The report “Culture and Democracy: The Evidence” aims to help policymakers understand the relationship between culture and democracy, and how this may inform decision-making. It examines the existing literature and evidence on the topic, developing primary analysis where possible, and drawing on a wider evidence base where relevant. The report does not claim to present definitive proof that cultural participation inevitably leads to positive civic and democratic outcomes. Instead, it explores what the evidence base says about the relationship, including whether the relationship exists, the reasons why, and the factors that may influence this.
The report acknowledges that there are gaps and weaknesses across this evidence base, and that further primary research will be required to understand more about this crucial relationship in different social and political contexts. The report points out that challenges throughout the literature include the complexity of the topic and the comparability of data, alongside the persistent challenge of conceptualising causal relationships and designing qualitative and quantitative methods that can establish them.
Situating cultural activity, civic activity and participation in different practices, contexts, and situations is clearly not easy. The report highlights that culture as a social space is a place that both embodies and underpins social cohesion and political dialogue, while also being imbued with dominant and marginal cultural norms and patterns of access. One might add that culture also reflects different mythological and symbolic traditions that are not easily accounted for on the surface, but which form driving and motivating factors and differences within different social fluids.
The report was compiled using a rigorous process of literature review and analysis. The literature was screened for quality and relevance, and a shortlist of fifty-four items of note was created. These items were then analysed and coded against analytical nodes based on the study questions. The final shortlist comprised literature from Europe, the USA, and several international pieces, as well as transnational collaborative literature featuring several countries around the world. The report underscores the importance of understanding the relationship between culture and democracy for policymaking, while acknowledging the complexities and challenges in establishing causal relationships in this area.
The report makes several key observations about the role of civic and cultural participation:
- Positive Correlation with Civic and Democratic Behaviours: Cultural participation supports civic and democratic behaviours. It empowers individuals, bridges social groups, and facilitates engagement in civic and democratic processes. The benefits are relevant to people from different socio-economic backgrounds and can be independent of social background.
- Role of Cultural Activities as a Form of Social Collaboration: Cultural activities create spaces for social interaction and collaboration, which help to create, broaden, and deepen social networks and relationships. They support the development of important social skills and understanding of different social perspectives. They also help to underpin the development of shared social norms and values, personal and group identities, and a sense of belonging and attachment to communities and places.
- Cultural Participation and Social Capital: The creative and expressive dimension of cultural participation is a unique feature that underpins the development of social capital. Cultural activities provide opportunities for individuals and groups to articulate their personal and social perspectives and identities. They can help to motivate and animate different types of personal and social collaborations and dialogue. The strong affective component of many cultural activities can help to provide insight and understanding of different and shared social perspectives, and helps to form bridges between social groups.
- Influence on Civic and Democratic Attitudes: Cultural participation influences civic and democratic attitudes and behaviours independently of a person’s socio-economic background or education level. Both active and more passive forms of cultural participation are positively associated with civic attitudes and outcomes. However, stronger effects are found in more active forms of cultural participation.
- Inequalities in Cultural Participation: There are important inequalities in cultural participation in the EU, with severe consequences. Promoting democracy and social cohesion in the EU requires addressing these inequalities. The inclusiveness and affordability of local cultural activities and organisations are fundamental to their social, civic, and democratic value.
- Investment in Cultural Participation: Investing in citizens’ cultural participation is essential in any effort to promote civic engagement and democratic outcomes in the EU – at European, national, regional, and local level.
- Limitations: The report also acknowledges limitations in the studies that demonstrate the existence of a positive relationship between cultural participation and democratic and civic participation. They do not always support conclusions about the causal relationship due to the complexity of these phenomena. Education level and socio-economic background are frequently noted as confounding factors across the literature.
The report makes several recommendations for changes to public policy and practice for cultural engagement:
- Support for Diverse Cultural Organisations: National, regional, and local cultural policy authorities should review their cultural policies and funding arrangements to ensure that they support a diverse range of inclusive and participatory cultural organisations. This includes grassroots community groups and local creative organisations that support civic and democratic outcomes and engage underrepresented groups.
- Understanding the Role of Cultural Participation: Authorities should develop a more profound understanding of the role that cultural participation can play in supporting civic and democratic outcomes in the national or local context. This can be achieved by:
– Conducting or inviting research into the dynamics between cultural participation and civic outcomes at national and local levels, considering the patterns of social segregation in the national or local context.
