/ EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EUROSTAT
Directorate F: Social Statistics and Information Society
Unit F-4: Education, culture and science statistics /
Doc. ESTAT/F4/2010-CS-08-EN
Version 7.05.2010
Meeting of the
Cultural Statistics Working Group
20-21 May 2010
Point 5.b) of the agenda:
Proposal of the pocketbook -cultural participation
(data from the SILC ahm 2006)
(for comments)
Please see also a report on the SILC ahm 2006 on:

IV CULTURAL PARTICIPATION(DATA BASED ON THE SILC AHM 2006, for the age-group 25-64 years old)

Attending cultural events

General observation: Northern countries (FI, IS, SE, DK), DE and UK present similar patterns in regards to cultural participation defined as going to cinema, live performance and visiting to cultural sites. Those countries register the highest proportion of persons who have attended at least once in the last 12 months the above events.

Going to cinema

  • 52% of the EU population aged 15-74 has never gone to cinema in the last 12 months.
  • The highest percentage of persons who have been to the cinema at least once in the last 12 months was registered in the northern countries: IS, DK, NO, SE and UK.
  • Moreover, Spain and Luxembourg had the highest proportion of persons who have been to cinema more than 12 times during the last 12 months - 9% and 8% respectively what is as twice as high as the EU average (4%).
  • Baltic countries, HU and BG registered the lowest rate of the frequency of going to cinema with about 70% of the population that have never gone to cinema in the last 12 months.

Going to life performance(plays, concerts, operas, ballet and dance performances)

  • In IS, NO, FI, SE, DK more than 60% of the population aged 15-74 have been to live performance at least once in the last 12 months.
  • On the other side of the scale: BG, MT, PL and IT with the rate of 70% of persons who have never been to the live performance in the last 12 months.
  • The most intensive attendance of live performance of more than 12 times was registered in IS, AT, NO and FI.

Visiting cultural sites(historical monuments, museums, art galleries or archaeological sites)

  • 45% of the EU population has visited the cultural sites at least once in the last 12 months.
  • In IS, SE and DK this proportion was higher than 60%.
  • About 80% and more of the MT, EL and BG population have never visited the cultural sits in the last 12 months.
  • FI, UK, AT followed by SE and LU record the biggest proportion of persons who have visited the cultural sites more than 12 times in the last 12 months.

Analysis of breakdowns (sex, age, educational attainment, degree of urbanization)

1. BY SEX

  • At the EU-level, there are no major differences in attending the cultural events according to the sex.
  • In DK, IE, FR, LU, PL, FI, SE and UK the males are slightly more numerous among those persons who have never gone to cinema in the last 12 months. The biggest difference among females and males of 5 percentage points was reported in DK with respectively 34% and 39%.
  • The proportion of females and males attending the cinema more than 12 times in the year are the same for the majority of the countries excepting ES, HU, MT, NL, UK, IS and NO. In the NL and NO the men are as twice numerous to go to cinema more than 12 times than women.

  • Men are more numerous to have never attended a live performance than women in all the observed countries.
  • Have been to live performance more than 12 times – no differences are observed for the majority of the countries. However some particularities can be seen in HU, AT and FI with the higher proportion of women. The men tend more to go to live performance than women in CZ, NL, SE, UK, IS and NO. In CZ and SE, their proportion is twice higher than that of females.
  1. BY AGE
  • At the EU-level, young people aged 25-34 are seen as those going the most to the cinemas.
  • The age doesn’t play any major differentiating role in regards to intensive attendance to live performance and to visiting to cultural sites. This difference among ages can only be observed among people who have never been to cultural events in the last 12 months or who frequented those places 1 to 3 times. The older age group, the higher is the non participation rate in the above two events. And the youngest age group is slightly more numerous to go to the cultural events 1 to 3 times a year. Above this critical frequency there are no differences in attending cultural events according to the age.



  1. BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
  • Educational level of people has a strong impact on their cultural participation. The persons with a low level of education are major among those who have never attended a cultural even in the last 12 months.
  • 8% of the population with tertiary education and only 2% of the persons with lower education level go to cinema more than 12 times par year.
  • The percentage of tertiary educated attending the cultural events of more than 12 times is two or 3 times bigger the same proportion among no-tertiary educated.

4. BY DEGREE OF URBANISATION

  • Degree of urbanization plays as well the role of the differentiating factor of the cultural participation. The people living in densely populated areas are more numerous to go to cinema, live performance and to visit cultural sites than people living in thinly populated areas. This higher attendance rate in the urbanized areas may be explained by the proximity and accessibility of the cultural infrastructure and more reach cultural offer.

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