Canadians are "cultural omnivores" in a changing cultural landscape: new report

According to a new report, Canadians are “cultural omnivores.”

Instead of a narrow definition of “culture,” Canadians tend to view it as an all-inclusive set of diverse activities (i.e., museums, fine dining, festivals, local street fairs, etc.). However, the level of cultural participation varies based on a number of factors, including age; first language; and location, both province-wise and community-wise. Knowing which activities are being attended – and why – is important in understanding the always changing cultural landscape.

The Culture Track: Canada report (2017) is the first study of its kind conducted in Canada. Modelled on a New York-based strategy, the study analyzes the attitudes and behaviours of Canadian cultural consumers. To ensure a Canadian context, the questionnaire was adapted with input from 40 stakeholders who represent Canadian cultural organizations, business, and government. And, with a total of 6,444 respondents (weighted to ensure accurate proportionality of population counts in each province), this study is not only an important tool for understanding Canada’s unique and diverse cultural tendencies, but it’s also offers a glimpse of what the future may hold for cultural organizations in Canada.

While Canadian consumers were found to have an affinity with a wide range of companies and organizations, cultural organizations are fairly low on the list, falling just above political parties and airlines. Exploring this relationship between consumers and non-cultural entities will help identify what the “future of affinity” might look like in a cultural context, especially since audiences view their affinity to an organization as a personal relationship (with qualities such as trustworthy, kind, and consistent). Understanding what drives affinity is the first step in rethinking how cultural organizations can encourage personal commitment in their audiences.

The top five key takeaways for encouraging Canadian participation in culture are as follows:

1. Purpose – Canadians value experiences that nurture a sense of belonging, empathy, and perspective.
2. Relevance – Audiences need to feel connected to the content or experience.
3. Connection – Implement the opportunity to reframe digital as a tool that can encourage a deeper connection.
4. Relationships – Replace the transactional model of business with a relationship-based approach, one that values empathy and reciprocity.
5. Impact – Generate a greater emphasis on the social impact of culture, as well as the need for non-government funding.

The graphs and insights in the report reveal the responses of the data set in entirety, including those of specific places, individual provinces, generations, minority groups, and other demographic categories. Using these data points, the study explores the definition of Canadian culture and how Canadians experience and/or participate in said culture, as well as highlighting the similarities and differences between Canadian and American culture. In doing so, the report identified the major characteristics of an ideal cultural activity: social; lively; and interactive. It also discovered the top barriers to cultural participation: irrelevance; cost; location; lack of awareness; and inconvenient timing.

Read the full report.