Exploring attendance by demographics in the case of Mongolian performing arts organizations

Abstract

The cultural market is undergoing increasing complexity; necessitating organizations to delve into a more detailed and thorough understanding of their target audiences than ever before, to effectively meet their needs and expectations. Acquiring and retaining audiences poses a significant challenge for performing arts organizations. The success of these businesses depends on their ability to comprehend the traits and behaviors of their target audiences. This study represents an initial marketing effort, conducting primary research to examine the profiles, demographics, and attendance patterns of audiences at two main performing arts organizations in Mongolia. The focus is on understanding how demographic factors such as age, gender, education, occupation, and income influence attendance frequency. Utilizing data from 6,514 individuals in the audience databases of the two performing arts organizations, 364 structured online survey questionnaires were collected in March and April 2023 through random sampling. Statistical analysis including descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, cross-tabulation analysis, and Chi-square testing, were employed to test the relationships between these factors. The results of the analysis indicate that all alternative hypotheses are supported. Specifically, the findings revealed that middle-aged, female, employed individuals with higher educational attainment and income levels tend to attend performing arts concerts more frequently.

Keywords

• arts attendance
• segmentation
• demographics
• performing arts audiences
• live performances