In 2016, most Swedes under 80 years old were culturally active, in the sense of visiting at least one cultural institution per year (concert, film, library, museum, drama, art exhibition). During the Covid-19 pandemic numbers have been considerably lower. The general trend for many years has been for increasing numbers of older people to attend cultural events. Younger people have shown a decrease in activity in the traditional activities in arts and culture. In 2020, 24 percent of the adult population attended theatre performances, 13 percent classical concerts or opera performances, 43 percent visited museums, and 51 percent public libraries, 20 percent sang in choirs or played instruments, 81 percent had read at least one book in the last year, and 97 percent had listened to music, making this the most common cultural activity. Judging from these statistics, women generally appear to have a wider interest in the arts than men do (Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis 2021c).
While younger people show less attendance at traditional cultural events than other age groups, they participate actively in cultural activities to a higher degree; this includes not only new activities, but also established activities such as playing music and participating in amateur theatre. Young Swedes also access the Internet more than other age groups and are active users of a number of Internet services for publishing their own work. Internet use in Sweden is among the highest in the world. In 2020, 96 percent of Swedes had access to the Internet, and 94 percent used it daily, 65 percent used the Internet to watch movies, or TV series, and 69 percent to listen to music. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Internet use has become more central in people´s lives (SCB 2020), while fewer people have attended live events.
Reading trends among adults have remained stable since the 1990’s, but young people read less (at least when it comes to printed material), and men read less than women. While the reading of books has remained stable, listening to audio books has increased during the last ten years, including among the young.
In general, cultural statistics have been criticized for not being adapted enough to the changes that have occurred in cultural habits, especially after the spread of Internet use and IT related cultural habits in the last decade. In a report from 2013, the Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis stated that current cultural statistics are “mainly focused on the cultural form and its distribution.” There are, for example, questions about cinema attendance and book reading, rather than on consumption of films and literature. The surveys focus on form and means of distribution rather than on content, and thus become vulnerable to technological change”. Current developments thus raise new questions on how cultural statistics can be conducted better. While improvements have been made since the Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis became responsible for statistics in the area of arts and culture, some of these problems remain.
Table 3: People who participated in or attended a certain cultural activity during the last 12 months in Sweden (in percent of the population 2018-2020).
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Activities heavily subsidised by the state | |||
| Theatre | 39 | 38 | 24 |
| Opera performances | 19 | 18 | 13 |
| Zarzuela | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dance | 10 | 10 | 6 |
| Concerts of classical music | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Libraries | 53 | 55 | 51 |
| Museums | N/A | 55 | 43 |
| Monuments | 64 | 63 | 56 |
| Cultural centres | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Activities without large public subsidies | |||
| Cinema | 67 | 68 | 52 |
| To read books not related to the profession or studies | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| In paper format (Usually use) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| In digital format (Usually use) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Directly on the Internet (Usually use) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To listen to music (Usually listen) | N/A | 97 | 97 |
| On a computer or directly on the Internet | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To read periodic publications (Usually read) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Directly on the Internet | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To watch videos (Usually watch) | 92 | 92 | 92 |
| Directly on the Internet | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To watch television (Usually watch) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Directly on the Internet | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To listen to the radio (Usually watch) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Directly on the Internet | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| To play videogames (Usually play) | 38 | 36 | 56 |
| To use a computer for entertainment or leisure (Usually use) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Internet for entertainment or leisure (Usually use) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source(s): The SOM Institute. University of Gothenburg.
* only movies included.
** From year 2000 also including computer games and mobile games.
Table 4: People who have carried out artistic activities in Sweden in the last 12 months by type of activity, in percent of total population, period 2018-2020
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Writing | 19 | 20 | 23 |
| Painting or drawing | 28 | 31 | 36 |
| Other visual arts | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Photography | 62 | 63 | 62 |
| Making videos | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Designing web pages | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Drama | N/A | 2 | 3 |
| Dance and ballet | N/A | 37 | 36 |
| Playing an instrument | N/A | 17 | 20 |
| Singing in a choir | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Source(s): The SOM Institute, University of Gothenburg.
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