Arts Confidence Survey

February 2026

ABA’s Arts Confidence Survey was launched to track key indicators of sentiment across the global arts and culture sector, and to offer insights into financial health, sector confidence, staff morale, organizational preparedness, and adaptability.

These findings provide a valuable look at how arts organizations are navigating current challenges, and what trends may be emerging for the future.

Highlights from this quarter’s survey include:

• 📉 Financial & Sector Anxiety: Approximately 40% of organizations are "somewhat concerned" about their financial health, and over 40% express similar concern about the future of the arts, with the sector's overall outlook remaining predominantly negative.

• 👥 Stable Attendance & Staff Morale: Roughly 50% of organizations expect no change in audience attendance levels, and concerns regarding staff retention and morale have notably decreased since October 2025.

• 🏛️ Government Funding Declines: A majority of organizations expect government funding to remain the same or decrease, and close to 30% warn that government funding cuts would significantly impact their overall budgets.\

• 💰 Fundraising: Around 80% of institutions plan to increase private fundraising efforts to offset any declines in government funding.

• ⚙️ Operational Shifts: Over the next 6 - 12 months, arts organizations anticipate making the most significant changes to their cost structures and funding compositions.

Please email info@advisoryarts.com if you have any questions or would like to learn more about the findings.