[Source: People’s Daily Client Shanghai Channel] On August 27, the Shanghai Grand Theater will celebrate its 26th anniversary. In response to the consumption habits and needs of the new generation of audiences, the Shanghai Grand Theater released the "SGT Audience Cultural Consum

[Source: People’s Daily Client Shanghai Channel]

On August 27, the Shanghai Grand Theater will celebrate its 26th anniversary. In response to the consumption habits and needs of the new generation of audiences, the Shanghai Grand Theater released the "Sgt Audience Cultural Consumption and Performance Trends Survey" based on a survey of 3,018 respondents. The survey found that among the existing Shanghai Grand Theater audiences, women account for nearly 70%; young and middle-aged people aged 18-45 are the main audience group, showing a trend of cross-generational integration and expanded coverage; 74.1% of the surveyed audiences attend performances every year More than 1,000 yuan has been invested in this aspect; the proportion of high-frequency viewers has increased significantly, with the proportion of viewers who have attended performances more than 10 times reaching 15.3%; 60.3% of the audience choose to enter the theater during holidays and leisure, and cultural consumption has gradually become a lifestyle habit.

Through the research on "The main reasons why the Shanghai Grand Theater attracts audiences to watch performances", it was found that performances that meet the audience's interests (55.5%), performance quality is guaranteed (52.9%) and diverse repertoires meet different needs (52.2%) are the most important reasons. Three aspects that attract your audience. It is worth noting that the “uniqueness” of the performance (35.5%) has become an important reason why many audiences choose to visit the Grand Theater to watch performances. Take the Shanghai Grand Theater as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's "main performance venue" in the summer of 2024 as an example. The top-notch music feast for seven consecutive days has broken many performance records for classical music at the Grand Theater. According to statistics, more than 10% of overseas audiences and 47% of out-of-town audiences take high-speed trains to attend concerts. During the "Berlin Philharmonic in Shanghai" period, taxi orders in the People's Square business district increased by 3.6% week-on-week, and the sales of restaurants near the Shanghai Grand Theater generally increased by 30-40%.

Big data analysis results show that the audience who visited the Shanghai Grand Theater in 2023 covered 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country. In addition to local residents in Shanghai, residents from Jiangsu (4.30%), Zhejiang (3.36%) and other Yangtze River Delta regions visited. The proportion is relatively high, with more viewers from Sichuan and Yunnan in the southwest, and more viewers from Beijing and Liaoning in the north.

Going to a city for a performance, cross-city and cross-border viewing is increasingly becoming a trend, and the influence of the Shanghai Grand Theater is radiating across the country and even the world. In the questionnaire for potential audiences, 70.6% of the respondents believed that the Shanghai Grand Theater is the city’s cultural business card, and 62.4% believed that the Shanghai Grand Theater played an important role in attracting more foreign tourists and increasing the popularity of the city.

Judging from the age distribution of the audience, young and middle-aged people aged 18-45 are the main audience of the Grand Theater. Interestingly, compared with the 2017 survey data, the proportion of viewers aged 36 and above has increased, especially the proportion of viewers aged 36-45 increased by 21.1%, showing a trend of cross-generational integration and expanded coverage.

The entertainment and leisure patterns of Shanghai Grand Theater audiences (n=2514, %). Photo courtesy of the Shanghai Grand Theater

After analyzing the main motivations for watching performances, it was found that interest and content are still the core of attracting audiences to the theater. 61% of the interviewed audiences were attracted by "the participation of their favorite theater troupe or artist" Go to watch the show. Word-of-mouth communication has also become an important factor. 44.8% of the interviewed audiences will go to the theater because of positive reviews on social media, and 40.1% will go to watch the show on the recommendation of relatives and friends nearby.

However, a survey of fellow performance watchers found that with the significant rise in the trend of personalized performances, a new group of "i people" audiences have gradually entered the public eye: they choose to enjoy the charm of art alone and are willing to Share your performance experience with others through online platforms. Comparing the 2017 survey data, it was found that the proportion of audiences watching performances alone increased from 4.5% to 29.6%, becoming the group with the largest increase.

Survey data shows that 88.5% of the interviewed audiences will post their viewing experience and evaluation on social media and personal circles of friends. Among them, 47.8% choose to share their viewing experience in circles of acquaintances such as WeChat Moments. ; And graphic social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, which have the nature of "planting grass" and "amway", are very popular among young people. This kind of audience even uses these platforms to find "fans of watching performances" and spontaneously Start an interactive discussion.

The situation of the Shanghai Grand Theater’s audience members attending performances in 2017 and 2024 (%).Photo courtesy of Shanghai Grand Theater