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Audiences: Roy Morgan data: Attendance patterns by age

Percentage of people in various age groups who had been to the cinema in the last 12 months, and average number of visits, 1974–2009

Next update April 2011

Cinema attendance is most popular among people aged 14–24, with 85.9 per cent going to the movies in 2009, compared to 72.8 per cent of 25–34 year olds, 69.4 per cent of 35–49 year olds and 56.9 per cent of those aged 50 and over. As with attendance, 14–24 year olds again recorded the highest number of visits, averaging 9.7 during 2009. With the exception of 25–34 years olds, the frequency of visits rose over the last 12 months, and 14–24 year olds are now going to the movies more often than they have at any other time in the last five years. However, across all age groups, both attendance rate and frequency have fallen since 2004.

Attendance rate
(% been to the cinema in the last 12 months)

Frequency
(average no. visits per year)

Graph: Cinema audiences attendance rate by age, 1974-2009. The table following provides the data.

Graph: Cinema audiences frequency of visits by age, 1974-2009. The table following provides the data.

	Attendance rate (%)¹				Frequency²
	14–24 yrs	25–34 yrs	35–49 yrs	50+ yrs	14–24 yrs	25–34 yrs	35–49 yrs	50+ yrs
1974	91.9%	79.7%	61.1%	42.1%	16.4	8.7	6.9	5.6
1976	94.4%	77.4%	60.2%	35.9%	14.3	7.3	5.4	4.7
1978	91.9%	67.6%	56.2%	35.9%	14.5	9.0	5.7	4.7
1980	91.3%	71.3%	55.1%	35.7%	14.2	7.9	5.7	4.7
1982	92.2%	69.7%	57.6%	30.3%	10.4	7.1	5.5	4.3
1984	81.6%	55.9%	50.1%	33.9%	10.2	4.0	2.6	1.6
1986	85.3%	60.2%	51.5%	28.7%	12.6	9.6	8.0	7.2
1988	86.8%	64.6%	52.4%	34.7%	13.1	11.0	8.5	8.6
1990	87.4%	62.1%	58.4%	37.0%	12.7	10.5	9.2	8.9
1992	87.0%	69.0%	62.0%	42.0%	12.4	10.6	9.1	9.1
1994	88.7%	73.2%	67.7%	49.0%	12.2	10.5	9.4	10.1
1996	92.4%	79.3%	74.1%	51.8%	13.0	11.3	10.0	10.6
1998	91.0%	80.1%	73.4%	53.8%	10.6	8.5	6.6	7.5
1999	91.5%	80.3%	72.9%	54.0%	11.3	8.4	6.5	7.4
2000	89.8%	79.2%	70.6%	51.3%	10.8	8.4	6.7	7.6
2001	89.0%	78.2%	72.0%	52.6%	10.3	8.1	7.1	7.7
2002	89.8%	79.8%	73.4%	56.6%	10.2	8.3	6.7	8.1
2003	88.9%	78.3%	72.8%	55.4%	10.2	8.2	6.6	7.8
2004	90.0%	79.3%	73.1%	57.0%	9.8	7.8	6.5	7.4
2005	87.1%	74.6%	69.6%	54.3%	9.3	7.6	6.1	7.3
2006	85.2%	73.2%	69.1%	54.8%	8.9	7.4	6.1	7.3
2007	84.4%	72.9%	68.0%	54.0%	9.0	6.7	6.0	7.2
2008	84.1%	69.9%	68.8%	53.0%	9.3	7.6	5.6	6.9
2009	85.9%	72.8%	69.4%	56.9%	9.7	7.3	5.9	7.0

Source: Val Morgan & Co (Aust) Pty Ltd/Roy Morgan Research Centre, © Val Morgan & Co (Aust) Pty Ltd. Data may only be reproduced with permission.

Notes:
Age brackets for data from 1974 to 1982 have been collapsed to reflect age brackets used for data from 1990 onwards. The 50–59 year old bracket used in 1984, 1986 and 1988 has been extended to a general ‘50+’ bracket.
1. People who had been to the cinema in the last 12 months, as a percentage of total people in each age group.
2. Among cinema-goers; average annual frequency figures are estimates, based on data for frequency of attendance over a three-month period. The method for calculating annual estimates was adjusted between 1996 and 1998.

Audiences:: Media and communication devices: Children’s discretionary time, by activity; Children: Leisure activities