Overview
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:
Why the Next Generation, why now
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
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.
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.
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
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.
Coherence, authenticity and transparency matter.
Preferences shift. Use social media as a listening tool and open up co-creation.
Digital culture and communities can turn into in-person encounters.
A sense of never-ending discovery is critical to long-term loyalty.
Novelty comes from finding what resonates and staying authentic.
Money, time and too many options limit attendance, not lack of interest.
A comprehensive strategy
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.
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
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.
2026
As we look to the future, engaging younger audiences is one of our sector’s most vital priorities. That is why ABA dedicated its 2026 Major Research Initiative to the topic: The New Balance: Engaging and Building Relationships with the Next Generation.
From the outset, we knew that engaging younger audiences successfully would require a deep understanding of their motivations, behaviors, and interests. With this in mind, we launched ABA’s 2026 Arts, Culture and Leisure Survey.
What began as a survey of Gen Z (1998-2008, 18+) and Millennials (1981-1997) soon grew into a broader effort that included Gen X (1966-1980) and Boomers (1946-1965) and was built with three parameters in mind:
This analysis, alongside the strategies and best practices profiled in The New Balance: Engaging and Building Relationships with the Next Generation and Cross-Generational Audience Strategies, offers a new lens through which arts organizations can adapt and respond more effectively to audience needs in a changing world.
I am thrilled to share the results with you.
CEO & Founder
At the core of this research are three questions that explore what defines today’s generational cohorts:
What are the defining motivations, behaviors and interests of Gen Z (18+), Millennials, Gen X and Boomers?
Which are shared across generations?
How can these differences and similarities help arts and culture organizations shape their audience strategies?
These three questions formed the foundation of our research, providing the thread through which we brought the data into dialogue. The result is 10 insights that highlight the similarities and differences across generations at this moment in time, along with their implications for arts and culture organizations.
Our analysis suggests that, across generations, people turn to arts and culture to fulfill the same needs: to connect and to disconnect, to express themselves, to find meaning, to experience joy, and to feel part of something larger than themselves. These are deeply human needs and powerful common ground.
Yet there are also key generational differences that influence marketing, communications, programming, and pricing decisions, and understanding them can help arts organizations engage larger and more diverse audiences.
Fielded through Dynata in March 2026 · 3,274 respondents · Sample designed for 25% per generation and 50/50 gender in each country, with urban populations intentionally overrepresented · Gen Z respondents 18+ · Base sizes (N) vary by question and are shown under each chart.
This sample set design allows us to explore directional patterns of generational cohorts at this moment in time.
We do not aim to reduce people to their generational label. Generations are not monolithic groups. They are made up of diverse individuals whose experiences, attitudes, and behaviors are shaped by many factors beyond generation, including personal circumstances, geographic location, dependents, and income. We see generational cohort as one useful lens for understanding broader audience trends and the forces shaping arts and culture participation at this moment in time.
With this in mind, the findings that follow are a starting point for thinking about what is shaping audiences today. There is plenty more for organizations to explore, test, and build on as they develop their own strategies to serve their loyal patrons and engage the next generation.
Patterns that hold for every generation in the study, where one strategy serves the entire audience, rather than four.
Patterns present in every generation, but that vary in strength or meaning by generational cohort.
Patterns that hold for every generation in the study, where one strategy serves the entire audience, rather than four.
Across Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers, dining out, traveling, and home leisure rank above arts and culture as leisure priorities.
Across all four generations, around 80% agree that attending arts and culture experiences supports their overall wellbeing. The connection has already been made by most audiences, and speaks to a more complex human need: belonging, esteem and self-actualization, the territory arts and culture organizations already occupy.
Arts and culture already contribute to people’s wellbeing. We just need to be more intentional about it.
Position arts organizations as contributors to people’s wellbeing and quality of life, alongside their artistic impact.
Design programming and environments more intentionally around wellbeing, including sensory-friendly experiences, contemplative spaces, participatory formats and opportunities for social and inner connection.
Connect cultural participation with broader health and wellbeing initiatives, offering non-clinical activities that can complement traditional care.
Two-thirds of respondents say they engage more with arts and culture when traveling than in their day-to-day lives.
Travel creates a mindset of curiosity, discovery and openness.
When traveling, people are more open to exploring, trying new things and engaging with culture outside their usual routines.
Invite audiences to rediscover their own city and communities.
Create moments of surprise and exploration.
Make a cultural visit feel like a break from the everyday.
…but even more so among younger generations
People of all ages consistently attend arts and culture experiences, and contrary to the common assumption, younger generations express more interest in the arts than older generations.
We know that people of all ages, and particularly younger generations, care about the arts. So the challenge is not to create interest, but to capture the interest that already exists, and to become a more consistent choice in how they spend their time.
…but more so among younger generations
Film screenings and museums rank among the top three activities for every generation, giving all four a shared cultural core. Beyond that core, younger generations spread their cultural lives across a wider range of activities, while older generations concentrate on fewer.
