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The starting point has to be the regional work in Europe. The core questions: “Have you
attended [events/exhibitions]?”, “How frequently?” and “Do you own [cultural goods]?” are a
mainstay of cultural surveys and have been tried and tested many times across Europe and
elsewhere. All countries considering questions of cultural participation are well advised to look at
some of the European surveys cited here, take a view on appropriate question design, and
consider European experience in response rates and reliability. These core questions were
developed for monitoring attendance at formal arts performances. It may be felt that they are
less applicable in developing countries with a much broader set of community cultural events
which are less of a performance and more of a community festival or social occasion.
During the last decade, European countries, in addition to other regions of the world, have
become more conscious of this wider range of informal cultural activity in which everyone may
take part, leaving a reduced distinction between performer and audience, or between performer
and consumer. Alternative or additional questions to address this issue have not yet been
standardised or agreed at the international level. What is becoming clearer in surveys in
developed countries is the need to carefully distinguish passive membership of an audience and
active performance. In terms of questionnaire design, this is reflected by the inclusion of two sets
of questions: “Have you attended any cultural events in the last [year]?”, “Have you taken
part/performed in any cultural events in the last year?” and “Have you actively participated in a
public performance?” (UK 2009/2010 and Malta 2011).
Such questions are normally found at the core of surveys in other regions outside Europe, such
as Latin America (e.g. Uruguay 2009 and Mexico 2010). In many countries they are
accompanied by more specific questions about taking part in indigenous or specific national
cultural events. New Zealand surveys (2002) ask about participation in specific Maori cultural
activities. The Mexican (2010) survey asks separately about the frequency of attendance at
many specific kinds of cultural activities during the last three months, including several local
cultural events, as well as formal ‘high cultural’ performances, such as classical ballet and opera.
For each of these, it also asked whether respondents were following any formal study of the
genre, allowing one perhaps to separate those who were obliged through schooling to attend
(the UK Taking Part survey 2009/2010 asked people not to include attendance at performances
through school or employment). The Mexican survey is much more detailed than most cultural
participation surveys. The reference period at three months is rather short (what percentage of
any population might have been expected to attend a classical ballet or opera in the last three
months?).
Some surveys ask about reasons for attendance or non-attendance (U.S. 2008 and Mexico
2010). These are qualitative questions and are not so central to our key purpose of gathering
statistical data. The U.S. Participation in the Arts Survey 2008 asked about the nature of the
performance venue (‘type of place’) and source of information on the event. Some surveys
(e.g. France 2008) ask who the respondent went to the performance with (e.g. friends, spouse,
children. other family).
Most cultural participation surveys ask about household expenditure on cultural activities and
goods. It has been pointed out that this is a highly specialised survey topic and readers have
been advised to consult the website of the Living Standards Measurement Survey 4 amongst
others. Local entertainers may be paid ‘in kind’ rather than in coin. Many cultural events are
financed by voluntary contributions which may not figure clearly as expenditure or income.
4 http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTLSMS/
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