The survey, which was conducted by local consulting agency Alan Hunt and Associates, was based on a Yukon population of 24,000. Those surveyed included arts businesses, local arts organizations, artists and artisans, and the public at large. The survey found Yukoners spend almost 10 per cent of their disposable incomes on arts and culture. In the Yukon, people don't have as many diversionary activities, such as major league baseball or other things you might find in larger centres, says Grubach. But we do have quite a lot of money and we spend it with discretion.
Books are the biggest expenditure in the territory.
That's not surprising, says Grubach. Books are high in the Yukon because we are so isolated and people are buying new, more expensive books instead of swapping or buying second hand. These numbers are comparable to what's spent on these things in other parts of Canada, says Grubach. But the arts council was surprised to see how much people were spending on sedentary activities, like renting and watching movie videos. The survey also found that 63 per cent of all arts products sold in the Yukon are produced by Yukon artisans.