Results of a sociological research of cultural practices of the population of Ukraine

In the summer of 2021, the NGO “Democratic Youth Initiatives” with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation carried out a comprehensive sociological research of cultural practices of the population of Ukraine. A telephone survey was carried out, which covered 1,800 respondents. The sample is quota based with a sampling error of 2.6%. Also, 24 focus group researches were carried out in key regions of Ukraine.

Consequently, the results of the research found that:

• The most popular forms of leisure among Ukrainians are active leisure, meetings with friends, as well as reading books and watching films at home. The fifth position is held by going to the cinema. The sixth place is held by a new leisure practice, which can be defined as watching social networks and Youtube. This form of leisure activities is relatively new, but today it is actively spreading among different segments of the population, which was also facilitated by the long lockdown period during the pandemic.

• Among the most popular recreational activities, reading books ranks first. The second position is held by going to the cinema, as it was chosen by one third of respondents. The popularity of other cultural leisure practices is less. Thus, visiting the theatre was mentioned by only 15% of respondents, and concerts by 14%. Excursions around the city and listening to music enjoy the same level of popularity. Museums and exhibitions as favourite leisure activities were mentioned by even fewer respondents – only 7%. It is important to note that interest in cultural leisure time is the prerogative of women. For example, women read more, visit theatres more often than men, as well as museums and exhibitions, and take part in city tours.

• Reading books. According to the survey, almost half of Ukrainians have not read a book in a year, about a quarter can say they have managed to read between one and five books. Women read more often than men and have read more books. The total number of readers in large and medium-sized cities is almost identical, although in the larger cities people read more often. People in rural areas read even less than in small towns. With regard to the language of reading, in the western part of the country people sometimes admit that they are forced to read in Russian, but try to distance themselves from Russian content, looking for only Ukrainian-language books. In the southern and northern regions a latent unforced bilingualism dominates. In the Eastern region the language issue often causes tension, a part of respondents do not hide their discomfort from watching Ukrainian-language films because of the rejection of the language. Most respondents note that they read mostly in Russian, justifying it by the fact that Russian is the predominant language in their region, it is the language of personal communication and they have known it since childhood. However, some respondents noted that the language of reading is not crucial. They can read both in Ukrainian and Russian. In all regions there were respondents who found it easier and more convenient to read in Russian, but they have now adapted to reading in Ukrainian and are trying to continue reading exclusively in Ukrainian.

• A part of respondents use libraries, but the popularity of libraries is not decisive and does not differ much in all regions. Libraries are mostly used by elderly people and schoolchildren. When assessing libraries, one often recalls the obsolete collection, although there is also isolated evidence to the contrary. Books are mostly downloaded from Internet, or borrowed from acquaintances, or bought. Authoritative advice on the choice of books is not only from friends and acquaintances, but also information from the Internet, specialised sites and forums.

• Local cultural events. Residents of all regions of the country say that they like to attend concerts and other cultural events. Only a quarter of those surveyed had not attended a cultural event in the year before the lockdown. However, more than a third of those surveyed had been there often – more than four times a year. The youngest group of respondents, aged 18-29, joined mass events the most. In each subsequent age group, interest in this form of leisure activities gradually diminishes. The vast majority of respondents claim that cultural events are organised four times a year or more in their settlements. Only a small proportion of respondents claim that no mass cultural events had been held in their place of residence during the year before the lockdown. The majority claims that in their settlements, towns and villages, there are many concerts of local amateur art organised by the local government throughout the year. Local cultural activities are particularly active in the eastern part of the country. In the summer period, most concerts and festivals take place in the south and west of the country.

• Cinemas. More than a third of respondents had not visited a cinema during the year before the lockdown. The majority of respondents, on the other hand, had been there with varying frequency during the year. For example, a third of those surveyed recalled visiting cinemas 1-5 times during the year. Men and women are almost equally fond of visiting cinemas. As it turns out from the data obtained, as respondents get older, they gradually lose interest in cinemas. Accordingly, young people aged 18-29 and 30-39 attend cinemas most frequently and regularly. Residents of all regions like going to the cinemas; younger and middle-aged people are the most likely to go to the cinemas regularly. Older people prefer watching films at home. Going to the cinema is seen as a daily pastime for young people and a weekend getaway for families. Most people also like the reasonable price of a ticket. Residents of the western, northern and central regions are the most appreciative of modern Ukrainian cinema, and it is people from these regions who are most eager to attend premieres of Ukrainian cinema. Respondents in the south are also interested in new releases of Ukrainian cinema, especially adventure and comedy films. However, a part of southerners and easterners have little interest in Ukrainian cinema. A part of respondents in the eastern region believe that modern Ukrainian cinema is not yet of sufficient quality and does not meet the world standards.

