A recent survey shows the Maltese are going to the theatre, concerts and shows far more than they were 10 years ago. Sadly, we’re still not reading. Veronica Stivala sifts through the numbers.
Who’d have thought that as little as 10 years ago in Malta we’d go to the cinema to watch an opera live from the Met in New York or maybe Oscar Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest or even a magnificent performance by the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia on a screen?
Thanks to the rapid developments in technology, the way we communicate is changing; we watch ballet in a cinema, stream live shows on our TVs at home and download films onto our computers.
As with the rest of the world, the way the Maltese get their entertainment fix has changed.
One noteworthy change documented in the recently published Culture Participation Survey 2011 shows a massive drop in the percentage of people who prefer to rent or buy DVDs. Whereas 56.4 per cent watched their films on video or DVD in 2000, the number is down by almost half as now only 22 per cent said they prefer to watch films on DVD last year.
86%
The percentage by which theatre attendance rose between 2000 and 2011
The reason for this change is clearly the logarithmic jump in internet usage. Indeed, thanks to the internet, people prefer to watch films, listen to music, play games and so on from the comfort of their homes. Trends are also changing, with an increase in uploading, streaming of music and movies, and engagement with ebooks.
The results of the survey (some 1,400 people aged between 16 and 65+ were carefully chosen and interviewed, 1,000 of who gave eligible answers) show Maltese people are more culturally active – more are going to dance shows, frequenting concerts and attending the theatre, for example – than in the past.
The new research reveals broader cultural participation, with 91.3 per cent of the population attending at least one of the following: dance shows, theatre performances, concerts, museums and historical sites, the cinema, exhibitions, village feasts, passion plays, Good Friday processions, Carnival, L-Imnarja, the Regatta and local council festivals.
In the space of 11 years (2000 to 2011), dance attendances increased by 73 per cent, theatre audiences rose by a whopping 86 per cent, a grand 84 per cent more went to concerts, 27 per cent more to exhibitions and museum visitors went up by 16 per cent.
This is positive, though we are still relatively far behind our European counterparts. One cannot but gawp at how low the numbers must have been 10 years ago in order for there to be such a gigantic leap in this short time.
An analysis of the meticulously conducted survey reveals a number of interesting details about the Maltese. With a bit of thought, these results should easily help those on the providing side of the culture world to increase audiences or participants even further.
Taking a look at the theatre results, for example, statistics gathered in 2009 show that almost 40,000 people attend Maltese comedy in private theatres.
Why is no one attending Maltese comedy in publicly funded theatres (namely the Manoel Theatre, St James Cavalier and The Mediterranean Conference Centre)? There clearly is a demand, and the audiences, but what about the supply?
In 2009, only three per cent of attendances were for Maltese comedy, two per cent for drama and 22 per cent for musicals and operettas in the three public theatres.
An interesting point raised during the launch of the statistics was the issue of accessibility. The numbers of art event-goers aged over 65 are very low. Should matinée shows be introduced for theatre performances in order to encourage older audiences, asked MADC chairman Alan Meadows, .
Another pertinent observation is that although people are attending dance shows, concerts, comedy and so on, more than half (and sometimes practically all) of these are in private theatres. What is it about the public theatres that puts people off, or simply does not attract them?
One cannot ignore the fact that all three public theatres are situated in Valletta which, be it because of lack of parking spaces, entrance fees or the poor public transport system, is not the easiest of places to access.
A word needs to be said about the disappointing results when it comes to reading, however. The proportion of male students who said they had read one whole book emerged as 38.2 per cent (meaning 61.8 had not even read one book) in a year. The girls did a bit better with around double the percentage (61.8) emerging as having read one book.
Ironically – because you’d think students had more time to read – things got a bit better with employed people, and the men beat the women this time: 56.5 per cent of men read at least one book in a year whereas the figure for women was 43.5 per cent.The favourite was the romantic story, popular with nearly one third of respondents, predominantly women.
Although the steep rise in people attending cultural activities is very good news, we cannot ignore the fact that some of the figures are indeed worrying.
Percentages of those who read at least one book in a year.
Employed
56.5% - Males
43.5% - Females
Unemployed
63.3% - Males
36.7% - Females
Students
38.2% - Males
61.8% - Females
The Culture Participation Survey 2011 is the result of collaboration between the National Statistics Office and the Creative Economy Working Group within the Finance Ministry. Download the survey from www.nso.gov.mt.