Cultural activities play a significant part in the daily lives of New Zealanders, contributing, among other things, to our national identity and our understanding of ourselves as a nation. This report provides insights into the cultural participation of New Zealanders by looking at patterns and trends of expenditure of New Zealand households on cultural goods and services. Household Spending on Culture 2006 provides data on how much New Zealand households spent on cultural goods and services during the year ending June 2004.
This report is part of a Cultural Statistics Programme operated jointly by the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Statistics New Zealand which aims to provide useful statistical information on the cultural sector in New Zealand. Using data on spending on cultural goods and services extracted from the Household Economic Survey, the report builds on and updates two previous reports published by Statistics New Zealand, Household Spending on Culture, in 1996, and A Measure of Culture: Cultural Experiences and Cultural Spending in New Zealand, in 2003.
Purpose
This report provides an update on cultural spending by New Zealand households based on information available from the HES for the year ended June 2004. The report also looks at trends in household expenditure between 2000/01 and 2003/04 for specific cultural categories, and, where possible, comments on any major variations or shifts during this period. It is not intended to draw comparisons with the 1995/96 HES data due to the uneven time interval between the two periods 1996–2001 and 2001–2004.
Key Results
Aggregate annual household spending on cultural goods and services increased by 20 percent from $2.3 billion in 2000/01 to $2.8 billion in 2003/04 (adjusted for inflation).
Average weekly household expenditure on cultural items during 2003/04 was $37.70, up from $30.70 in 2000/01.
Spending on cultural goods and services accounted for 4 percent of net total household expenditure in 2003/04.
Broadcasting was the single largest category of cultural spending, accounting for 32 percent of total spending on cultural goods and services. Households spent $12 per household per week on broadcasting.
Annual household spending on literature accounted for 21 percent of total cultural spending. Households spent on average $7.90 per week on literature.
Annual household spending in the film and video category recorded the largest increase at 94 percent, from $182 million in 2000/01 to $353 million in 2003/04.
Households in the Auckland region reported the highest average weekly spending on cultural items at $46.50. Households in the Lower North Island spent $36.30, while those in the South Island spent $35.50 and Upper North Island households spent $31.20.
DVDs are becoming more popular in New Zealand. Household spending on hire and purchase of DVDs increased from $9 million in 2000/01 to $102 million in 2003/04.
Spending on compact discs accounted for about 60 percent of the total spending recorded in the music category.
Based on individual spending recorded in diaries:
- Sixty percent of spending on cultural goods and services was by women.
- Those in the 35–44 age group spent the most on cultural items ($12 per week) while those in the 15–24 age group spent the least ($6.40).
- Cultural spending increased with the purchaser’s level of education: People with post-graduate degrees spent the most ($20 per week) while those with no formal qualification spent the least ($5.80 per week).
- Younger New Zealanders (aged 15–34 years) spent more on DVDs than
- video cassette tapes, while those aged 55 years and over spent more on video cassette tapes.
- Spending on compact discs declined with age – those in the 15–34 age group were the biggest spenders.
- Individual spending on newspapers and magazines increased with age.
- Individual spending on books declined beyond the age of 54 years.
Some of the significant cultural item expenditure reported by permanent and private households in New Zealand in 2003/04 included:
- $378 million on subscriptions to subscriber television or $4.90 per week per household
- $263 million on subscriptions and donations to charitable, church or civic organisations
- $244 million on purchase of television sets and televideos
- $160 million on magazines or $2.10 per week per household
- $154 million on cinema tickets and cinema clubs or $2 per week per household
- $151 million on newspapers or $1.90 per week per household
- $114 million on purchase of compact discs or $1.50 per week per household
- $102 million on hire and purchase of DVD discs or $1.30 per week per household
- $97 million on hire and purchase of video cassette tapes or $1.20 per week per household
- $61 million on DVD players.