Ukraine/ 8.2 Cultural consumption and participation  

8.2.1 Trends and figures

Over the last 12 years, the total number of public libraries in Ukraine decreased from 20 700 in 2000 to 19 300 in 2012. The number of libraries under the competence of the Ministry of Culture decreased as well, from 19 006 in 2000 to 18 249 in 2010. Due to serious financial problems, libraries were not able to keep up their stocks and purchase new titles. Today, the average number of copies printed for a newly published book, according to the Book Chamber of Ukraine, 1900. Therefore, most newly issued books are not available in local, especially village libraries. According to the Ukrainian Centre for Cultural Studies, there are 14 828 village libraries in Ukraine. Today, 32% of areas in Ukraine have no libraries.

Table 19:   Types and official ownership of libraries in Ukraine, 2011

Source:     Ukrainian Centre for Cultural Studies, 2011.

Table 20:   Libraries performance, 2007-2010

Source:     Ministry of Culture, 2011.

According to the report of the Ministry of Culture, "during the last three years, we have a negative trend of reduction in the number of public libraries which is caused by the decrease in population (demographic crisis), on the one hand, and the financial and economic situation in the country, on the other hand".

At the same time, according to the analytical research realised by the company GFK Ukraine, one in four Ukrainians do not read books. 73% of the population don't include books in the sphere of their interests. Experts claim that this decline is due to the outdated library collections and that to be educated is not in fashion now. According to analytical data, only 15% of Ukrainians read books daily, and 19% do it, at least, one time per month. In 2009, 31% persons under 30 read books daily, while in 2011, this share decreased to 26%, with more young people preferring computers and the Internet.

Table 21:   Participation figures for cultural activities in Ukraine, 1996-2011

Source:     State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, 2012.

The increase in museum visitors is explained by the fact that a number of museum branches on municipal, regional and national level became separate museum institutions and developed innovative policies. These developments have attracted additional visitors.

Table 22:   Number of visits to the cinema per capita, 1999-2003, 2009 and 2010

Source:     Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, 2010.

According to the Book Chamber of Ukraine, book publishing in Ukraine in 2012 increased by approximately 25% in terms of titles of books and booklets, and by 48.3% in copies compared to 2011. At the same time, the average number of copies is 1 300 for most editions; 0.74 books per capita.

Table 23:   General information on book-publishing in Ukraine, 2011 and 2012

Source:     Book Chamber of Ukraine, 2012.

Table 24:   Average number of copies and number of books per capita, 2000-2012

Source:     Book Chamber of Ukraine, 2012.

Table 25 contains data on some consumption and behaviour trends in Ukraine, according to the survey realised by the Centre for Sociological Studies "Sofia" in 2012 jointly with the National Institute for Strategic Studies. According to this research, most Ukrainians prefer passive leisure-time, mainly, TV watching.

Table 25:   Leisure-time practice in Ukraine, in 2011 comparing to 1994, in %

Source:     Centre for Sociological Studies "Sofia", 2012.

Table 26:   Visits to cultural institutions in Ukraine (per 1 000 inhabitants), 1994-2010

Source:     Centre for Sociological Studies "Sofia", 2012.

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