The Maltese islands boast of a historical legacy spanning thousands of years but its inhabitants are not so keen to learn about their past by visiting heritage sites and museums.
A study found that only 31 per cent of the population visited a museum or a historical site at least once in 12 months.
This indifference was reflected in other cultural sectors. A staggering 87 per cent of the population did not attend a dance performance in the 12 months before the survey was carried out and 70 per cent did not set foot in a theatre.
It was a shame that while free activities, such as those organised by the national symphonic orchestra, were well attended only a small crowd turned up for events where a fee was charged, Culture Minister Mario de Marco said.
He was speaking during the presentation of a population survey providing an overview of the main characteristics associated with cultural participation in Malta.
The survey, published by the National Statistics Office and Creativity Works, is the second of its kind, following Kultura 2000, published 11 years ago.
The survey was conducted in April last year among 1,441 people aged 16 and over. Questions were about books, the internet, language preferences, cultural events attendance and television.
About 77 per cent said they watched television for at least 30 minutes a day. Only three per cent said they did not watch TV.
Drama remained the preferred type of TV programme (25 per cent), followed by documentaries (16 per cent) and current affairs (15 per cent).
While Maltese is the language of choice for speaking (91 per cent) and watching television (35 per cent), English is the preferred language for writing (45 per cent).
Revealing figures
69 per cent listen to music on a daily basis.
Five per cent listen to music less than once a week.
72 per cent have access to the internet.
48 use the internet to purchase cultural goods.
72 per cent read at least one whole book in 12 months.
91 per cent respondents prefer Maltese as their everyday language.
Six per cent prefer English as their everyday language.
45 per cent prefer to write in English.
43 per cent prefer to write in Maltese.