• Theatres. More than half of the respondents admitted that they had not attended a theatre performance in the past year before the lockdown. Thus in total less than half of the respondents had been to a theatre performance in the year before the lockdown. As can be seen from the gender disposition, women are significantly more fond of going to the theatre than men. Theatre is most popular among the 40-49 age group. Residents of villages all over Ukraine have problems with transport and it is difficult for them to get home after theatrical performances and concerts, which creates obstacles for attendance. Theatres are mostly visited by families and friends, but there is also a large group of theatre-goers who like to go to performances alone. The system of distributing theatre tickets and encouraging attendance at performances through trade unions of institutions and organisations functions effectively in the north and west of the country. Particularly noteworthy in the effectiveness of this strategy is the Sumy Theatre, which has encouraged local educational institutions to cooperate with it. The theatres in Kharkiv and Lviv are popular in their cities. Theatre-goers are predominantly people over 40 years old. Residents of the regions have information about local theatres and tend to approve of them, although they go there rarely in person.

• Museums and exhibitions. More than half of the respondents had not visited museums and exhibitions. Women like visiting museums and exhibitions more than men. Most of all among visitors of museums and exhibitions there are young people, less of them are elderly people. In all regions of Ukraine respondents demonstrate their interest in museums and exhibitions, although they do not visit them regularly, but whenever possible, mostly occasionally. Local regional history museums are the most visited of all museums. It is these museums that are most often seen as being out of date and in need of modernisation. The urgent need to modernise local museums is mostly expressed by young people, who only recently had the opportunity to visit them as part of the school curriculum. Local museums are also frequently visited by grandmothers with grandchildren and parents with children, who consider museum visits an important tool for attracting the knowledge of cultural heritage. In other cities of Ukraine respondents visit museums more often by chance and by themselves, but occasionally – with excursion tours and guides.

• Concerts of the famous Ukrainian performers. More than a half of respondents had not attended concerts of well-known performers, orchestras and ensembles during the year before the lockdown. Young people like concerts more than other age groups. Respondents aged 30-39 also tend to attend such events quite frequently. However, among other age groups, interest in concerts mostly decreases. A major obstacle to frequent concert attendance is the high cost of tickets.

•        Excursion tours. About half of respondents had not participated in tours around Ukraine. More respondents – 64% had not been on a trip abroad. Ukrainian tours and trips abroad are mainly taken by women in the age group of 40-49 and 50-59 years old. Less than half of those surveyed do not plan to travel around Ukraine or abroad in the nearest future, while the rest have high hopes and plans for travel. Residents of different regions like to travel around Ukraine and abroad, but they slightly differ in the directions of their trips. Thus, people from the South and East travel primarily to the near foreign countries, Russia, and sometimes to Western Europe and Western Ukraine. Those who live in the North predominantly travel in Central and Western Ukraine. Residents of western part of Ukraine travel a lot to Western Europe, some for work and others for excursions. However, they travel considerably less around Ukraine and predominantly travel within their own region or visit the capital.

• Lockdown. During the lockdown period there were structural changes in the sphere of leisure. A quarter of respondents started to read more. Another third began to watch more films and TV series. Less than a quarter admitted to spending more time in social networks. Another 17.5% have begun to communicate with friends more frequently. Only a minority of respondents have begun to watch online performances and view online concerts. A third of respondents say that nothing has changed in their leisure time. The leisure activities of older people and those living in rural areas have undergone the least change. On the whole, the lockdown had a significant impact on the leisure practices of residents of all regions; they began to spend more time at home, on their own, with their families, became more engaged in creativity, self-development, self-education etc., began to read and watch TV more, and they also gained time and interest in board games. Women started to read more, chat with friends, use social networks and watch TV series. More than men, they began to get involved in creativity. More men than women began to play online games. There are also many among men who have not changed anything.

