Sigrid Saagpakk, analyst at Statistics Estonia, explained that in addition to cinema and concert visits, there were also a lot of museum and theater visits last year. "One in four people showed interest in more innovative formats, such as drive-in cinemas and live-streamed concerts," Saagpakk said.

Older people participate less in cultural activities

The survey results show that the level of cultural participation is the highest among people with higher levels of education 85.9 percent of respondents who have completed higher education attended at least one cultural event over the course of the year.

"The level of cultural participation is also very high among students and non-remunerated trainees, with a 98.2 percent share of participants," said Saagpakk. The proportion of people participating in cultural activities was lower among residents who have completed upper secondary education (75.7 percent), and residents who have not completed upper secondary education (69.9 percent).

Looking at the results according to age group, participation in cultural activities was more common among young people. As many as 94.4 percent of 15 - 24-year-olds attended at least one cultural event in 2023.

"However, the level of cultural participation tends to fall as people grow older. Thus, the share of those participating in cultural activities was 89.9 percent for the 25 - 44 age group, 80.2 percent in the 45 – 64 age group, and just 54.5 percent among people aged 65 and over," added Saagpakk.

Women go more to the library, men attend more sports events

According to the survey, the level of cultural participation is not significantly influenced by gender. The proportion of male and female participants was relatively similar  – 77.2 percent and 80.5 percent, respectively.

The biggest differences occur in visits to libraries, theaters, art galleries, and sports events. "Among women, the share of participants is 17.8 percentage points higher for library visits, 12.2 percentage points higher for theater visits, and 7.9 percentage points higher for art gallery visits. On the other hand, men attended sports events more often than women," said Saagpakk.

People like to do sports

During the Cultural Participation Survey, respondents were also asked about their hobbies. Based on the results, 72 percent of residents have hobbies related to culture.

"The most popular hobby is sports and physical activities, practiced by nearly 486,000 people in Estonia (43 percent). Handicrafts are also quite popular as a hobby, enjoyed by 213,000 people (18.9 percent). Music is a hobby for 97,000 people, or 8.6 percent of the population," said Saagpakk.

Tartu County residents most active participants in culture

The survey indicates that the number of people participating in cultural activities was over 776,000 in urban settlements, which is more than double that of rural settlements (352,000).

"Yet the share of participants in urban areas is slightly lower than in rural areas – 78.2 percent and 80.6 percent, respectively. It means that there are no major differences between residents of urban and rural settlements," said Saagpakk.

In Tartu County, 83.6 percent of residents participated in at least one cultural activity or event. "This is the highest share of participants in Estonia," said Saagpakk. Tartu County was followed by Harju County (82.1 percent), Rapla County (81.3 percent) and Pärnu County (81.1 percent). The proportion of residents participating in cultural activities as was lowest in Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru counties, where it was under 70 percent in each.

Ministry: Proportion of residents participating in cultural life should be at least 80 percent

Karl Viilmann, chief data expert at the Estonian Ministry of Culture, said that the Cultural Participation Survey is the biggest national survey in this domain and the data collected is used to set national targets related to the arts, cultural goods, and sports. 

"The results of the survey allow us to assess national cultural policy, which in turn informs the Culture Development Plan. The same indicators also feature in several key national strategies, such as 'Estonia 2035' and the sustainable development goals," Viilmann explained. 

Viilmann said that the target level for share of Estonian residents participating in cultural life, as defined in the national Culture Development Plan, is 80 percent by 2030. "By way of comparison, this share was 73.8 percent in 2020, 78.7 percent in 2017, and 84.4 percent in 2015," he added.

More information is available here and here.

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