A New Balance: Engaging and Building Relationships with the Next Generation
Overview
Audiences under 45 are small today. They are also the core audience of 2050.
Most arts and culture organizations already know their audiences are aging. A New Balance looks beyond current attendees to understand how 18 to 45 year olds actually spend their leisure time, what they value, and what keeps them away. It then sets out a strategy, with 17 tested practices from organizations around the world, for building lasting relationships with them.
The study does three things:
- Sheds light on the motivations, interests, and behaviors of younger people beyond existing audiences and visitors when it comes to leisure, arts, and culture.
- Explains why organizations need to start thinking about the Next Generation now.
- Provides a strategy to achieve a “new balance”, focusing as much on the Next Generation of audiences and visitors as on the art being presented.
Why the Next Generation, why now
Arts audiences skew older, and the competition for younger people’s time is growing.
Core audiences of arts and culture organizations today, by age
11%
of core audiences are aged 45 or younger. More than two in three are over 60.
Source: Compilation of ABA members’ audience and post-performance surveys, US, 2025–2026. n=6,370
We are also competing with the couch
Leisure activities enjoyed most (top three)
n=1,182
Current memberships and subscriptions
n=1,136
Supply keeps growing too. There were 22,000 museums worldwide in 1975 and there are 95,000 today. Somewhere in the world, a Live Nation event starts every 20 minutes.
Sources: ABA survey; UNESCO; Live Nation
Less to spend
Adults aged 25 to 34 spent 12% less on entertainment in 2022 than the same age group did in 1989, after inflation, while housing and insurance costs rose.
Giving is shifting
Only 12% of donors aged 21 to 43 give to arts and culture, versus 22% of those 44 and older. Homelessness, human rights and climate rank higher.
Customers today and tomorrow
18 to 45 year olds are today’s customers, tomorrow’s customers and donors, and an influence on the generations that follow them as parents, teachers and creators.
Common assumptions vs. data
Five things people say about younger audiences, tested against the data
Each assumption holds some truth. The nuances are where the opportunities are.
Assumption 1They are more individualistic and self-centered.
of Gen Zs and Millennials are more likely to attend an event tied to a cause they care about.
Assumption 2They live online.
of 18 to 35 year olds want in-person events that connect them to their community. Personal recommendations are still the top source for arts and culture.
Assumption 3They want to experience “something new”.
are more likely to attend an arts or cultural experience connected to a story they already know. Novelty often comes from reimagining the familiar.
Assumption 4They are more spontaneous and less committed.
subscribe to a streaming service. They stay loyal to offers that are personalized and flexible.
Assumption 5Arts and culture rank low in their leisure priorities.
engage with arts and culture at least sometimes. Only 6% say they never go because they are not interested. Cost (41%) and time (27%) are the main barriers.
Sources: ABA survey; McKinsey; Deloitte; Eventbrite; Netflix; Attest; GWI. Full citations in the deck.
Values shape consumption
Coherence, authenticity and transparency matter.
Keep listening
Preferences shift. Use social media as a listening tool and open up co-creation.
Online leads to in person
Digital culture and communities can turn into in-person encounters.
Flexibility builds commitment
A sense of never-ending discovery is critical to long-term loyalty.
Reimagine the familiar
Novelty comes from finding what resonates and staying authentic.
The interest is there
Money, time and too many options limit attendance, not lack of interest.
A comprehensive strategy
Finding your new balance
Drawing on Stephen E. Weil’s idea of the museum moving “from being about something to being for somebody”, the strategy asks organizations to focus as much on the Next Generation as on the art they present. It is built on four pillars and 17 practices, each illustrated with a case study.
Create space for participation
- Involve the Next Gen in creative processesRedefined Young Curators Program · Young Membership Lab
- Overturn stereotypesTwenty Minutes Inside an Orchestra · Off-Stage Ballet
Build ongoing arts and culture habits
- Invite exploration and endless discoveryNetflix-Inspired Membership · City-Wide Classics in a Card
- Accompany the Next Gen on their lifetime journeysWelcome-to-Adulthood Tickets · Family-Friendly Proposition
Adapt as the Next Generation evolves
- Transform barriers into driversLife-Stage Formats · Patron Loyalty Score
- Stay open to changeInsight-Driven Rebrand
Become the heart of community life
- Transform into a third spaceMind Meet-ups · Living Room of the City · Civic Canvas · Wellness Hub
- Enable fourth spacesFandom Collaborations · Phygital Communities
Average visitor age after launching a streaming-style flat-rate membership.
Growth of the LabThyssen young Friends program since 2022, co-designed with young people.
Members in 2024 across eleven opera, ballet and symphonic institutions.
New sign-ups per season for its under-35 program, 2022–23 to 2025–26.
Virtual Research Forum
Join us for a deep dive into the findings
The ABA research team will walk through the study in detail, from the survey data on how 18 to 45 year olds spend their leisure time to the case studies behind each practice. Bring your questions and leave with ideas you can apply to your own organization.
12:00 PM ET · 9:00 AM PT · 5:00 PM in London · 6:00 PM in Paris
Download the report
The survey findings, the five assumptions in full, the complete strategy, and all 17 case studies with sources.