• Leisure time. Before the lockdown, half of the respondents had allocated up to 2-3 hours for leisure activities, while a further quarter of those surveyed reported only one hour of free time per day. Only 18% of the respondents had between 4 and 5 hours of leisure time. During the lockdown period, the amount of free time has changed, in particular, the number of those who have significantly more free time has increased.

• Financial expenditures for leisure activities. One quarter of the respondents spent between UAH 100 and 500 per month for their leisure time before lockdown. A second quarter could spend between UAH 500 and 1,000. A bit less than a quarter spent from UAH 1,000 to 5,000, while only a small share of respondents spent more than UAH 5,000. Only 9% of respondents did not spend any money for their leisure time. A third of respondents spent as little as UAH 500 and up to UAH 100. The lockdown also brought changes in spending. Almost a third of respondents claim that their spending has decreased. However, there is also a quarter of those who say that their expenditures have increased. Half of the respondents admitted that their expenditures have not changed. Expenses of women have increased insignificantly. Spending by young people and people aged 30 and 39 years has increased. Expenditure has decreased mostly among those in the 60+ age group.

• Obstacles to involvement in cultural leisure activities. A third of the respondents are prevented from engaging in cultural activities by their own employment and concerns. Less than a quarter of the respondents are not prevented by anything and the same proportion admitted that they are simply not interested in such leisure activities. Another quarter of the respondents say that their financial situation – lack of money – prevents them from actively attending cultural events. Only a small proportion of respondents consider the distance to cultural institutions to be a major obstacle. It is important to note that about a third of the men surveyed said that they were not interested in such leisure activities. Self-employment and preoccupation are equally a constraint for both women and men, as are the same positions for men and women in the “nothing is a constraint” category. Lack of finances, as an obstacle, predominantly prevails among women.

• Channels of information. The prevailing majority learns about cultural events from advertising on the Internet. Another third gets information from friends and acquaintances. TV advertising is the prerogative of nearly a quarter of respondents. An insignificant share of Ukrainians, mostly women, independently look for information. Women pay more attention to street advertisements, look for information by themselves, find out from friends, acquaintances and find advertisements in networks. Men more than women tend to prefer TV and radio and a little more often than women to find information in the local press. Older people mostly seek information on TV, pay attention to billboards and street advertising, have rather many contacts with friends and acquaintances and listen to radio shows. They also trust the local press more than others. Young people and people in 30-39 and 40-49 age groups learn the most about cultural events from social networks. Among them there are also more of those who look for information on their own. TV advertising is most common in the east and north of the country. The trust in TV is lower in all other regions. Trust in social networks is the highest in Kyiv and the centre of the country. The local press is most trusted in the north and east of the country. Radio is trusted in the west, east and north of Ukraine. Billboards and street advertising prevail in Kyiv and in the south of the country. Kyiv residents and residents of the northern part of Ukraine receive information from friends the most. Social networks attract city residents most of all, as well as they seek out information on their own much more often than rural residents. In the villages, much more information is received from TV, as well as radio and the local press. Residents of medium and small towns pay more attention to street advertising.

•Evaluations of the dynamics of development of the cultural sphere in Ukraine. Residents of all regions of the country note positive trends, namely that there are more Ukrainian films, more Ukrainian books, more Ukrainian festivals, etc. It was said that Ukrainian culture is actively developing and is finally being supported by the state. Particular mention was made of the rapid development of Ukrainian cinematography. The most unanimous positive momentum was seen by those living in the west of the country. Respondents in the north of the country also mostly and on the whole positively assess the cultural changes in Ukraine, emphasizing, in particular, the meaning and importance of social networks for the development and distribution of Ukrainian culture heritage. There is a certain polarisation of opinions among residents of the east and the south of the country. Some of them also note positive changes in Ukrainian culture and actively support them. However, there is a part of those who not only do not see positive changes, but even consider these changes to be negative, such that they polarise Ukrainian society and create tension.

Video presentation of a sociological research of cultural practices of Ukrainian population in “Ukrinform”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LLVVmtvrAs