Mental health, well-being, prime concerns for music workers

30 May 2022

A recent survey of people working professionally in the Australian music and live performing arts industries makes for grim reading. Conducted in March by Support Act, a charity assisting artists and workers in the Australian music industry, the findings reveals many are fearful for their livelihoods and mental health:

66% of participants had high/very high levels of psychological distress, more than four times the general population
59% experienced suicidal thoughts, which is over four and a half times the proportion of the general Australian population
29% reported having a current anxiety condition and 27% reported currently having depression, both more than twice that of the general population
Over one third of participants reported incomes from their work in music/live performing arts as less than $30,000 per annum, which is below the poverty line
Just 15% said they felt safe at work all of the time, with 35% saying they were exposed to unsafe working conditions in the last year
Over 47% lost their jobs due to the pandemic

The full summary of survey findings (PDF) can be read here.