FACT: In 1996, Canadians spent $14 billion on cultural events and activities. This represents a 27 per cent increase in spending 10 years earlier, whereas total expenditures (on all goods and services) increased by only 18 per cent.

QUESTION: Can this be explained away by exorbitant ticket prices for Phantom of the Opera and other such musicals which dominated the past decade on the Canadian theatre scene?

FACT: There's been a declining audience for live music, theatre and opera. At the same time, non-profit arts groups are reporting increases in revenue. Yay for the little guys.

QUESTION: Many smaller non-profits groups closed their doors in the early 1990s, due in part to cutbacks in funding and a poor economy. Does this mean the companies that survived are now thriving?

FACT: Newspaper readership in Canada dropped from 92 per cent of the population in 1992 to 82 per cent in 1998.

QUESTION: This means almost 2 in 5 Canadians currently don't bother reading the papers. Does that mean they're happier than the rest of us?

FACT: Television viewing is down, "generally declining bit by bit for at least 15 years." We still watch a lot of conventional network television, and specialty channel viewing accounts for on 13 per cent of our remote-controlled hours.

QUESTION: So why do we need all these new specialty channels that the cable companies keep foisting on us?

FACT: Money spent on overall visits to the category including museums, zoos, parks and aquariums fell by a drastic 60 per cent in the past decade.

QUESTION: Are museums, zoos, parks and aquariums doing something wrong? Should they be considering more "entertainment" and "interactive" elements in their programming if they're going to continue to be viable?

FACT: "Movies are the real success story," notes Stats Can. After decades of decline, movie attendance grew 37 per cent between 1993 and 1997. Most of the tickets are being snapped up by Canadians under the age of 24.

QUESTION: Will the movie multiplex houses remain filled up on Saturday nights, once the Scream franchise runs out and the youngsters grow up? And are any of them going to Canadian movies?

Overall, the survey raises some interesting points. There seems to be a decline in the "cocooning" trend that seemed so popular in the early '90s. As the upper end of the baby boom gets older (50ish), these people have more free time and money, and at least an interest and intent to get out and do something. Most them, in surveys, say they plan to get out more often to live cultural events. But it's still uncertain whether the performing arts audience will grow or decline in the coming decade.

And what about that group of younger Canadians, the baby boomers kids, now mostly under age 24? They seem to be spending buckets of money on multiplex movies and big buckets of popcorn. They are most interested in mass media entertainment, the kind that's heavily advertised and reaches out to them. Will they grow up and reach out to live theatre, music and opera?

The Stats Can report concludes by advising that it's up to cultural groups to get really innovative if they're going to attract audiences. If not, say bye-bye ballet and hello Scream 2001: A Horror Odyssey.