Factors Affecting Attendance of and Attitudes towards Artistic Events among Primary School Children

Abstract

In this study, the aim is twofold; on the one hand, we investigate extracurricular artistic activities, and on the other hand, regularity of visits to ten different artistic and cultural events, such as theatres, puppet theatres, dance and folk-dance performances, exhibitions, and musical performances for children, among 9–10 year old primary school children (N = 974). We are looking for an answer to the question of whether there is a connection between active artistic activity and the attitude towards cultural and artistic events. Additionally, we plan to identify differences in the family backgrounds of individuals who participate in artistic activities compared to those who do not. Furthermore, we will examine the influence of social, cultural, and economic capital on children’s cultural consumption and related attitudes. We tested our hypotheses using SPSS; the methods included logistic regression and factor analysis. In addition to highlighting the role of school in equalising cultural capital, the results confirm the powerful effect of generational transfer. When parents have actively engaged in artistic activities, they tend to offer enhanced support for their children’s artistic pursuits. Those who engage in certain types of extracurricular artistic activities during their childhood are more likely to exhibit more positive attitudes towards cultural events as adult consumers. However, parents’ high educational attainment and favourable financial circumstances are not the sole determinants of openness to art.