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An estimated 801,000 New Zealanders went to the movies in the four weeks before the survey. Similar proportions of males and females (28 percent and 30 percent respectively) attended. Movie-going was most popular among younger people and declined with age, as figure 8.04 shows. In the 15–24 year group, 45 percent of people had been to the movies in the previous four weeks. This fell progressively among the age groups, to 16 percent of people aged 65 and over.
There was also some variation by ethnicity, as figure 8.05 shows. European/Pākehā (30 percent) and people in the ‘other’ ethnic group category (32 percent) were more likely than Māori (23 percent) and Pacific peoples (21 percent) to have been to the movies during the reference period.
Ethnic variations in movie attendance may in part reflect socio-economic differences in variables such as education and income. As figure 8.06 shows, education is clearly a factor in whether people attend the movies, as it is with most cultural activities. A third (33 percent) of people with secondary or tertiary qualifications had been to the movies during the reference period, almost twice the proportion of people with no qualifications (17 percent).
People who were in the labour force, whether employed or unemployed, were more likely to have been to the movies recently than people who were not in the labour force. Nearly a third (32 percent) of people in the labour force had been to the movies during the reference period, compared with 22 percent of people who were not in the labour force. The latter group includes many people in the retirement-age group, who are less likely than others to go to the movies.
Variations in movie-going by labour force status are also reflected in variations by income. People with incomes over $30,000 were more likely than others to go to the movies. Thirty-four percent of people earning between $30,000 and $50,000, and 33 percent of those earning $50,000 and over, had been to the movies during the reference period, compared with 26 percent of those earning under $15,000 and 28 percent of those with incomes between $15,000 and $30,000.
Where people lived had some effect on movie-going. People in main urban areas (31 percent) were more likely to have been to movies during the reference period than those in secondary urban areas (24 percent) and minor urban or rural areas (23 percent). This may reflect a combination of the range of movies available and lifestyle factors.
As figure 8.07 shows, regions containing the larger urban centres had relatively high rates of movie-going, with 35 percent of people in the Wellington region, 31 percent of those in the Auckland region and 29 percent of Canterbury people having been to the movies during the reference period. The Nelson/Tasman/Marlborough/West Coast region also had a relatively high rate of movie-going (31 percent).
Figure 8.07
Proportion of adults going to movies, in previous four weeks, by region
A profile of the movie-going population broken down by demographic and socio-economic characteristics, is shown in table 8.01. This shows that young people were over represented, with 15–24 year olds, who make up 18 percent of the population, making up 29 percent of the people who had been to the movies in the previous four weeks. Conversely, people in the 55–64 and 65 and over groups each made up just 8 percent of movie-goers, while making up 12 percent and 14 percent of the population respectively.
Table 8.01
Characteristics of adults going to movies in previous four weeks
The majority of people who had been to the movies had tertiary qualifications (56 percent) and this group was slightly over represented relative to its population size. Conversely, people without formal educational qualifications made up just 15 percent of people who had been to the movies, despite comprising 25 percent of the population. Employed people and people living in the main urban areas were also slightly over represented among movie-goers. Six out of 10 movie-goers lived in either the Auckland, Wellington or Canterbury regions, but these regions were not significantly over represented relative to their population size.
Multivariate analysis
Multivariate analysis showed education was the most important variable in determining whether people had been to the movies during the reference period, with a third of people with either secondary or tertiary qualifications having done so, compared with 17 percent of people without qualifications. For both these groups, age was the next most important variable. Among people with qualifications, there was a split between those aged 15–54 (36 percent) and those 55 and over (23 percent). Among those without qualifications, the split was between those aged 15–24 (34 percent) and those 25 and over (13 percent). Income and ethnicity were other important variables, with higher incomes and non-Māori and non-Pacific peoples ethnicity being associated with movie-going.
Number of movies attended
Nearly two-thirds of people (65 percent) who had been to the movies in the four weeks before the survey attended only one film, with 23 percent attending two and 12 percent attending three or more. As might be expected, people in the 15–24 year group were the most likely to attend more than one movie. Of those in this age group who had been to the movies during the reference period, 27 percent had been to two and 16 percent had been to three or more. Other variables showed no major variations in the number of movies attended.
