Facts and Stats

What Albertans have to say about culture

• The Resinnova 2010 Survey of Albertans on Culture discovered that:

  • Over 90% of Albertans attended, participated or performed in an arts event or activity in the past year.
  • A large majority (91.4%) of Albertans say that arts activities are very or somewhat important in contributing to the overall quality of life in their community.
  • Almost all (95.4%) Albertans say that historical resources are very or somewhat important in contributing to the overall quality of life in Alberta.
• 94 per cent of Albertans say that having a wide variety of cultural activities and events makes Alberta a better place to live. Source: Albertans' Perceptions of Culture & Quality of Life Survey 2005. Ipsos-Reid
   
• 97 per cent of Albertans believe it is important for every child in Alberta to learn about the culture of the province. Source: Albertans' Perceptions of Culture & Quality of Life Survey 2005. Ipsos-Reid
   
• 86 per cent of Albertans believe that taking part in cultural activities makes them feel good. Source. Albertans' Perceptions of Culture & Quality of Life Survey 2005. Ipsos-Reid
   
• 81 per cent of Albertans say taking part in cultural activities helps them to relieve stress. Source: Albertans' Perceptions of Culture & Quality of Life Survey 2005. Ipsos-Reid
   
• 94 per cent of Albertans believe that recreation and parks encourage children to be active, help them live healthy lifestyles and promote positive development. Source: Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, 2007. Public Perceptions on Use and Benefits of Local Government Recreation and Parks Services - Research Summary.
   
• 93 per cent of Albertans acknowledge that recreation contributes to an individual's health and well-being and 78 per cent realized that recreation can help reduce the burden of our health care system. Source: Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, 2007. Public Perceptions on Use and Benefits of Local Government Recreation and Parks Services - Research Summary.
   
• 93 per cent of Albertans agreed that recreation and parks play an important role in knitting communities together and enhancing quality of life. Source: Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, 2007. Public Perceptions on Use and Benefits of Local Government Recreation and Parks Services - Research Summary.
   
• 94 per cent of Albertans agree or strongly agree that physical activity will keep them healthy. When asked whether physical activity reduces their chances of getting serious health problems, 88.2 per cent of Albertans agreed or strongly agreed. Source: Alberta Centre for Active Living. 2007 Alberta Survey on Physical Activity: A Concise Report. Available at:
  http://www.centre4activeliving.ca/publications/
   
• Walking for pleasure, gardening and attending fairs or festivals are the top three activities for Alberta households, according to the 2008 Alberta Recreation Survey.

The economic and social benefits of culture

• At $882.2 million, Alberta has the fourth largest provincial economic impact from cultural tourism. Alberta's total economic impact from cultural tourism is 11 % of the Canadian total.  Source:  The Economic Impacts of Cultural and Sport Tourism in Canada 2007.

• The Conference Board of Canada estimates the economic footprint of Canada's cultural sector was $84.6 billion in 2007, 7.4% of Canada's GDP and generated approximately $25 billion in taxes for all levels of government. This is more than three times higher than the $7.9 billion that was spent on culture by all levels of government. Cultural sector employment exceeded 1.1 million jobs in 2007. Source: Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada's Creative Economy, 2008.
   
• Alberta's cultural sector represents approximately 3% of provincial GDP and employment. Source:  Alberta Industry Sector Performance and Prospects, 2009.

• A 2008 study commissioned by the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association showed that magazine publishing added $83.4 million in direct revenue in the province.
   
• Sound recording added $2.1 million to the Alberta gross domestic product in 2008.
   
• Albertans’ cultural spending is the highest of all provinces at $963 per resident, 15% higher than the Canadian average of $841.  Albertans spent $3.3 billion on cultural goods and services in 2008, or 2.8% of total consumer spending in the province. The $3.3 billion in consumer spending on culture is more than four times larger than the $810 million spent on culture in Alberta by all levels of government in 2007/08.  Source:  Consumer Spending on Culture in Canada, the Provinces and 12 Metropolitan Areas in 2008, Hill Strategies Research, 2010.
   
• Albertans receive a 12:1 return on every dollar spent on the arts. Source: Summary of the Economic Impact of the Arts in Alberta, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, 2005.
   
• Alberta's 11,700 artists represent 0.66 per cent of the labour force. Source: Statistical Insights on the Arts, Vol. 3 No. 2, Hill Strategies Research Inc., October 2004.
   
• Just over 3,500 Albertans owe their full-time job to the operations of the arts sector with total salaries equaling $106.8 million. Source: Summary of the Economic Impact of the Arts in Alberta, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, 2005.
   
• In 2007, tourism expenditures in Alberta were estimated to be $5.64 billion, a significant portion of which can be attributed to visits to heritage sites and museums, parks, festivals and sporting and recreation events. Source:  A Supportive Business Environment for Tourism.
• Recreation facilities are important to communities and Albertans by promoting a healthy lifestyle, building pride and creating both a regional and provincial economic benefit. Source: Alberta Recreation and Parks Association, 2006. Investing in Healthy People and Communities through Community Recreation and Parks Infrastructure.
  
• The ARPA Online Benefits Hub is a good source of information on the benefits that recreation, parks, arts, heritage, culture, environment, and sports contribute to outcomes such as quality of life, community engagement and social cohesion.