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UID:pretalx-2026-UHMNPW@conferences.acspri.org.au
DTSTART;TZID=AEST:20261125T111500
DTEND;TZID=AEST:20261125T113000
DESCRIPTION:Participation in arts and cultural activities is widely recogni
 sed as contributing to people’s wellbeing and social connectedness. In a
 n online environment\, people are increasingly going online to share\, con
 nect\, create and experience arts and culture. This study examines the rel
 ationship between engagement in arts and creative activities online and we
 llbeing\, focusing on loneliness. Loneliness is an important public health
  issue. Existing research has largely emphasised the positive relationship
  between arts participation and wellbeing\, particularly through opportuni
 ties for social interaction\, expression and community connection. People 
 increasingly participate in online creative activities\, which also has a 
 potential for connection\, accessibility and emotional support. Less is kn
 own about how experiences of loneliness relate to online creative particip
 ation\, or about how individuals might anticipate feelings of loneliness s
 hould they be disconnected from the internet.\nDrawing on data from the Au
 stralian Survey of Social Attitudes 2024 (n=985)\, this study examines the
  relationship between engagement in online creative activities and lonelin
 ess. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to assess whether 
 online creative engagement was associated with loneliness after accounting
  for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The findings reveal a 
 nuanced relationship between digital creative participation and loneliness
 . Online creative engagement was initially positively associated with lone
 liness\, indicating that respondents who participate more frequently in cr
 eative activities online are also more likely to report loneliness as a se
 rious problem. Younger respondents were also significantly more likely to 
 experience loneliness. However\, when feeling lonely without the internet 
 was entered into the model\, it emerged as a strong predictor of general l
 oneliness\, while the association between online creative engagement and l
 oneliness was no longer statistically significant. Age remained an importa
 nt predictor\, while degree holders reported lower levels of loneliness th
 an those without a degree.\nThese findings highlight the need for a more n
 uanced understanding of how online creative participation relates to lonel
 iness. The positive association between online creative participation and 
 loneliness reflects the importance of how creative activities are linked t
 o people’s emotional and social connection to others. When accounting fo
 r participants’ self-reports of feeling lonely without the internet\, th
 e relationship between online creative participation and loneliness was no
  longer significant. This suggests that the relationship may be linked to 
 individuals’ general reliance on online environments to connect and inte
 ract with others\, rather than creative participation itself. Participatin
 g in online creative activities may be driven by a person’s loneliness\,
  and their attempt to overcome it through these online activities that fac
 ilitate social connection. Digital creative spaces may provide opportuniti
 es for expression\, connection\, entertainment and participation\, particu
 larly when offline forms of social connection are limited.\nThe study cont
 ributes to emerging research on digital cultural participation and wellbei
 ng by demonstrating the importance of considering creative engagement alon
 g with individuals’ broader experiences of online connection. The findin
 gs suggest a more nuanced relationship in which online creative participat
 ion may form part of the ways individuals navigate loneliness and maintain
  social and emotional connections. Future longitudinal research should inv
 estigate the potentially reciprocal relationships between loneliness\, dig
 ital connectedness and online creative participation.
DTSTAMP:20261013T070101Z
LOCATION:Cullen Room
SUMMARY:Loneliness and online creative engagement: Evidence from a national
  Australian survey - Sora Park\, Jee Young Lee\, Scott Brook\, Nhung Nguye
 n
URL:https://conferences.acspri.org.au/2026/talk/UHMNPW/
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