-school or home-school. Included were visits while at after-school care, weekends and public holidays. Attendance during lunchtimes on school days was excluded. Respondents were asked whether their selected children participated in each of the selected cultural activities listed below, in the 12 months before interview:

• drama activities, including practicing, having lessons and giving performances (including acting on stage or film, street theatre, comedy and circus acts)
• singing or playing a musical instrument, including practicing, having lessons and giving performances (including singing or playing in a public forum with an audience, such as a church choir, performing at an aged care facility or retirement home and activities undertaken while at out of school hours care. Excludes informal or impromptu singing around the home)
• dancing, including practicing, having lessons and giving performances (including activities undertaken while at out of school hours care. Excludes informal or impromptu dancing around the home)
• art and craft activities (including art and craft activities undertaken at home, after school art classes, private art lessons, craft groups, participating in art/craft workshops, participating in school holiday programs at an art gallery, workshops complementing professional companies' performances for children such as puppet or lantern making)
• creative writing, including stories, poetry, scripts or blogs
• creating digital content such as websites, images, videos or games
• screen based activities such as watching TV, using the Internet or playing screen based games (including playing games on consoles and activities via smart phones or tablets)
• reading for pleasure (including reading magazines, newspapers, comics, eBooks, and where a child requires assistance to read).

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any dance performances in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include ballet, contemporary dance, exhibitions of folk/ethnic dance, dance theatre, calisthenics and dance sports, performances for dance-based television shows, and attending a live performance simulcast; and to exclude eisteddfods, revue on ice/icecapades, primary and secondary school performances, and performances viewed online, via the internet or TV.

Groupings that result from ranking all households or persons in the population in ascending order according to some characteristic such as their household income and then dividing the population into 10 equal groups, each comprising 10% of the estimated population.

All persons aged under 15 years; and people aged 15-24 years who are full-time students, have a parent in the household and do not have a partner or child of their own in the household.

All persons aged 15 years and over who, during the reference week:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers)
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers)
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
  • on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job
  • on strike or locked out
  • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement
  • away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week
  • away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week
• were employers or own account workers, who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Equivalising adjusts actual income to take into account the different needs of the households of different sizes and compositions. There are economic advantages associated with living with others, because household resources, especially housing, can be shared. The equivalence scale used to obtain equivalised income is that used in studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is referred to as the 'modified OECD scale'. The scale gives a weight of 1.0 to the first adult in the household, a weight of 0.5 for each additional adult (persons aged 15 years and over) and a weight of 0.3 for every child. For each household, the weights of the household members are added together to form a household weight. Total household income is then divided by the household weight to give an income that a lone person household would need for a similar standard of living. Equivalised household income can be viewed as an indicator of the economic resources available to each member of the household.

This refers to the average number of hours per week and the number of weeks in the 12 months before interview during which a person participated in a cultural activity.

Includes employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

The highest achievement a person has attained in any area of study. It is not a measurement of the relative importance of different fields of study but a ranking of qualifications and other educational attainments regardless of the particular area of study or the type of institution in which the study was undertaken. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education, 2001 Level of education classification.

Income consists of all current receipts, whether monetary or in kind, that are received by the household or by individual members of the household, and which are available for, or intended to support, current consumption.

Income includes receipts from:

• wages and salaries and other receipts from employment (whether from an employer or own incorporated enterprise), including income provided as part of salary sacrificed and/or salary package arrangements
• profit/loss from own unincorporated business (including partnerships)
• net investment income (interest, rent, dividends, royalties)
• government pensions and allowances
• private transfers (e.g. superannuation, workers' compensation, income from annuities, child support, and financial support received from family members not living in the same household).

Gross income is the sum of the income from all these sources before income tax, the Medicare levy and the Medicare levy surcharge are deducted. Other measures of income are Disposable income and Equivalised disposable household income.

Note that child support and other transfers from other households are not deducted from the incomes of the households making the transfers.

This is one of four Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFAs) compiled by the ABS following each Census of Population and Housing. This index summarises attributes such as low income, low educational attainment, unemployment, jobs in relatively unskilled occupations and dwellings without motor vehicles. The first or lowest quintile refers to the most disadvantaged areas, while the fifth or highest quintile refers to the least disadvantaged areas.

A classification of the civilian population aged 15 years and over into employed, unemployed or not in the labour force, as defined. The definitions conform closely to the international standard definitions adopted by the International Conferences of Labour Statisticians.

