In 2025, 90% of under 35 year olds across the country attended an arts event, with 60% of this age group taking part in a creative activity.
These figures are included in the annual Arts Insight report published today by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and launched by the Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan.
The research shows that last year, 71% of those aged 35-49, and 60% of those over 50 attended an arts event - which includes music, film and live performances .
While last year's attendance levels of 72% are equal to those in 2023, they are down from last year's figure of 83%.
The data shows there was a "unique surge" in attendance at events in 2024.
There are a number of reasons which "may have brought about this exceptional surge; such as a pent-up demand during COVID and a backlog of delayed international tours," the Arts Council stated.
The annual Arts Insight research, first established in 2018, helps inform arts policy and investment.
The research demonstrates that 77% of participants say "Ireland is a creative nation", 73% say the arts play an important role in society and 69% say arts education in schools is "as important as science education".
Cost, time and choice cited as barriers to arts attendance
The report also showed that barriers to participation in the arts remain, with cost cited as a dominant barrier to arts attendance along with time and choice.
Over half of participants surveyed said they did not attend an arts event because it cost too much, while nearly 38% said it was difficult to find the time to attend events.
More than one-third said they had limited choice where they lived.
However, 63% of those surveyed said they wish they could take part more.
The report found that the "strategic challenge" for the sector has fundamentally "shifted from post COVID recovery to proving value and maintaining accessibility in an era of sustained financial pressure on households".
The Arts Council Arts Insight research also found that 42% of 16-24 year olds use TikTok to find information about arts events.
Those aged under 35 also score highest for reading for pleasure, with 83% reading at least one genre in 2025, compared to 73% of all adults surveyed.
Over seven out of ten respondents read a book in the last year, and women are more likely to read fiction than men with over half of women surveyed saying they read a work of fiction, novel, story or play last year compared to 40% of men .
Chair of the Arts Council Maura McGrath welcomed the report, saying that The Arts Council has had a "turbulent time" but "now we are back on dry land and today was about going back to what the Arts Council does best, using evidence to see what is best for the artists".
She said it was "the first time since I became chair that I'm doing what we should be highlighting, that younger people in particular are engaging in the arts".
This she said, was the "fruit of a lot of hard work".
Ms McGrath pointed to the figure that shows that 77% of people described Ireland "as a creative nation" adding that "69% of people surveyed saying that arts education in schools is as important as science education is a compelling figure".
The research will be useful she explained as "data is one thing, but how we change it into intelligence is important".
Head of Insight and Public Engagement at The Arts Council Alice Ryan said this research is valuable as it is "longitudinal so helps us plan".
She points to "particularly interesting and useful" issues raised in the report including the factors around barriers to participation.
It is "useful for us to see the barriers in the research," she said explaining that cost and time "are two areas that have been highlighted and can be addressed in practical ways".
"With time cited as a barrier" Ms Ryan said, "in a practical way, we can work with arts organisations to look at longer opening hours for example" to encourage visitors.
Ms Ryan also outlined her views that the research reinforces the need to "open doors" for people through the creative places and creative schools programmes and how it was "fantastic to see in the study that young people are driving engagement with the arts".
