Study: Istanbul residents shun culture and arts with high ticket prices main barrier

According to the July edition of the Istanbul Barometer survey conducted by the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA), 45.8% of Istanbul residents did not attend any cultural or artistic event in the past year.

While the biggest obstacle to participation in cultural events was high ticket and admission prices, cited by 45%, economic conditions led people to cut back most on spending in social venues such as restaurants and cafés.

The July issue of Istanbul Barometer, the monthly data bulletin of IPA, which is affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), focused on the heading "Cultural and entertainment habits in Istanbul". The survey, conducted with 758 participants, examined Istanbul residents' level of engagement in cultural life, the barriers to participation, their culture and entertainment spending, and their digital entertainment habits.

Concerts are the most popular outing for Istanbul residents

Of those taking part in the survey, 45.8% said they had not attended any cultural or artistic event in the past year.

Among those who did attend events, concerts were the most popular choice with 33.9%. They were followed by theatre and stand-up shows at 21.8%, and visits to art galleries and museums at 21.2%.

The share of people attending book fairs or author events stood at 16.2%, street festivals and open-air events at 16.1%, and film festivals at 11.9%. Design, photography and fashion events were chosen by 6.2%, dance performances by 5.9%, and opera, ballet and classical music concerts by 5.7%.

The main reason making it difficult to attend cultural events was "high ticket and admission prices", cited by 45% of respondents. In second place, at 38.1%, was a lack of time due to work or school.

Economic conditions affect spending on culture and entertainment

Participants were also asked whether they had cut back on culture and entertainment spending over the past year because of economic conditions.

The category where people saved the most was spending in social venues such as restaurants and cafés, at 41.4%. Meanwhile, 39.8% of respondents said they had not reduced any of their spending categories.

The proportion of people cutting back on concert and theatre tickets was measured at 37.6%, and on cinema tickets at 37.2%. For museum visits the figure fell to 26%, to 25.9% for purchases of books, magazines and digital content, and to 25.2% for subscriptions to streaming platforms.

Digital content seen as more accessible and convenient

The study also showed that digitalisation is playing an increasingly prominent role in Istanbul residents' cultural and entertainment habits.

While 56.9% said they preferred attending in-person events, 28.5% opted for social media and digital content instead of cultural experiences.

Of those who favoured digital content over cultural experiences, 34.3% cited the fact that it is more practical when time is limited. The greater accessibility and lower cost of digital content ranked second, with 29.6%.

A further 18.1% pointed to their social circle also shifting towards digital, and 12.5% said reaching physical venues was difficult or tiring.

Istanbul residents consume more than three hours of digital entertainment a day

According to the survey, Istanbul residents spend an average of 3 hours and 8 minutes a day consuming digital entertainment content.

Their average daily free time, excluding work, sleep, meals and childcare, was calculated at 3 hours and 44 minutes. The fact that these two figures are very close indicates that Istanbul residents devote a large share of their spare time to digital content consumption.