Respondents were asked whether they had made use of a library or archive in the last 12 months. Libraries located in educational institutions are excluded from this category. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to exclude visits to libraries if the primary purpose was to go to a cafe, restaurant or toilet; or if the library or archive was accessed over the internet only. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include:

• use of libraries to borrow books/magazines/videos/CDs and/or to read, watch and listen to them while visiting the library
• Visiting a library to attend story-time and similar sessions
• joint-use or school and community libraries where the purpose of the visit was not to study
• travelling/mobile local or council libraries
• use of computers, the Internet & photocopiers, etc. at the library
• if the sole purpose of the visit is to go to an on-site shop
• National Archives of Australia or one of their reading rooms
• National Film and Sound Archive or one of their access centres, and
• archives specific to the respondents state or territory of residence.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any live music concerts or performances in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include rock, pop, jazz, country or folk performances, classical music concerts, music performances at a club, pub or cafe where the main intention was to see a music performance, symphony, philharmonic, youth and theatre orchestra concerts, chamber music concerts, choral or solo recitals, concerts 'in the park', and performing disc jockeys where the respondent considered that the DJ performance included a creative component. Also included were watching the taping of popular music-based television shows and attending live performance simulcasts. They were also advised to exclude opera and operettas, primary or secondary school productions, busking, parades and demonstrations, sports events, and performances viewed online, via the internet or TV.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any museums in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include national and state museums; local history museums; science and technology museums; military, maritime and war museums; natural history museums; geological and mining museums; anthropology and archaeology museums; transport or industrial museums; historical theme parks and historical houses that display artefacts/museum objects; and visits to any museum if the sole purpose was to go to an on-site museum shop. They were also advised to exclude art museums and galleries and visits to museums if the primary purpose was to go to a cafe, restaurant or toilets or to attend a product launch.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any musicals or any operas in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include operettas and attendance at a live performance simulcast, and to exclude instrumental music performances, primary or secondary school productions and performances viewed online, via the internet or TV.

All persons aged 15 years or over (except those aged 15-24 years who are full-time students) who have a parent in the household and do not have a partner or child of their own in the household.

Persons who were not in the categories employed or unemployed as defined.

A household consisting of a lone parent and at least one dependent child usually resident in the household. Related non-dependent children may also be present in the household. Households which also have other related or unrelated residents are included.

Comprises all households not otherwise defined, including multiple family households.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any other performing arts (excluding music concerts, operas, musicals, theatre and dance performances) in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include acrobats, cabaret performances, comedy acts and festivals, tattoos (e.g. military or police tattoos), watching television recordings not included in other categories, attending live simulcasts not included in other categories. Respondents were also advised to include any other performing art not included in other categories (such as magicians). They were also asked to exclude performances viewed online, via the internet or TV that were not included in other categories.

Participation in any of the selected cultural activities for which people received a wage or salary (including from a person's own incorporated business), received income from their own unincorporated business or partnership, worked on commission, received payment by the piece or item produced, or received any other form of income. Payment also includes the provision of goods and services (i.e. payment in kind). Wages and salaries exclude dividends from shares in an incorporated business and Newstart or Youth Allowance received under the Work for the Dole Scheme.

For any group, this is the number of people participating in the selected cultural activities, expressed as a percentage of the population in the same group.

Includes employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.

Groupings that result from ranking all households or persons in the population in ascending order according to some characteristic such as their household income and then dividing the population into 5 equal groups, each comprising 20% of the estimated population. 

The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) was used to define remoteness. Remoteness Areas divide Australia into five classes of remoteness on the basis of a measure of relative access to services. The Remoteness Structure is described in detail in the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 5 - Remoteness Structure, July 2016.

Respondents were asked whether they had been to any theatre performance, such as a play or drama, in the last 12 months. If the respondent asked for clarification they were advised to include alternate, playback, puppet, fringe, youth and community theatre, theatre sports and theatre of the deaf as well as drama, comedy, mime, theatre-in-education, and attending a live performance simulcast. They were advised to exclude circuses, touring 'club' shows, variety acts, operas and musicals, primary and secondary school performances, and performances viewed online, via the internet or TV.

Persons aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the reference week, and:

• had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were available for work in the reference week; or
• were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.

A participant in any of the selected cultural activities who willingly gave unpaid help, in the form of time, service or skills, to or through an organisation or group.