– Working with cultural organisations and stakeholders to develop learning on what works regarding developing the role of cultural organisations as part of efforts to support civic and democratic engagement. - Multi-Agency Approaches: Effective approaches to realizing the benefits of cultural participation depend on multi-agency approaches. This includes partnerships between arts and cultural organisations, education and municipal authorities, and other public services.
- Inclusive Cultural Programming: Innovative approaches to cultural programming and audience development are directly linked to the creation of opportunities for cultural participation. Successful policies have engaged in a range of cultural activities, including new digital forms, and engaged social groups and audiences that might not traditionally participate in cultural activities or engage with cultural institutions.
- Support for Creative Freedom and Diversity: A crucial challenge when integrating cultural participation into policy agendas includes how to support and promote cultural diversity, including minority or underrepresented cultural perspectives, and creative freedom in interventions and activities.
- Investment in Cultural Participation: Investing in citizens’ cultural participation is essential in any effort to promote civic engagement and democratic outcomes in the EU – at European, national, regional, and local level.
The report does not specifically mention community media as a form of cultural and civic practice. However, the principles and practices of community media align closely with the themes and observations outlined in the report. Here’s how these concerns correspond with community media principles and practices:
- Civic and Democratic Behaviours: Community media, by its nature, encourages civic participation and democratic behaviours. It provides a platform for individuals to express their views, engage in dialogue, and participate in decision-making processes. This aligns with the report’s observation that cultural participation supports civic and democratic behaviours.
- Social Collaboration: Community media fosters social collaboration. It brings together diverse groups of people to produce and consume media content, thereby fostering social interaction and collaboration. This aligns with the report’s observation about the role of cultural activities as a form of social collaboration.
- Social Capital: Community media contributes to the development of social capital. It helps articulate personal and social perspectives and identities, and motivates social collaborations and dialogue. This aligns with the report’s observation about the role of cultural participation in the development of social capital.
- Civic and Democratic Attitudes: Community media influences civic and democratic attitudes. It provides a platform for civic discourse and encourages active participation in democratic processes. This aligns with the report’s observation about the influence of cultural participation on civic and democratic attitudes.
- Inequalities in Cultural Participation: Community media can play a crucial role in addressing inequalities in cultural participation. It provides a platform for underrepresented groups to express their views and participate in cultural activities. This aligns with the report’s observation about the need to address inequalities in cultural participation.
Based on these correspondences, community media can be applied in the following ways:
- Promote Community Media: Policymakers should promote community media as a form of cultural participation. This could involve providing funding and resources to community media organisations, and encouraging the use of community media in civic and cultural activities.
- Inclusive Programming: Community media organisations should strive for inclusive programming. This could involve ensuring that programming reflects the diversity of the community, and providing opportunities for underrepresented groups to participate in the production and consumption of media content.
- Collaboration with Other Agencies: Community media organisations should collaborate with other agencies, such as education and municipal authorities, to promote cultural participation. This could involve joint programming or initiatives that encourage civic engagement and democratic participation.
- Research and Evaluation: Policymakers and researchers should conduct research to evaluate the impact of community media on civic and democratic outcomes. This could involve assessing the extent to which community media influences civic attitudes and behaviours, and the role it plays in promoting social cohesion and democratic participation.
The report primarily aims to elucidate the relationship between cultural participation and democracy, and how this understanding can inform policymaking. There are plenty of lessons to be taken up here in the UK, and it is a shame that Brexit has left us isolated in these discussions.
Usefully, the report does not assert a definitive causal relationship between cultural participation and positive civic and democratic outcomes, but rather explores the existing evidence base, the reasons for the observed relationships, and the factors that may influence them. The report acknowledges the complexities and challenges in establishing causal relationships in this area, including the complexity of the topic, the comparability of data, and the challenge of conceptualising causal relationships. It also highlights the importance of culture as a social space that both embodies and underpins social cohesion and political dialogue, while also being imbued with dominant and marginal cultural norms and patterns of access.
While the report does not specifically mention community media, it identifies a valuable set of principles and values that should be of note for community media policymakers and advocates in the UK. These include the importance of cultural participation in supporting civic and democratic behaviours, the role of cultural activities as a form of social collaboration, the development of social capital through cultural participation, the influence of cultural participation on civic and democratic attitudes, and the need to address inequalities in cultural participation.
The report underscores the importance of supporting a diverse range of inclusive and participatory cultural organisations, understanding the role of cultural participation in supporting civic and democratic outcomes, adopting multi-agency approaches, promoting inclusive cultural programming, and investing in citizens’ cultural participation. These recommendations can provide valuable guidance for community media policymakers and advocates in the UK as they seek to promote community media as a form of cultural and civic practice.
