Covid: household spending on culture collapses, consumption halved

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16 January 2021 With Covid-19, consumption of cultural goods and services has halved (-47%), going from 113 euros of average monthly expenditure per family in December 2019 to around 60 euros in December 2020. paper books and the use of digital and pay TV in streaming is growing.

These are the main results that emerge from the Observatory of Impresa Cultura Italia-Confcommercio, in collaboration with Swg, on the cultural consumption of Italians in 2020. 

The survey notes a "dramatic situation", in particular, for live shows blocked by the lockdown and by the subsequent measures to contain the pandemic: a drop in spectators by about 90% for cinema, concerts, theater and large cost reductions, with peaks of over 70%, by consumers between December 2019 and September 2020.

Instead, he reads both books, with a preference for paper, although more than one Italian out of three also uses the digital format, and newspapers, mainly consulted in the free online version and with a ratio of about 1 to 2 between readers in paid digital and paper readers.

All forms of subscription to paid cultural services are down, with the exception of streaming TV (+17 points on December 2019) and with a third of Italians thinking of using mainly paid streaming platforms as evidence of a growing interest in this type of television offer compared to the generalist one.     

The traditional form of enjoyment of culture has given way to digital with the viewing of live shows, operas, ballets and classical music, especially on the web or on TV.

A trend that, in light of the current restrictions, seems to be confirmed also for the first part of 2021;

the restrictions imposed by the pandemic and the consequent push towards digital seem to have also changed the declination of the concept of culture by Italians with the risk of making its meanings and nuances more ephemeral.   

"The data of our survey are undoubtedly alarming with a reduction in cultural consumption by 47% and a monthly expenditure per family which collapsed to 60 euros in 2020 - underlines the president of Impresa Cultura Italia-Confcommercio, Carlo Fontana - and they are data that represent all the drama of the situation of cultural activities in our country. A policy of refreshments has been made, but it is not enough. Today a strategy is needed with a series of interventions that allow a restart of our activities because the population cannot be deprived for a long time of what is also a nourishment for the spirit ".