2025 Calgary Citizen Engagement Survey
Since 2014, Calgary Arts Development has partnered with Stone-Olafson to better understand the degree and nature of how Calgarians are engaging with arts and culture in our community. The 2025 Calgary Citizen Engagement Survey found that although the arts sector is still recovering in many ways from COVID-19, arts engagement has mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels.
However, as forecasted in our 2022 survey, the landscape of engagement has changed. Financial concerns, shifting priorities and lasting pandemic effects mean that Calgarians are finding new ways to engage, and not everyone is returning to historically popular forms of engagement.
Key Observations
Calgarians are engaging more with the arts overall compared to 2022
The last time arts engagement was measured was during a time in which attendance and participation were still being massively impacted by COVID-19. Three years later, all three forms of engagement are up (observe, attend, create), and the number of Calgarians who are immersed in the arts (engaging in all three ways) has also increased. The rise in participation is largely being driven by attendance and creation-based activity.
Still, the number of Calgarians who are fully immersed in the arts has dropped from 44% in 2018 to 35% in 2025.
Despite this, immersed individuals returned to forming the largest segment of Calgarians, with those with lower levels of engagement forming smaller audiences.
Attendance is bouncing back, but not all activities have recovered
Attendance levels for most activities have risen to pre-pandemic numbers, but this is not the case across the board. The three most popular cultural activities among Calgarians (visiting a movie theatre, museum or live music event) are seeing slightly decreased attendance levels compared to 2018.
The average yearly amount spent on attending arts events has decreased by 19% since 2018 (spending was not recorded in 2022).
Attendance is heavily impacted by engagement level, with more highly arts-engaged audiences being much more likely to attend events frequently. Those who attend more events are also typically more community-engaged and feel a stronger sense of belonging in Calgary.
The way Calgarians engage with the arts is changing
While the rise in attendance levels was a predictable aspect of a return to ‘normal’ after the pandemic, there has also been a notable jump in creation-based engagement:
73% of survey respondents in 2025 indicated that they participate in some kind of creative activity or hobby, compared to 64% in 2022.
Additionally, while Calgarians spent less in 2025 on media and attendance, they spent 28% more on creation.
Self-directed arts and crafts activities took off during the pandemic, and they have remained popular. This is likely due in part to their accessible and often affordable nature. However, recent studies also show that creation is more than just a hobby for many — it can fulfil deeper social and emotional needs. Whether done alone or in a group, creative activities can have a positive impact on mental health, allowing individuals to connect with themselves and others through self-expression.
Cost remains the largest barrier to engagement
The trend towards personal creation indicates that the landscape of arts engagement is changing, perhaps away from more costly forms of involvement like attending an event or purchasing media. With rising costs and economic challenges affecting Calgarians (and Canadians in general), it is no surprise that affordability is the biggest barrier to engagement in the arts.
When asked about barriers they face, 43% cited that they feel arts and culture activities cost too much; an additional 28% face economic barriers due to a change in income.
However, cost is not the only barrier to engagement. Lack of time and interest are the next biggest factors preventing Calgarians from getting involved in the arts. Roughly a quarter of Calgarians feel it’s difficult to find the time to attend arts events, and/or would rather spend their leisure time in other ways. An additional 21% feel that arts events are not always relevant or appealing to them.
The uncertain economic climate is forcing Calgarians to be more selective about how they spend their time and money. This means that arts activities need to be perceived as offering real value for money in order to be prioritized — something that will need to be addressed if we want to foster a more arts-engaged community.
Overall perceptions of the arts remain positive
Although it is clear there are still barriers preventing Calgarians from engaging more deeply with arts and culture, general perceptions of the arts are mostly positive.
22% of participants feel that their connection to the arts has become stronger in the past year — a 16% increase from 2022.
Over three-quarters agree that arts and culture activities can expose people to new ideas and perspectives, as well as foster a sense of understanding and empathy for others.
Perceptions of Calgary’s arts and culture scene have improved, with nearly half of participants feeling that arts and entertainment options in the city are getting better. Compared to other major Canadian cities, Calgary’s reputation among its residents also seems to be improving, though it still trails behind other cultural centres like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
When it comes to pursuing a creative career in Calgary, however, feelings are less positive. Only half of respondents think Calgary is a good place to be an artist, representing an 11% drop from 2022. This indicates that, while the arts are seen as beneficial to the city, individual artists and the artistic community may be feeling less supported.
The arts help foster a sense of belonging
Only around a third of Calgarians (35%) feel a strong sense of belonging in their city.
Level of arts engagement was found to have a considerable impact on belonging — 46% of arts-immersed individuals feel a strong sense of belonging in Calgary versus just 20% of disengaged individuals.
Whether or not they actually feel a sense of belonging, over half (58%) of Calgarians agree that the arts can enhance one’s feeling that they belong in their community/city.
However, other factors play a role in belonging, including broader community involvement. Those who are more involved in their community — whether through volunteering, political engagement or participation in community groups or activities — also feel a stronger sense of belonging in Calgary.
Calgary Citizen Engagement Surveys
Calgary Arts Development strives to increase and use our resources wisely, foster collaborative relationships and make the arts integral to the lives of Calgarians.
Through its many activities and programs, Calgary Arts Development supports individual artists, artist collectives and arts organizations in their efforts to forge even stronger connections with the community. Key to this is investing in continuing to understand how the community perceives and engages with various arts events and activities.
Since 2014, Calgary Arts Development has partnered with Stone-Olafson to better understand the degree and nature of how Calgarians are engaging with arts and culture in our community. Specific objectives include:
- Monitor overall engagement with the arts in Calgary.
- Determine the type of engagement — either in observation, attendance or creation.
- Understand community perceptions and interactions with arts and culture activities/organizations.
- Evaluate citizen perceptions of the benefits of the arts and culture sector to the city, their community or themselves.
- Understand whether the arts can help foster a strong sense of belonging.
Research methodology
The survey instrument and sampling plan were developed by Stone-Olafson in collaboration with Calgary Arts Development.
The research was fielded online by Stone-Olafson using a consumer household sample with quotas established to ensure final outcomes are representative of the wider population in terms of age and gender. Because the overall sample is representative in terms of age and gender, the final data has not been weighted.
Within the sample, quotas were set to ensure representation by region within the city, including Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast and Centre City. The definition of Centre City reflects the alignment of the City of Calgary’s Centre City Plan.
Questions from previous implementations of this research (2022) were kept for tracking purposes where appropriate.
A total of 1,000 Calgarians participated in the research between February 24 and March 5, 2025.
A sample of this size delivers an overall reliability rate of +/-3.1%