Screen Australia

  • Search Keywords

  • Year

  • Production Status

  • Genre

  • Co-production

  • SA Supported

  • Indigenous creative

  • Length

  • Technique

Age profile of cinema audiences

compared to the Australian population, 1997–2016

Next update July 2018

There has been little variation in cinema-goers as a proportion of their age groups in over a decade. Younger people are over-represented among cinema audiences when compared with their proportion of the Australian population, while people aged 50 and over are under-represented. Similarly, there has been little change in the various age groups as a proportion of the Australian population. The greatest change has been in the 50 years and over group, which comprises 32 per cent of cinema-goers and 38 per cent of the population, up 8 and 6 percentage points respectively since 1997.

Age profile of cinema-goers compared to the Australian population
over the age of 14, 2016

Graph: Cinema audience attendance by age, 1974-2015. Table below has the data.

Proportion of cinema-goers (%)

14–17 years 18–24 years 25–34 years 35–49 years 50+ years
Cinema- goers1 All people2 Cinema- goers1 All people2 Cinema- goers1 All people2 Cinema- goers1 All people2 Cinema- goers1 All people2
1997 10% 8% 15% 12% 23% 20% 28% 28% 24% 32%
1998 10% 8% 15% 12% 22% 20% 29% 28% 25% 33%
1999 9% 7% 16% 13% 22% 20% 28% 28% 25% 33%
2000 9% 7% 16% 13% 22% 20% 28% 27% 25% 33%
2001 9% 7% 16% 13% 22% 19% 28% 27% 25% 34%
2002 8% 6% 16% 13% 21% 19% 28% 27% 27% 34%
2003 8% 6% 16% 13% 21% 19% 27% 27% 27% 35%
2004 9% 7% 16% 13% 21% 19% 27% 27% 28% 35%
2005 9% 7% 16% 13% 20% 18% 27% 27% 28% 36%
2006 9% 7% 15% 12% 19% 18% 27% 27% 29% 36%
2007 9% 7% 15% 13% 19% 18% 27% 27% 29% 37%
2008 9% 6% 15% 13% 19% 18% 28% 27% 30% 37%
2009 8% 6% 15% 13% 20% 19% 27% 27% 30% 36%
2010 8% 6% 16% 13% 21% 19% 27% 26% 29% 36%
2011 8% 6% 16% 13% 20% 19% 27% 26% 30% 37%
2012 8% 6% 16% 13% 20% 19% 25% 25% 31% 37%
2013 7% 6% 16% 13% 21% 19% 25% 25% 31% 37%
2014 7% 5% 15% 13% 21% 20% 25% 25% 32% 37%
2015 7% 5% 15% 12% 22% 20% 25% 25% 32% 37%
2016 7% 5% 14% 12% 21% 20% 26% 25% 32% 38%

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:
Figures may not match previously published data due to retrospective adjustments by Val Morgan & Co (Aust) Pty Ltd/Roy Morgan Research Centre in 2009.
1. Based on cinema visits in the last three months.
2. Proportion of Australian population over the age of 14.

About the data

Top