Methodology
When designing the research methodology, the DLGSC needed to find a dynamic approach to reach the target audience. An innovative questionnaire was designed with capacity to capture the portfolio careers of multiple jobs that creative workers regularly
have. A collaborative approach was undertaken to liaise with creative industry peak bodies to promote the survey to their networks. This section describes the population, sampling and data collection approach, and the respondent profile.
Population
The population was defined as all individuals, freelancers, businesses and organisations engaged in a selection of creative industries who create, perform, produce or present artistic or cultural works. It included individuals and business entities
that were operating in the sector or seeking work as of 20 February 2020 or at any time during the quarter from 1 April to 30 June 2020.
The population covered a broad range of creative industries, including:
- Film, TV and radio
- Photography, writing and publishing
- Fashion, jewellery and textile design
- Performing arts venue operation
- Visual arts, music, theatre and comedy
- Dance, circus, opera and orchestra
- Interactive VR/AR/XR artists
- Games development and publishing
- Libraries, art galleries and museums
- Set, lighting and production design
Sampling approach
Ideally a Western Australian creative industries workforce population database would exist, and a random sample of contacts would be selected and invited to take part in a survey. As this database did not exist, a collaborative approach was developed
to reach the population.
To reach and involve as many people in the population as possible, within resource capacity and timeframes, the DLGSC sent direct email invitations to contacts in its database and partnered with 22 peak bodies to promote the survey through partners’
networks.
As a Western Australian creative industry workforce count that includes second and third jobs does not exist, DLGSC had to cross reference data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and industry surveys to establish an understanding of the
workforce population prior to the first COVID-19 case in the State.
Although high response rates were achieved for the industry categories surveyed, it is important to note that all findings from the survey reflect those that responded, and caution should be used in generalising to the entire creative industries
workforce.
Data collection
Survey responses were collected online from 4 August to 8 September 2020.
The questionnaire was designed with the project team from the DLGSC to address the information objectives. When designing the questionnaire, the research team had to consider the complexity of employment arrangements within the creative industries
sector. Individuals often earn income from multiple roles both within and outside of the creative industries sector. For example, an individual may work part-time in retail, part-time in an arts organisation, and also receive income as a freelance
artist trading without an ABN. In addition to earning income from multiple sources, work is often fluid. An individual may hold a permanent part-time role and at the same time have multiple short-term contracts.
The questionnaire was designed so that a respondent with a creative industry portfolio career consisting of multiple jobs could answer with respect to each of the jobs or contracts they undertook during the period. This was an innovative approach
to capturing the complexity and richness of creative industry employment that is missed in the Australian Census, which captures only main job data.
In an attempt to understand the complexity of employment in the creative industries sector, and to streamline the survey design to minimise respondent burden, respondents were initially asked two questions:
Q1. On 20 February, prior to the first case of COVID-19 in Western Australia, how were you involved in the creative industries sector?
Q2. For the quarterly period from 1 April to 30 June 2020, how were you involved in the creative industries sector?
For each question, respondents could choose a single response or multiple responses from the following options:
- Freelancer – without an ABN
- Sole trader – with an ABN (this includes contractors)
- Partner in a partnership
- Company owner or manager (i.e. CEO, General Manager, Executive Director, etc)
- General manager in not-for-profit organisation (i.e. CEO, General Manager, Executive Director, etc)
- Employee
- Unemployed / seeking work in creative industries
- Retired
- Student
- Volunteer
- I was not involved in the creative industries sector
- Other – please specify
To be included in the dataset, respondents had to have been involved in the creative industries sector as of 20 February 2020 prior to the first case of COVID-19 in Western Australia, or at some time during the quarter from 1 April 2020 to 30 June
2020.
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