Austria/ 6. Financing of culture  

6.1 Short overview

In Austria, the "LIKUS system" (Länder-Initiative Kultur-Statistik), according to which data on art and culture are divided into branches (e.g. literature, film, photography etc.), has been in use since 1996 in the annual Arts Report (Kunstbericht), in the provincial cultural reports and by STATISTIK AUSTRIA. The development work for LIKUS was directed by Otto Hofecker, Institute for Culture Management of the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts. This branch-related grid, which divides fields relevant to cultural policy, increases transparency in art and culture support, as it makes the cultural expenditure of all regional and local authorities in Austria comparable with one another. Moreover, the annual Culture Report (Kulturbericht) provides information on state expenditure for the main cultural institutions (e.g. museums), heritage protection etc.

In 2010, the public cultural expenditure of the national, regional and local authorities established by STATISTIK AUSTRIA, according to the LIKUS framework, came to some EUR 2.33 billion, or 0.82% of GDP. Expenditure by the federal government was EUR 811 million; the provinces, including Vienna, paid out EUR 967 million and the municipalities (excluding Vienna) EUR 695 million (each including intergovernmental transfer payments). For the federal government, cultural expenditure was 0.26% of GDP, for the provinces 0.30% and for the municipalities (excluding Vienna) 0.23%. In all, expenditure on art and culture was equivalent to EUR 278 per capita in 2010 (compared to EUR 274 in 2008/09).

In comparison to 2008/09, the cultural payments fell on average by 2.2%, with a drop of -4.0% (excluding Vienna) falling most heavily on the municipalities; the provinces recorded -1.9% and the federal government -0.9%. 

Subsidies from the provinces (excluding Vienna) have more than tripled since 1980; in 2001 the arts and cultural supports of the provinces were for the first time higher than those of the federal government. The government's arts budget was EUR 420.25 million in 2010. 35% of this (EUR 146.77 million) went to the federal museums and the Austrian National Library, 34% (EUR 143.65 million) to the Bundestheater. A further 7.4%, or EUR 31.06 million, went on historic monument protection. At EUR 87.78 million, approximately a fifth of the budget was available for the support of contemporary arts. Half of this, EUR 43.13 million, earmarked for the ten biggest institutions (e.g. the Austrian Film Institute receives EUR 16.5 million, the Salzburg Festival EUR 5.4 million, the Vienna Philharmonic EUR 2.3 million).   

The monthly consumer expenditure of private households can be represented in culture-related expenditure groups based on the STATISTIK AUSTRIA 2009/10 consumer survey. On average, an Austrian household spent EUR 38 per month on cultural events and EUR 42 for print media, paper and stationery. Households that actually recorded expenditure in these categories paid on average EUR 96 for cultural events and EUR 57 for print media, paper and stationery; the contributing households spent EUR 62 per month books and EUR 34 for newspapers and magazines. The expenditure for audio and video recordings was some EUR 60. The monthly expenditure for cultural events in the contributing households in 2004/05 was EUR 66 and EUR 38 for print media, paper and stationery. Private household monthly expenditure on culture rose by 15% in comparison to the consumer survey of 2004/05.

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