Since 2013, Leger has been working with the Toronto Arts Foundation to explore Torontonians’ opinions about the arts. The findings are published in the Toronto Arts Stats booklet and assist the Toronto Arts Foundation with its planning.
Over the years, the appreciation that Torontonians have for the arts has become clear: they feel artists and arts workers add value to Toronto and the lives of Torontonians (as measured in 2018).
This year, the survey explored artists and arts workers’ perceptions of Toronto for the first time.
Although highly educated, artists and art workers struggle to earn a living wage and find affordable housing. Finding secure sources of income is also difficult, which leads to being overworked. Close to three-quarters (73%) have thought about leaving Toronto.
As noted by the Toronto Arts Foundation in the 2019 Arts Stats report,
Despite all of this, our artists are committed to their craft, believe strongly in their work, and want to be in Toronto. 78% of artists and arts workers say Toronto’s cultural diversity makes the city a good place to live and work. And most importantly, 72% of our artists say they’d do it all over again.
Interested in learning more? Download the full 2019 Arts Stats Report below.
Click here to view the original publication.
Survey Methodology
From June 13 to July 15, 2019, Leger surveyed 1,508 arts professionals in Toronto using our proprietary online panel, Legerweb. For comparison purposes, the margin of error for a probability sample would be +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20.