LIVE Insights: Audience behaviour settling into a new normal?

The fourth wave of LIVE’s rolling audience research has proven to be as revealing as ever.  With a common core of questions, LIVE has been able to track a move towards a new normal when it comes to going out, ticket purchasing and usage.  As Covid concerns like susceptibility to illness in crowds recede, the cost of living pressure remains present (with 1 in 6 still reporting that they have less disposable income than before).  The 25-34 year old demographic are a complex target: they are waiting longer to buy, confident of getting tickets, but also are most concerned about the total costs of events.

Each wave also contains a couple of questions that are chosen for their topicality and/or utility in addressing a current or upcoming topic.  This time we decided to take a look at audience behaviour, following discussions at LIVE Venues and LIVE Festivals as to unusual and atypical behaviour demonstrated by audience members in recent months.  Not just contained to the mosh pit, inappropriate behaviour has been witnessed at classical concerts and musicals.  This creates new challenges for venue staff and the wider audience.  

1 in 5 respondents believed that higher ticket prices bring increased expectations (which can lead to tensions if they are not met).  This rises to 1 in 3 for 18-34s.  31% feel queuing for drinks has become more painful than they remember and again it is our younger customers most firmly of this belief (41% of 18-24s).  36% agree that other people have forgotten how to behave in crowds (rising to 43% in London and 50% for Country and Metal fans).  While our audiences are feeling less tolerant (25% overall, rising to 33% in London and 34% of 18-34s) and more easily frustrated (25% overall, rising to 31% in London and 44% of House fans).
To view more highlights from the research click here.