Brussels, 08/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission and the Statistical Office of the EC (Eurostat) wanted to have a picture of the diversity of cultural practices among Europeans, be it reading, music, television, the use of the Internet or the practice of artistic activities. To that end, from 22 August to 27 September, a survey was conducted among 16,162 people in the framework of the Eurobarometer. The survey covers a population of 15 year-olds and over, with the nationality of and residing in EU Member States. This survey confirms the mass phenomena common to all Europeans (importance of television and cinema), but also reveals major differences in cultural habits (reading of newspapers, use of the new information and communications technology). On the whole, it emerges that:
1. Book reading: - close to 60% of Europeans have read at least one book in the previous 12 months; - in the North people read more than in the South; this is especially the case for the Swedes (80%), Finnish (75%) and British (74%), whereas lower proportions are to be found in Portugal (32%), Greece (45%) and Spain (47%); a third of Europeans read between one and two books and one fifth read more than one book per month.
2. Reading of newspapers: - 46% (or close to one Europeans in two) of those questioned read newspapers 5 to 7 times a week. In Finland and Sweden, this proportion stands at 78%, whereas it stands at 20% in Greece, 25% in Spain and Portugal. In these last three countries, we also find the highest proportion of people having declared never to read newspapers (31%, 23% and 26%, respectively).
3. Reading of magazines: 60% of Europeans read magazines once a week or more, one quarter one to three times a month, and some 20% never read them.
4. Cinema, libraries and visits to historical monuments are the three cultural activities most practised by Europeans. Over the past twelve months, the cinema attracted the Spanish and Irish most, whereas the Finnish made the most frequent visits to the library. As for concerts, half of those asked attended rock/pop music concerts and almost a quarter a classical music concert.
5. Artistic activities: - photography and shooting amateur films are practised by 29% of Europeans, especially in Sweden (60%) and the Netherlands (47%); - this is followed by dancing (22%), singing (20%), writing, sculpture, drawing and painting, etc. (15%).
6. The use of computers: 53% of those polled never use them, especially in Greece and Portugal (75%); one-fifth of Europeans use them every day, most frequently at home, as leisure activity.
7. Internet: - 35% of those asked surf the Internet: 14% several times a week, 9% every day. It is the Swedes (67%), Danes (59%), Dutch (54%) and Finnish (51%) who use it most; - Europeans use the Internet to exchange e-mails with family, friends and colleagues, to seek information on a specific product (42%) and for work (40%).
8. Television: - 98 of Europeans watch television, mainly: the news and topical programmes (89%), films (84%), documentaries (62%) and sport (50%); - there is however differences between men and women for the news and topical programmes (91% for the former, 87% for the latter) and especially sport (respectively 76% and 26%) and soap operas and series (28% and 58%).
9. Music: 61% of Europeans listen to music every day; - the music most listened to is rock/pop (55% of those asked), followed by easy listening music (32%) and folk or traditional music (30%); - easy listening music is most popular in Finland (71% of those asked) and folk and traditional music in Portugal (65%), Greece (63%) and Austria (45%).