Boomers consume. Millennials create.
Those are the conclusions of the October 2009 report American Life & Culture Survey. Conducted by Patricia Martin and LitLamp Communications Group, a survey of 2,348 U.S. arts and culture consumers asked about the role of culture in their lives in our down economy.
According to the report, the younger generation spends more time creating and playing music, writing, and promoting their work by connecting online.
Older cultural participants consume more and create less. Despite the challenges of the recession, they continue attending live performances and visiting galleries (good news), but classes and music lessons are more likely to fall by the wayside (hmm).
Interestingly the researchers “found some 60-year-old bloggers held the same opinions as 24-year-old poets: they are willing to work hard in their creative endeavors. … They don’t spend time gaming online.”Sixty-seven percent of the sample says they’re still attending live theater and paying for other entertainments, but 69% are also attending free performances, too.
Since this report was meant for for-profit brand managers, lifestyle choices and attitudes of cultural consumers were also studied. We’ve seen some of these areas, like degrees of political activity and attitudes towards education, in other publicly available studies, but not others.
For instance, the cultural consumers surveyed are extremely health conscious. Seventy percent reported that they exercise regularly, see their doctor, and eat well. Sixty-three percent buy organic food despite the economy, and shop at farmer’s markets.
When was the last time you saw an arts organization partner with the local farmer’s market for cross-promotional purposes? Ever?
The survey also covered attitudes towards traditionally American values and spirituality.
American Life & Culture Survey is really a summary of the findings – a quick read can be a good thing; as far as I could see, a more detailed report is not available for download.
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