The same holds for where culture happens. Gen Z and Millennials are more than twice as likely as Boomers to engage mainly in grassroots and independent venues (26% and 25% vs 12%), while Boomers remain the most anchored in traditional institutions (62%). For younger audiences, culture lives in a wider ecosystem: not only traditional institutions, but also digital experiences, entertainment, social activities, wellness practices, and new forms of participation.
Top three activities chosen. Choose a generation.
Traditional venues versus grassroots and independent ones. Choose a venue type.
“Mainly in traditional/institutional venues (museums, theatres, opera houses…)”
In an extremely crowded cultural ecosystem, arts organizations need to find ways to stand out and become a more consistent choice for audiences.
Build clearer pathways into arts organizations, recognizing the place we already hold in people’s cultural lives and finding ways to expand it.
Protect the essence and quality of the art itself while making room to experiment: evolving how, where, and why people engage.
…but for older generations, the perceived burden of price is heavier
While price is the top barrier for everyone, reducing the costs alone, particularly for young generations, will not create sustained engagement.
Affordability matters (a lot) for all generations. But reducing the price alone may have different results depending on the generation.
For Boomers, for example, the cost barrier is stronger, but the time barrier is lower compared to the other generations (20% vs 26% for Millennials, for example), so lowering the price can go a long way. Flexible pricing and access models help address it.
For the younger and busier generations, who consume culture in more varied places and are more selective in how they spend their free time, price alone won’t solve it: the experience must justify the time and effort and provide a more compelling value proposition.
…but who people connect with differs across generations
Arts and culture follow a relational cycle with connection at its core: people discover culture through those they trust, experience it with those they are close to, and extend the experience by sharing it with their own networks.
We need to recognize (and design for) connection as a core part of the experience.
Offer experiences that allow them to explore and express who they are, and to share this identity-in-the-making with their friends and partners.
Position cultural outings as quality time: a way for Millennials and Gen X to invest in their relationships with partners, family, and close friends.
Culture can be the ‘companion’ for older couples or solo audiences: inclusive and affordable experiences can make all the difference in giving life meaning.
…but older generations still plan further ahead than younger ones
Older generations plan further ahead than younger ones, affecting our communication strategy for each generational cohort.
Reaching Millennials and Gen Zs requires high visibility close to the event, and a digital presence that makes the decision feel exciting and easy. For older audiences, particularly Boomers, communication should also start further in advance.
…but what ‘something new’ means differs
Desire for something new, appetite for knowledge, escaping from the everyday, and engaging with loved ones are motivations that lead people of all generations to attend the arts. Gen Z adds one distinctive motivation at twenty-five percent: enjoying experiences that align with their personal style or aesthetic.
Everyone looks for a sense of novelty, but younger generations are more open to finding it in new formats: shorter, less formal, more social experiences, with the art still at the core and of the highest quality.
Audiences are not asking arts organizations to completely abandon traditional formats, but some level of innovation is expected, particularly among younger generations.
…but openness to arts subscriptions decreases with age
People are already using memberships and subscriptions for different aspects of their lives. When we asked about a subscription specific to arts and culture, younger generations were more open to the idea.
Currently, arts organizations are attracting a narrow segment of the population (often older, higher-income, highly engaged audiences) and offering them the type of subscriptions they value: fixed, consistent and secure.
If we want to reach broader audiences, we need to rethink what a subscription can be, borrowing from the models these audiences already use in streaming, wellness, and other services: flexible, personalized, and built around continuous discovery.
…but some priorities emerge
Across generations, people are looking to the arts for many of the same things: to connect and disconnect, express themselves, find meaning, experience joy, and feel part of something bigger than themselves. While these needs are universal, our analysis highlights distinct priorities across each generation:
Everyone seeks the same things. Choose a generation to see where its priorities lie.
Identity exploration & projection
Reflecting people’s interests, aesthetics, and lifestyles, while becoming part of the identities they are building. For this generation, identity is something to be explored, expressed, and shared socially.
Create opportunities for Gen Zs to participate, shape, and share culture as part of the identities they are building.
Self-awareness & growth
Exploring passions, values, and experiences that help them become a more intentional, “better” version of themselves. Relationships (partners, kids, close friends) are part of their self-actualization project.
Design experiences with a clear personal-growth arc (skill-building, discovery, or introspection) that people can point to as evidence of progress, either by themselves or with their loved ones.
Disconnecting while connecting
Creating meaningful, memorable moments and strengthening relationships with their close circles.
Design cultural experiences around meaningful time with loved ones, whether reconnecting with partners away from everyday responsibilities or creating shared experiences with family and friends.
Enjoyment & meaning
Being a source of enjoyment, providing a break from routine and giving life meaning.
Offer affordable and inclusive opportunities for enjoyment and exploration, to help them stay curious, active, and engaged with the world.
The opportunity is not to create four different roles for the arts, but one shared role with four different priorities: understand which aspects of that universal role matter most to each generation, and design experiences that meet those priorities.
…regardless of your birth year
Find out if your individual preferences match your generational cohort’s, or if perhaps you were born in the wrong decade.
Just for fun, not a scientific instrument. As the research itself says, generations are not monolithic.