Receptive cultural participation
According to the Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain[1] – which involves 16 000 interviews with persons aged 15 or over – cultural content is mostly consumed by television viewers (more than 95% in all periods considered in Table 3: 2006-2007, 2010-2011 and 2014-1015), followed by music listeners (85.5% in the last period, 2014-2015), newspaper readers (79.7% in 2014-2015) and radio listeners (76.8 % in 2014-2015). More than half of the surveyed Spaniards went to the cinema in all three reported periods, although this percentage decreased slightly in 2010-2011 (49.1%). Cultural activities that ranked lower in overall participation rates include the attendance at dance, opera and lyrical opera (zarzuela). In 2014-2015, only 7% of the population indicated that they attended a dance performance at least once a year; 2.6% went to the opera and 1.8% to a zarzuela performance.
Table 3: People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during the last 12 months in Spain (in % of the population, period 2006-2015)
| 2006-2007 | 2010-2011 | 2014-2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activities heavily subsidised by the state | |||
| Theatre | 19.1 | 19.0 | 23.2 |
| Opera performances | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Zarzuela | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Dance | 5.1 | 6.1 | 7.0 |
| Concerts of classical music | 8.4 | 7.7 | 8.6 |
| Libraries | 17.6 | 20.5 | 25.6 |
| Museums | 31.2 | 30.6 | 33.2 |
| Monuments | 34.1 | 39.5 | 41.4 |
| Cultural centres | 22.9 | 19.2 | 19.9 |
| Activities without large public subsidies | |||
| Cinema | 52.1 | 49.1 | 54 |
| To read books not related to the profession or studies | 52.5 | 52.3 | 56 |
| In paper format (Usually use) | na | 58.3 | 59.0 |
| In digital format (Usually use) | na | 6.5 | 17.7 |
| Directly on the Internet (Usually use) | na | 4.1 | 5.7 |
| To listen to music (Usually listen) | 86.9 | 82.7 | 85.5 |
| In a computer or directly on the Internet | na | 17.3 | 26.2 |
| To read periodic publications (Usually read) | 81.4 | 80.4 | 79.7 |
| Directly on the Internet | 14.1 | 14.4 | 26.8 |
| To watch videos (Usually watch) | 51.9 | 49.6 | 42.1 |
| Directly on the Internet | na | 6.8 | 12.3 |
| To watch television (Usually watch) | 98.2 | 96.7 | 95.5 |
| Directly on the Internet | na | 5.9 | 8.9 |
| To listen to the radio (Usually watch) | 81.6 | 77.1 | 76.8 |
| Directly on the Internet | na | 8.4 | 10.4 |
| To play videogames (Usually play) | na | 13.7 | 13.8 |
| To use computer for entertainment or leisure (Usually use) | 37.7 | 53.6 | 62.5 |
| Internet for entertainment or leisure (Usually use) | 33.1 | 52.5 | 66.9 |
Source: Ministry of Culture (several years) Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain.
Note: Na: Non-available
Usually: at least once a month
If the results of the survey are compared to those available for the period 2006-2007, there has been an increase in the rates of annual attendance at museums, monuments, archaeological sites and archives. Similarly, there has been an increase in attendance or access to libraries, and an increase in the annual rates of reading. Regarding the performing arts and music, even with the positive development in attendance at the theatre, ballet or dance, the annual rates of attendance at live shows decreased.
The number of people who use a computer and the Internet for entertainment or leisure grew extensively between the periods 2006-2007 and 2014-2015 (respectively from 33.7% to 62.5% and from 33.1% to 66.9%). Moreover, the latest survey results confirm the use of new technologies as a means of disseminating culture. Thus, 26.8% of those surveyed read online (compared to 14.4% in the previous survey), 26.2% listened to music on the computer or directly on the Internet (compared to 17.3% in the previous survey) and 12.3% usually watched videos online (compared to 6.8% in the previous survey).
With respect to participant characteristics, the latest survey confirms participation patterns already observed in previous periods. Thus, indicators offer significant differences by gender. Women read more than men, except for professional and press reading, which are activities that are more frequent among men. Women visit libraries more often, both in person and online. Women also have higher rates of visits to museums, exhibitions and art galleries, whereas men more often visit monuments and archaeological sites. The youth have the highest rates of cultural participation in almost all areas: they visit more museums, monuments, etc.; they attend more performing arts or music events; they read more; they go to libraries more often, and they buy more. However, these high rates decrease, with greater or lesser extent, when age increases. Educational level is the most decisive variable in cultural participation, rising significantly when the level of education increases.
The Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain does not provide any data on the surveyed’ place of origin. In 2005, the Permanent Immigration Observatory (attached to the current Ministry for Employment and Social Security) published a study entitled “Consumption and leisure of Latin American immigrants in Spain”. It showed that once immigrants have gained a minimal level of stability, they participate actively in consumption and leisure. Also, their desire for integration is fundamentally a desire to raise their consumption, in terms of both quantity and quality. More recently, an exploratory study on cultural consumption of Latin American immigrants in Spain highlights: the low level of intra-ethnic association; patterns of cultural and media consumption similar to the country of origin; the survival of traditional mass media, with a clear preference for the use of television and radio listening (and especially for music stations); a higher consumption of free print media; low attendance at the cinema and informal channels of video distribution; the growing use of new technologies; and the observation of the effects of the crisis on the living standards of Latin American immigrants in Spain (Retis, 2011).[2]
In 2013, a first inquiry on the participation of Moroccan residents in cultural and media activities was published. Watching television (91.6%), listening to music on the radio (54.6%) and reading literature (44.5%) were the most common activities among Moroccan residents. Moreover, the study pointed out a tendency towards intra-ethnic consumption and revealed gender differences in both the youth and adult group (Huertas et al., 2013).[3]
Active cultural participation
The Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain[4] also provides data on active cultural practices. As shown in Table 4, the most popular activities are photography (28.9% in 2014-2015), making videos (15%), drawing or painting (13.7%) or practising other visual arts (8.3%) and writing (7.1%).
As in passive cultural practices, there are significant differences in cultural behaviour by gender and age. By gender, women have a greater preference for writing, painting or drawing, as well as theatre or dance; while playing a musical instrument, taking photographs or making videos are the most popular hobbies for males. Regarding age, active participation is more prevalent amongst youth.
With respect to changes between 2006-2007 and 2014-2015, almost all activities experience a positive growth, this being especially noteworthy in the case of photography (with an increase of 12.3%), video (9.3%) and painting or drawing (4.5%).
The involvement of government occurs mainly at the local level and the vast majority of amateur activity is offered free of charge and is promoted by town councils or non-profit making associations or clubs. Examples are the organisation of the First Amateur Performing Arts Circuit in 2010 in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country) by the artistic-cultural Association Korrontx and the Espai A, Xarxa d’Arts Escèniques Amateurs de Catalunya / Space A, Net on Amateur Performing Arts of Catalonia in Catalonia in 2012, which was launched by the regional government. Promoted by representative associations and federations of the country, the latter project seeks to create new audiences for amateur performances and to increase the profitability of their productions through a stable programming of amateur performances.
Table 4: People who have carried out artistic activities in Spain in the last 12 months by type of activity (in % of total population, period 2006-2015)
| 2006-2007 | 2010-2011 | 2014-2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | 7.5 | 7.1 | 7.8 |
| Painting or drawing | 9.2 | 13.2 | 13.7 |
| Other visual arts | 4.5 | 7.7 | 8.3 |
| Photography | 16.6 | 29.1 | 28.9 |
| Making videos | 5.7 | 12.8 | 15.0 |
| Designing web pages | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| Drama | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Dance and ballet | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.9 |
| Playing an instrument | 5.9 | 8.0 | 7.8 |
| Singing in a choir | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
Source: Ministry of Culture (several years) Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain.
[1] Different editions of the Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain can be found here: https://www.mecd.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/estadisticas/cultura/mc/ehc/portada.html.
[2] Retis, J.: “Estudio exploratorio sobre el consumo cultural de los inmigrantes latinoamericanos en España: el contexto transnacional de las prácticas culturales”, Documento de Trabajo, Fundación Alternativas, n. 9, p. 1-126, 2011. http://www.falternativas.org/occ-fa/documentos/estudio-sobre-el-consumo-cultural-de-los-latinoamericanos-de-espana.
[3] Huertas, A. / Martínez, Y. / Moreras, J.: “Prácticas y consumos mediático-culturales del colectivo marroquí en España”, Documento de Trabajo, Fundación Alternativas, n. 11, p. 1-72, 2013. http://www.falternativas.org/occ-fa/documentos/pra-cticas-y-consumos-media-tico-culturales-del-colectivo-marroqui-en-espan-a.
[4] Different editions of the Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain can be found here: https://www.mecd.gob.es/servicios-al-ciudadano/estadisticas/cultura/mc/ehc/portada.html.
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