Leisure interests and culture under the microscope
Two revealing studies in Switzerland and Germany, which also provide valuable information for cultural institutions, have analyzed visits to cultural institutions and the leisure activities of the population.
The Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the German Liz Mohn Foundation conducted large-scale surveys on cultural and leisure behavior at the end of 2024/beginning of 2025. In Switzerland, 14,361 people were surveyed in a mixed-mode survey, in which the majority of respondents took part independently online, while in Germany, the Gesellschaft für Sozialforschung und statistische Analysen forsa conducted a nationwide telephone survey of 3519 citizens aged 18 and over using a systematic random selection process as part of the ’Relevance Monitor Culture 2025„.
Effects of the pandemic still noticeable
The FSO's language, religion and culture survey, which is conducted every five years, shows that visits to cultural institutions - after a stable phase between 2014 and 2019 - fell significantly during the pandemic. The proportion of the population that visited museums and exhibitions or dance and ballet performances fell sharply by 6 percentage points between 2019 and 2024, while attendance at concerts and cinemas fell by as much as 7 percentage points. Monuments and historical sites and libraries maintained their position. A similar trend can be seen for leisure activities outside the home. Despite a slight decline of a few percent, meeting up with friends, hiking and playing sports remain very popular (around 90% of the population). Large city festivals, on the other hand, were visited less in 2024 than in 2019. The big exception is festivals, whose success has not waned even after the pandemic: the proportion of festival visitors rose from 38% in 2014 to 47% in 2019 and even reached 52% in 2024. The top spot is occupied by city festivals with multiple art forms (30%), followed by rock and pop music festivals (28%) and theater and dance festivals (15%). Since the pandemic, which has encouraged a certain retreat into the private sphere, individual cultural and creative activities in the amateur sector have risen sharply. In 2024, for example, 14% of the population danced. This figure is almost 75% higher than before the pandemic - among the young population, as many as one in five people dance. Around half of the population would like to visit museums, exhibitions or monuments more often, 56% would like to go to more concerts, theater or dance performances and 62% - or even 75% among 15 to 29-year-olds - would like to go to the cinema more often. In total, 79% of the population expressed a desire for more cultural visits. The most frequently cited obstacles were a lack of time (50%) and insufficient financial resources (29%). 18% stated that they did not feel like going out, and for 16% the cultural offerings were too far away.
Differentiated analysis in Germany
The German forsa survey is much more detailed than the Swiss survey, which tends to document the differences in the various age groups. It is also interested in the correlations between income, education, gender, political attitudes and use of cultural offerings and can only be reproduced in part here. It is not surprising that people with a higher income and higher education are more likely to make use of cultural offerings. The vast majority of citizens surveyed stated that they listen to music at least once a week (92 %). Respondents were significantly less likely to say that they play or learn to play a musical instrument at least once a week (8 %), take singing lessons, take part in choir rehearsals or practice singing (6 %), go to dance school, ballet or dance events (4 %) or take part in theater rehearsals or play theater (1 %). A large majority of respondents state that they never engage in these leisure activities. Around half of citizens are generally very or extremely interested in cinema or film screenings and non-traditional concerts - regardless of whether they actually attend these leisure activities at the moment. A good third are (very) interested in exhibitions, musicals and theater performances. Around a quarter of respondents said they were (very) interested in classical music concerts. 18% said the same about opera, ballet and dance performances. A good two thirds of citizens rate the cultural and leisure facilities in their place of residence or in the immediate vicinity of their place of residence as very good (20 %) or rather good (49 %). A good one in four rate the cultural and leisure facilities at their place of residence as rather poor (25 %) or very poor (3 %). There are clear differences depending on the size of the town in which the respondents live: While only just over half of the residents of smaller municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants rate the cultural and leisure facilities as very or fairly good, almost nine out of ten respondents living in large cities with at least 500,000 inhabitants do so. Just under two thirds of citizens consider it very important (16 %) or important (47 %) to live in a place with a wide range of cultural activities. A good third of respondents find this less important (32 %) or unimportant (4 %).
Expectations of cultural institutions
A large majority of respondents fully or somewhat agree that theaters and concert halls should be preserved for future generations (91 %), that they are part of Germany's cultural identity (83 %) and should continue to be financed with public funds or taxpayers« money (78 %). For a good one in three (37 %), offers in theaters and concert halls are an important part of their own lives. Around a third (34 %) of respondents believe that such offers are not aimed at people like them. A quarter feel out of place in the »temples of culture". So there is still a lot of convincing to be done. In Germany, there is a theater in most major cities. The vast majority of respondents think it is important or even very important that theaters set their prices in such a way that people from all social classes have the opportunity to visit (89 %) and that they show plays that are specifically aimed at children and young people (85 %), that make people laugh (85 %) and that are understandable for everyone (83 %). Three quarters of respondents consider it (very) important that theaters show new and current plays.
Culture and society
A very large majority of citizens believe that culture enables valuable community experiences (92 %) and connects people across borders and differences (90 %). A similar number believe that culture can provide comfort and joy in difficult times (89 %) and is an important source of support in an increasingly fast-changing society (87 %). A large majority (82 %) also fully or somewhat agree with the statement that culture creates spaces in which deep emotional experiences are possible. In his foreword to the study, Hamburg's Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda sums up the potential of culture very precisely: «What happens at cultural venues does not fulfill a function and does not follow a predefined program. Rather, the arts enable a society to engage in debate and discussion about the general and the essential, about what is relevant in a much broader sense.»
The complete survey results can be found at:
