The demand for theater

What determines demand for theater? Theater managers should be interested in understanding their market. Beyond this, this is also important for policy as theater is frequently and substantially subsidized. This the characteristics of those who go to theater and how frequently they do so may help understand whether it is worth subsidizing it. For example, if only rich people go to theater, one could leave the state out and let the public pay higher prices, which substitute for taxes (and would then improve efficiency). If it is mostly poor people who attend theater, then it may be worth subsidizing if there is some sort of positive externality from it.

Concetta Castiglione uses micro data from Italy to find results that are not very surprising: everything is driven by education and income. Rich educated people pay more taxes and get them back in part in theater performances. This is even more pronounced than for higher education, for which forceful arguments have been made that the state should stop subsidizing it.

Of course, all this ignores consideration about the supply. but that does not matter here. Demand should be essentially the same whether theaters are subsidized or not in Italy.