Contents
- Arts volunteering statistics: participation rates and population reach
- Arts volunteering statistics: who volunteers in arts and culture
- Arts volunteering statistics: volunteer activities and motivations
- Arts volunteering statistics: time, frequency, and commitment
- Arts volunteering statistics: volunteer workforces in cultural organizations
- Sources
Arts volunteering statistics: participation rates and population reach
Arts volunteering statistics cover several kinds of contribution. New Zealand’s survey asked adults whether they gave unpaid time to arts, culture, or heritage (ACH) activities during the prior 12 months. France measured people volunteering in cultural associations. Canadian figures count volunteers working with surveyed not-for-profit heritage institutions. The populations, periods, and definitions differ, so the measures are best read separately.
In New Zealand, 24% of adults reported ACH volunteering during the 12 months before a survey conducted in September–October 2025. The survey asked 2,000 adults about unpaid help given to an organization, group, or community. This is an annual participation measure; it does not count shifts or hours. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
Participation varied by age: 35% of adults aged 18–29 reported volunteering, compared with 21% of those aged 30–59 and 22% of those aged 60 and over. These are rates within each age group, not shares of all volunteers. The youngest group had the highest reported rate; the rates for the 2 older groups were close. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
The survey reported ACH volunteering among 31% of Māori, 28% of Pacific peoples, and 27% of Asian peoples. The Ministry identifies the Māori rate as the highest among ethnic groups. Each percentage describes participation within its named group, not that group’s share of all volunteers. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
In France, volunteers in cultural associations represented nearly 6% of the interviewed population aged 16 and over in 2021, or approximately 3.1 million people. The Enead survey interviewed 10,332 people from 15 February to 15 April 2021. It classified cultural associations by respondents’ self-reported primary activity domain. The report situates the findings in the COVID-19 context and says many volunteers had reduced activity. This population estimate is not directly comparable with New Zealand’s preceding-12-month measure. Source: French Ministry of Culture, Les bénévoles des associations culturelles
Arts volunteering statistics: who volunteers in arts and culture
Volunteer participation rates and volunteer composition answer different questions. The New Zealand figures by age and ethnicity above show rates within population groups. French figures below describe the makeup of cultural-association volunteers. New Zealand’s other comparisons show how volunteering status relates to reported arts engagement.
Among New Zealand respondents, 96% of ACH volunteers attended ACH events or activities, compared with 85% of non-volunteers. Creating or producing ACH activities was reported by 69% of volunteers and 31% of non-volunteers. These observations show that attendance and creative activity were common among volunteers; they do not establish that volunteering caused either behavior. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
In France in 2021, women made up 52% of cultural-association volunteers. Retirees accounted for 41%, while people aged 65 and over accounted for 35%. Age and retirement are distinct categories: one describes age, the other employment status. These are shares of volunteers, not participation rates among women, retirees, or older people in the general population. Source: French Ministry of Culture, Les bénévoles des associations culturelles
Arts volunteering statistics: volunteer activities and motivations
New Zealand’s 2025 survey asked 472 ACH volunteer respondents which activities they supported during the preceding 12 months. Respondents could report more than one activity, so the percentages are not parts of a single total.
