The Ministry of Culture records the best ever figures for cultural consumption in Spain

The Ministry of Culture has presented the results of the Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain 2024-2025, official statistics of the National Statistical Plan which, for the first time, will be carried out every two years.

The survey, carried out between March 2024 and February 2025 through interviews with a theoretical sample of 16,000 people over 15 years of age, aims to evaluate the evolution of the main indicators relating to the cultural habits and practices of Spaniards and to analyse the most relevant aspects of cultural consumption.

The results show, in almost all categories, the best cultural consumption data in Spain since the first Survey was published in 2002-2003, surpassing the peaks reached in the 2018-2019 edition and leaving behind the declines of 2021-2022, marked by the pandemic.

Reading, music and cinema maintain their appeal

Cinema, reading and music continue to attract one of the highest levels of interest observed in the various cultural activities.

Of the population analysed, 64.9% read at least one book a year, the majority (60.8%) in print and 29.8% in digital or audiobook format. Of those, 58.8% do so in their free time, with a preference for contemporary novels (82%). When it came to shopping, 83% of those who bought a book in the last quarter did so in a shop and 37.2% via the Internet. Reading data has grown by 7.2 percentage points since 2006-2007.

In terms of music consumption, 56.7% of the population usually listens to music on a daily basis and 77.8% once a month. The most consumed genres are Spanish pop and rock (60.3%), followed by foreign (43.4%) and Latin (31.7%).

In cinema, 48.5% went to a cinema at least once a year, with higher attendance among 15-19 year olds (79.1%). In terms of tastes, there are no variations with respect to previous surveys, with preferences still leaning towards action films and comedies, 16.8% and 16.4%, respectively. Also for dubbed films, 63.3%, compared to the original version, 19.4%, and American films followed by Spanish and European films.

Seven out of ten cinema-goers, 69.9%, paid for their ticket at the normal price, with a concentration of the younger population and those over 54 years of age, those who obtained their tickets with some kind of discount.

Growth in attendance at cultural activities

Of the total population, 52.1% visited a monument or archaeological site, an increase of 16.5 percentage points over the last two decades.

In museums, exhibitions and art galleries, attendance reached 47.6%, a record high since this survey has been conducted and an increase of 9.4 percentage points since 2006-2007.

Live performances also experienced strong growth: 47.1% of the population attended performing arts or musical events. Specifically, 24.7% went to the theatre, 3.9% to the opera, 32.1% to contemporary music concerts and 9.7% to classical music concerts. All these disciplines have reached their peak attendance figures in 2024-2025, according to the data presented in the Survey.

Increase in digital subscriptions

Of those surveyed, 74% had a subscription to a content platform at home, an increase of almost 15 points compared to 2021-2022. Subscriptions to films and series services stand out (64.5%), followed by music platforms (42.3%) and television (39.6%). For the first time, the survey includes data on podcasts, with 14.7% of users.

Technology, key to cultural consumption

The use of internet-connected devices is consolidating as a means of access to culture. Some 76.3% listen to music on internet-connected devices and 73.8% on their mobile phones. Likewise, 18.5% listen to the radio online and 30.7% do so from their mobile phones. On television, 21.3% watch it directly on the internet and 10.8% from their mobile phones.

Virtual visits are also gaining weight: 6.1% visited museums and 7.3% visited monuments in digital format. In addition, 18.3% virtually attended current music concerts and 11.4% of the population saw a performing arts show online in the last year.

The internet is also the preferred way to buy tickets for live performances, with 83.4% of those who went to a current music concert, 62.8% of those who saw a classical music concert, 69% of those who went to the theatre and 61.3% of those who went to a dance performance choosing the internet.

Main results by sex, age and education

Among women, the reading habit is higher: 68.2 % report reading books at least once a year, compared to 61.4 % of men. Women also attended museums, the cinema and live music concerts more frequently, 2 percentage points more on average, with a difference of 6.4 points in their attendance at the theatre.

On the other hand, men recorded higher annual rates for visits to monuments (51.1% compared to 49.9% for women) or archaeological sites. They listen to music more regularly (79.3% compared to 76.4% of women) and play more video games (27.3% of men play at least once a month compared to 11.8% of women).

One of the most decisive variables in cultural consumption and participation is the level of education: the higher the level of education, the more the cultural participation. Young people have the highest rates of cultural participation across the board: they visit more museums and monuments, attend more performing arts or musical performances, use libraries more, and have higher rates of reading. The high rate of cultural participation among the younger population decreases with increasing age.

Barriers and cultural habits in the family

Respondents say that lack of time continues to be the main obstacle to cultural consumption: 45.9% in reading, 27.9% in museums and cinema, and 25.9% in theatre.

The survey also confirms that cultural habits in childhood, especially those shared with parents, have a decisive influence on cultural practice in adulthood. For example, among the population who have read in the last year or gone to the cinema, in 69.6% and 68% of cases respectively, at least one of the parents also did so in their leisure time. And for those who visited museums,

monuments, archaeological sites, exhibitions, art galleries or archives, in 56% of the cases at least one of their parents had done this cultural practice, a percentage similar to that of those who attended stage or musical performances (55.6%).

The survey also investigates the link between the cultural practice of parents and their children under 18. Among the researched population, 71.1% of parents have read for leisure with their children, 69.2% have gone with them to museums, monuments, etc., 74.6% have gone with them to the cinema, 64% have gone with their children to stage or musical performances and 64.9% have carried out other cultural practices.

High level of satisfaction

Satisfaction with the cultural activities carried out is high among those surveyed, with an average satisfaction rating of 8 out of 10.

Current music concerts are the highest rated (8.8), followed by classical music, dance and theatre (between 8.5 and 8.7).

Programmes promoting cultural habits

The Ministry of Culture has various programmes in place that aim to encourage cultural habits and participation among different segments of the population.

The Youth Cultural Voucher, aimed at the population aged 18, is a grant of 400 euros to purchase and enjoy cultural products, services and activities. The objective of the Voucher is twofold: on one hand, it shows the interest of a broad spectrum of the young Spanish population in culture, which this initiative helps to build loyalty as a public and cultural consumer for the future; and, on the other hand, it offers additional support to the cultural sector.

For its part, the Cine Escuela programme, which began its first edition last month, aims to bring the youngest audiences to cinemas, encouraging this cultural habit and the learning of film language from an early age. Like the Youth Cultural Voucher, Cine Escuela facilitates access to cultural activities for those sectors of the population who, for social, economic or geographical reasons, cannot usually enjoy these activities.

The cinemas also have direct aid through Cine Sénior, which this year celebrates its third edition. This is a programme that facilitates access to the cinema at reduced prices for the over-65s, and brings audiences to cinemas on the day of the week when they have the fewest spectators.

Promoting reading is also the focus of various Ministry of Culture programmes, including the Plan to Promote Reading, and the María Moliner Reading Promotion Campaign, aimed at raising the profile of projects in municipalities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants. In addition, the Directorate General for Books, Comics and Reading is organising a National Book Awards Virtual Reading Club, which highlights the diversity of books that have received the various book awards in recent years.

These are just a few examples of the many programmes run by the Ministry of Culture that promote cultural participation.

Non official translation