Background to the Research

• Since the early 1990s there has been an upsurge of interest in the concept of culture in NI. However, culture is a controversial and contested concept for which there is no widely accepted definition.
• Despite the confusion surrounding the term, it features strongly in the literature and debates on the conflict in NI. The existence of different cultural traditions in NI has resulted in volumes of work on cultural heritage and diversity.
• Somewhat surprisingly, therefore, there has been little attempt to ascertain public perceptions of it. Reflecting the heightened profile given to the area of culture, as illustrated by the creation of a Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure under the Good Friday Agreement, a module on culture, leisure and the arts was included in the NILT survey. The main issues covered were perceptions of the term culture, participation in cultural activities and identification of barriers to participation.
  

Research Approach

• The data used by the author come from the 2001 NILT survey.
• The NILT survey began in 1998 and is carried out annually. Interviews are conducted with a random selection of adults (aged 18 years and over) who live in private households in NI.
• The sample size for the 2001 NILT survey was 1,800 respondents although some modules were asked of only half the sample.
• The sample size for the module on culture was 900.
  

Main Findings

• Almost half (49%) of all respondents associated the term culture with arts/theatre/museums/music/dance/books/painting. Popular culture, such as pop concerts and watching television, do not feature significantly in descriptions of culture.
• Only one in five (21%) respondents claim they regularly do anything in their leisure time that is to do with culture. These activities range from watching football to amateur dramatics, although the most popular is 'go to museums/art galleries/theatre or concerts'.
• 43% of those in the professional and managerial social class compared with only 18% of those in the partly skilled and unskilled manual class say that taking part in cultural events is important to them.
• Overall, just 15% of respondents describe their participation in church activities as very important, with a further 26% describing it as quite important.
• Twice as many Protestants (22%) as Catholics (11%) consider that taking part in church activities is a very important part of their leisure time
• Just over half (51%) of NILT respondents believe that, compared with two years ago, NI offers more cultural events and attractions. Of these, 95% believe that this increase has been a good thing for NI and many think this is because it brings people together socially and encourages religious mixing.
• Catholics (63%) are more positive about the cross-community benefit than Protestants (55%), while the latter are more likely to say that the increase in cultural activities brings people together socially (44% and 61% respectively).
• When asked why they do not participate in cultural events, 38% of respondents say they are not interested in them.
• Almost one third of respondents (30%) would like to be involved in cultural activities but cannot afford the time, while cost constraints are mentioned by 20% of respondents.
• Just 14% of respondents think it is mainly the government's responsibility to encourage people to take part in cultural events and visit cultural attractions.