Table 8.02 shows that people in the 15–24 year group made up more than a third (35 percent) of people who had been to more than one movie during the reference period, despite making up just 18 percent of the population. By comparison, people aged 55 and over made up just 13 percent of people who had been to more than one movie, while making up more than a quarter (26 percent) of the population. Apart from young people, other groups who were slightly over represented among multiple film-goers were people with tertiary qualifications, people who were employed and those living in the main urban areas, with the latter group making up 81 percent of people who had been to more than one movie during the reference period.
Table 8.02
Characteristics of adults going to more than one movie in previous four weeks
Barriers to movie attendance
People who had not been to the movies during the reference period were asked if they had wanted to do so and, if they did, what barriers had prevented them. An estimated 450,000 people, or 23 percent of those who hadn’t been to the movies, reported at least one barrier prevented them from doing so. The most common barrier cited by this group, as shown in figure 8.08, was lack of time – affecting an estimated 189,000 people, or 42 percent of those who cited reasons for not going to the movies. Other major barriers were the cost of tickets (136,000 or 30 percent) and caregiver responsibilities (112,000 or 25 percent).
Figure 8.08
Barriers to going to movies, proportion of adults unable to attend at all
Among those who had not been to the movies, those who were most likely to report barriers to doing so were those aged 15–24 (33 percent) and 25–34 (31 percent) and the unemployed (34 percent). In both these groups, cost and lack of time were major barriers, while in the 25–34 year group, caregiver responsibilities were also a commonly reported barrier. Caregiver responsibilities were also commonly cited by 35–44 year olds. Among the unemployed, cost was the major barrier.
People who had been to the movies during the reference period were asked if they had wanted to do so more often and, if so, whether there were any barriers that prevented them from doing so. An estimated 213,000 people, or 27 percent of movie-goers, wanted to attend more movies than they had during the reference period. The most commonly cited barriers encountered by those groups were lack of time (an estimated 92,000 people or 43 percent of those who cited a barrier to going more often) and the cost of tickets (90,000 people or 42 percent). The only other reason cited by sufficient numbers of people to give a reliable estimate was caregiver responsibilities (39,000 people or 18 percent).
The movie-goers most likely to cite barriers to attending more movies were 35–44 year olds, and the most commonly cited barriers for this group were lack of time, cost and caregiver responsibilities.
Interest in New Zealand movies
People who had been to the movies or had wanted to go to the movies during the reference period were asked how interested they were in going to New Zealand movies. Of this group, 25 percent, or an estimated 374,000 people, were very interested and a further 49 percent (733,000) said they were somewhat interested. Less than a quarter (22 percent) were not at all interested and 5 percent had no opinion. Similar proportions of men and women were very interested or somewhat interested in New Zealand content.
While young people aged 15–24 were the most likely to go to the movies, they were less likely than others to be very interested in going to New Zealand movies, with 19 percent being very interested, compared with 30 percent of 45–54 year olds and 28 percent of 25–34 year olds. However, while young movie-goers were proportionally less likely than others to be interested in New Zealand movies, figure 8.09 shows that they still made up the greatest number of people who were either very or somewhat interested (269,000). Those who were very interested in seeing New Zealand movies were more likely to be aged between 25 and 34 (89,000) or 35 and 44 (83,000).Levels of interest in New Zealand movies were lowest in the older age groups. Among those aged 65 and over, just 24,000 people were very interested in New Zealand movies and 49,000 were somewhat interested.
Figure 8.09
Adults interested in going to New Zealand movies, by age
There was also some variation by ethnicity, with more than a third (35 percent) of Māori being very interested in New Zealand movies, compared with 24 percent of European/Pākehā and 17 percent of people from other ethnic groups. However European/Pākehā still made up more than three-quarters of people who were very interested in New Zealand movies (287,000) or somewhat interested (588,000). Māori made up 14 percent of those who were very interested (51,000 people) and 8 percent of those who were somewhat interested (60,000 people).
Interest in New Zealand movies also varied by education. More than three-quarters (76 percent) of people with tertiary qualifications were either very interested or somewhat interested in seeing New Zealand movies, compared with 72 percent of people with secondary school qualifications and 67 percent of people without formal qualifications. As figure 8.10 shows, people with tertiary qualifications made up the majority of people who were very interested in seeing New Zealand movies (213,000) or somewhat interested (401,000).
Figure 8.10
Adults interested in going to New Zealand movies, by highest educational qualification
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