Q3 2025: Arts Confidence Survey

Arts Confidence Survey
The Arts and Culture Climate

October 2025

We’re excited to share the results from this installment, which offers insights into financial health, sector confidence, staff morale, organizational preparedness, and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. The survey also explores patterns in donor giving and audience or visitor attendance.

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:

• ⬇️ Organizations report lower levels of concern for the future of the arts

• ⬇️ Over a third of organizations expect a decline in attendance

• ↔️ Organizations continue to have a more negative view of the sector

• ⬆️ Organizations expect growth in donor giving

• ⬆️ Almost half of organizations are concerned about the ability to work with international partners

Q2 2025: Arts Confidence Survey

Arts Confidence Survey
The Arts and Culture Climate

July 2025

Following the special pulse check in February, ABA has officially launched the quarterly Arts Confidence Survey to track key indicators of sentiment across the global arts and culture sector.

We’re excited to share the results from this installment, which offers insights into financial health, sector confidence, staff morale, organizational preparedness, and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. The survey also explores patterns in donor giving and audience or visitor attendance.

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

Highlights of the survey include:

• ⬇️ Organizations report lower levels of concern over financial health and staff morale in June 2025 compared to February 2025.

• ⬆️ 10% increase in organizations expecting a decline in donor giving

• ⬆️ Programming and the make-up of staff both saw large increases in June 2025 compared to February 2025 when it comes to the areas

Q1 2025: Arts Confidence Survey

Special Edition Pulse Survey
The Arts and Culture Climate in the US

February 2025

In an effort to understand perception of recent events, and how they may affect the Arts & Culture sector, ABA deployed a Special Edition Pulse survey early 2025, with over 100 responses from executives across the United States. Organizations of all different sizes and genres responded, both ABA members and non-members. 

Five Key Findings

1. 60% of you have concerns over staff morale and retention
   
   How we can help: We have recently released the findings from the 2025 update to our ground-breaking Compelling Employer study. In-depth survey analysis of 800 staff across 40 organizations reveals that job security is now the attribute that staff value most, up from number four just two years ago. Next month, we will unveil best practices on how to positively influence the attributes that matter most.
    

2. 70% of you believe an already fragile financial picture is likely to worsen
   
   How we can help: At our spring meeting series kicking off next month in DC we will feature a compilation of ideas, from the strategic to the tactical, that you and others have used to innovative earned revenue maximization at a time when other sources of funds might be declining
    

3. 65% of you believe pressure on private donors will grow further
   
   How we can help: We are launching across the second half of this year a seminal new project: Cultivating the Next Generation of Major Donors.
    

4. How you reposition your organization in the community and in grant applications are the #1 and #2 anticipated changes in the next 6-12 months
   
   How we can help: This topic will be the subject of our quarterly Peer Group Forums for marketing, fundraising, CFO, community engagement, HR  and mid-career executives.
    

5.  Three-quarters of you plan to maintain current DEIA programs
   
   How we can help: Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Topic Center helps you understand how others are making progress against DEI&A initiatives and explores the critical elements of a sound DEI&A strategy.