Are you willing to pay more for the arts?

Abstract

This study determines festival attendees’ Willingness To Pay to support an increase, or prevent a decline, in arts performances and exhibitions. It uses the contingent valuation method to produce a profile of attendees, showing how much, if anything, they are willing to pay per month over and above their current taxes, and their reasons for being willing or unwilling to pay extra. Apart from Snowball (2005), no studies to date have examined Willingness To Pay to support the arts in a developing country like South Africa. This study of the Aardklop festival shows how Willingness To Pay for the arts appears to have changed in South Africa over the past decade and it appears that arts patrons are less willing to pay than a decade ago. It suggests strategies for sustaining the arts in South Africa and will help events managers to identify the attendees who are willing to pay more.