In the 32nd issue of the series Social Change in Switzerland, Sebastian Weingartner and Jörg Rössel show that between 1976 and 2019 the Swiss population has become significantly more culturally active. Whereas the culturally inactive dominated in the 1970s, the eclectics - the cultural omnivores - are now the largest group. The share of high culture fans has also increased. However, they are mainly found among the older generations.
The two researchers from Zurich analyse the development of cultural behaviour on the basis of four representative surveys of the Swiss population between 1976 and 2019. They study 12 different cultural activities, six of which correspond to a high culture model (such as going to the theatre, a concert or a museum) and six to a popular culture model (such as watching television, listening to the radio or attending a sports event).
Their analysis reveals three types of cultural users. The inactive hardly participate in culture at all, except for television and radio. The eclectics are culture 'omnivores' and mix very different cultural activities, such as a rock concert and an art museum. Finally, high culture fans are mainly engaged in high culture and do so in a particularly intensive way. Whereas in 1976 half of the population was inactive, in 2019 this was only the case for one third. The Swiss population has thus become significantly more culturally active. The share of eclectics has increased from less than 30% in 1976 to almost 40% today. The share of high culture enthusiasts has also increased from 12% to almost 30%.
Cultural participation continues to vary greatly according to people's socio-structural characteristics. Cultural engagement is increasingly influenced by the level of education: the higher the level of education, the more culturally active people are. However, this does not apply to high culture activities. These are now more age-dependent and have increasingly become the domain of older people. Contrary to the expectations of the famous sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, the opposition between high culture and popular culture plays only a secondary role in Switzerland.
>> Weingartner, S. & Rössel, J. (2022). Comportements culturels en Suisse : Dimensions et évolution 1976-2019. Social Change in Switzerland, N°32, www.socialchangeswitzerland.ch
Contacts:
- Dr. Sebastian Weingartner, Office de la statistique du canton de Zurich, +41 (0)43 259 75 14, sebastian.weingartner@statistik.ji.zh.ch
- Prof. Jörg Rössel, Université de Zurich, +41 (0) 44 635 23 33, roessel@soziologie.uzh.ch
The series Social Change in Switzerland continuously documents the evolution of the social structure in Switzerland. It is published jointly by the Swiss Competence Centre for Social Sciences FORS and the LIVES Centre - The Swiss Competence Centre for Research on Life Courses and Vulnerabilities. The aim is to trace changes in employment, family, income, mobility, voting or gender in Switzerland. Based on state-of-the-art empirical research, it is aimed at a wider audience than just specialists.