A new survey by Nanos Research, Business/Arts and the National Arts Centre indicates it may take a while for audiences to feel safe enough to visit galleries and museums.
Nationally, just 30 per cent of those surveyed said they would return right after institutions reopen amidst eased restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19.
Some 27 per cent said they would wait an average of five months before returning, while 42 per cent were unsure when they might return.
The study focused on culture-goers who had attended an indoor cultural gathering, an outdoor cultural gathering or a gallery or museum in the 12-month period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Over one in two art gallery and museum culture-goers who plan to attend an art gallery or museum six months or more after businesses are reopened and following public guidelines mention a vaccine as a precaution that needs to occur to make them feel comfortable attending them," the survey notes.
People who said they would immediately attend a gallery or museum cited necessary precautions as social/physical distancing (45 per cent), followed by masks (24 per cent), hand washing/sanitizer (15 per cent) and smaller events/capacity (10 per cent).
Source: http://www.businessandarts.org