| Activity supported | Share of ACH volunteer respondents |
|---|---|
| Cultural festival or event support | 37% |
| Theatre, dance, or music performance support | 23% |
| Workshop or class teaching a cultural or creative activity | 21% |
| Museum, gallery, or heritage place visitor hosting | 20% |
| Art or craft shows or events | 19% |
| Heritage or tāonga preservation | 16% |
| Ngā Toi Māori events | 14% |
| Film festivals or screenings | 9% |
| Literary or creative writing events | 8% |
Festival or event support was the most commonly reported activity in this series, at 37%. Performance support was reported by 23%, and 21% supported a workshop or class. Visitor hosting accounted for 20% and art or craft shows or events for 19%. The remaining reported categories were heritage or tāonga preservation (16%), Ngā Toi Māori events (14%), film festivals or screenings (9%), and literary or creative writing events (8%). The survey identifies activity types, not hours spent in each role. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
Respondents also reported reasons for volunteering. Giving back to the community was cited by 67%; following interests or passions by 46%; and improving wellbeing or health by 33%. Social and practical reasons included making friends (25%), a friend asking them to join (23%), and gaining work experience (21%). As respondents could report multiple reasons, these percentages should not be summed. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
| Reported reason | Share of ACH volunteer respondents |
|---|---|
| Give back to the community | 67% |
| Follow interests or passions | 46% |
| Improve wellbeing or health | 33% |
| Make friends | 25% |
| A friend asked them to join | 23% |
| Gain work experience | 21% |
Cultural promotion and preservation appeared among the reasons reported by specific groups: 37% of Māori volunteers and 42% of Pacific volunteers cited promoting or preserving arts, culture, heritage, creative activities, or ngā toi Māori. The wording spans several cultural and creative domains. These values refer to volunteers in each group, not all Māori or Pacific adults. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
Arts volunteering statistics: time, frequency, and commitment
New Zealand reports an average weekly time contribution alongside medians over a typical four-week period. These measures describe different statistics and periods. ACH volunteers gave an average of 1 hour per week. The age-group medians were 5 hours for volunteers aged 18–29, 4 hours for those aged 30–59, and 5 hours for those aged 60 and over, each over a typical four-week period. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
| New Zealand volunteer group | Median time | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Adults aged 18–29 | 5 hours | Typical four-week period |
| Adults aged 30–59 | 4 hours | Typical four-week period |
| Adults aged 60 and over | 5 hours | Typical four-week period |
| Māori ACH volunteers | 6 hours | Typical four-week period |
| Ngā Toi Māori volunteers | 10 hours | Typical four-week period |
Māori ACH volunteers reported a median of 6 hours over a typical four-week period; volunteers supporting Ngā Toi Māori reported a median of 10 hours over the same period. These are group-specific medians, not annual estimates. Source: Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Volunteering for arts, culture, and heritage
In France, 88% of cultural-association volunteers had been active in their association for more than 1 year in 2021. Among volunteers aged 16–29, 70% had also been active for more than 1 year. Duration of involvement is distinct from hours contributed. Source: French Ministry of Culture, Les bénévoles des associations culturelles
Frequency data provide another view of commitment. In 2021, 69% of French cultural-association volunteers took part at least once per week, and 20% participated at least 3 times per week. These figures describe frequency, not hours per session. The report’s COVID-19 context and note that many volunteers had reduced activity also frame these period-specific findings. Source: French Ministry of Culture, Les bénévoles des associations culturelles
Arts volunteering statistics: volunteer workforces in cultural organizations
Population surveys describe individual participation; organization surveys count volunteer workforces and hours. Canada’s 2023 Survey of Heritage Institutions covers surveyed not-for-profit heritage institutions, including museums, historic sites, art galleries, archives, and zoos and botanical gardens. Its totals are institution-level figures for those types, not a count of volunteers across every Canadian arts organization.
The institutions reported 80,851 volunteers and 4,387,740 hours worked by volunteers in 2023. The table gives the reported counts and hours by institution type; these are totals, not derived averages.
| Canadian not-for-profit heritage institution type | Volunteers in 2023 | Volunteer hours in 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Total, Canada | 80,851 | 4,387,740 |
| Museums | 48,433 | 2,766,744 |
| Historic sites | 9,949 | 462,164 |
| Art galleries | 9,486 | 309,948 |
| Zoos and botanical gardens | 9,741 | 495,991 |
| Archives | 3,243 | 352,893 |
Museums reported 48,433 volunteers and 2,766,744 volunteer hours. Historic sites reported 9,949 volunteers and 462,164 hours; art galleries, 9,486 volunteers and 309,948 hours; zoos and botanical gardens, 9,741 volunteers and 495,991 hours; and archives, 3,243 volunteers and 352,893 hours. Source: Government of Canada, Survey of Heritage Institutions: 2025 report
These observations cover distinct dimensions of arts volunteering: participation in New Zealand, cultural-association profiles and commitment in France, and workforce counts in Canadian heritage institutions. Their definitions and periods differ; each is most informative when interpreted within its stated population and scope.