1. Cultural Practices and Social Aspects
Task Force 4
Cultural Practices and Social Aspects
A proposal
Vladimír Bína
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
The Netherlands

2. Points of departure
ESSnet is a pilot project, the available time and financial resources are very limited, therefore:
This Task Force cannot be expected to set up and conduct a survey
NEITHER
on a Europeans' participation in cultural activities;
NOR
on the social effects of cultural participation.
The Task Force, however can:
Make an inventory of existing statistics and surveys on participation in cultural and civic activities on European and national level;
Harmonize, or when needed, redefine the indicators for participation;
AND
Make recommendations for inclusion of both aspects in ongoing and future EU and national statistics and surveys.

3. What: What is participation in cultural activities?
The participation includes:
Visits to cultural venues, such as theatres, museums, opera, musical, concert or monuments in ones own country or abroad;
Amateur activities, for instance, playing a musical instrument, singing, painting, writing prose or poetry, designing a website;
Participation in other more or less “informal” cultural events, such as street festivals, or feast with live music or (amateur) performances;
Media habits: reading, watching television, listening to radio, watching and listening to recorded images and sound, using the Internet.

4. What: What are the social aspects of culture?
The following aspects are usually considered as civic activities and potentially effected by cultural participation (see for instance the Canadian report Social Effects of Culture, 2008)
Participating in and donating to volunteer associations in the field of culture, sports, education, environment, human rights etc;
Neighbourhood connections;
Sense of belonging to one owns city, region, nation and Europe;
Social activities, helping behaviour;
Participation in politics and labour force;
Opinions about quality of life; satisfaction with own life;
Open mindedness and tolerance.

5. What: What should the Task Force 4 deliver?
A comparative analysis of existing and ongoing European and international surveys on cultural and civic participation. This should include a methodological comparison and a comparison of participation by different demographic groups (gender, age, educational achievement, migrants etc);
A comparative analysis of national surveys on cultural and civic participation. This should include a methodological comparison and a comparison of participation by different demographic groups (gender, age, educational achievement, migrants etc) This study will be restricted to the national surveys of the involved countries in the task force. However, following the presentation of the results to the “Launching Conference”, all countries in the ESSnet will be invited to supply such analysis of their national data;
A design for a module on cultural an social participation to be included in the forthcoming EU surveys. This module should include the methodological recommendations as well.

6. When?
October 2009-January 2010
Inventory of European and international surveys on cultural and social participation.
Inventory of national surveys on cultural and social participation
February 2010-September 2010
‘Technical’ comparison of the surveys (methodology, design, questionnaire)
Start of the analysis of the results of these surveys
July 2010
Interim report
October 2010-July 2011
Completion of the analysis
Design of a module on cultural and social participation for EU surveys
Updated data related to the pocket book
Final report