To gain insights into the various cultural concepts among diverse social groups in European societies and to understand the societal values of culture in these contexts, the INVENT consortium conducted a large-scale quantitative survey between April and July 2021 in all member countries, targeting representative samples of the population. More than 14,000 people across nine European countries completed the survey. Additionally, the consortium conducted secondary analyses of Eurobarometer data, performed content analysis of social data from participating countries, and conducted in-depth interviews with over 226 Europeans.
The survey provided comprehensive information about the diverse concepts of culture, perspectives on culture and cultural policy, views on European culture, prevalent cultural practices, and values held by different social groups in each country and how they perceive societal megatrends of migration, increasing diversity, globalization, and digitalization.
The content analysis of social media data demonstrated how people discussed cultural topics across Europe, contributing to the identification of multiple cultural concepts within the digital online environment.
The analysis of social media and the interview data also provided valuable insights into people's viewpoints on the socio-cultural impacts of migration and increased cultural diversity, as well as on their engagement in digital cultural activities and their utilization of digital alternatives for in-person cultural participation.
A key objective of INVENT has been to support local, national, and EU governments in making culture equally accessible to all European citizens despite the challenges posed by increasing social inequalities. The INVENT team examined how Europeans from diverse social groups perceived existing societal inequalities and how these views on inequality related to attitudes concerning inclusiveness, tolerance, and social cohesion. The INVENT survey and interview study collected unique data on individuals' socio-economic positions, perceptions of social and cultural inequalities, and attitudes regarding inclusiveness, tolerance, and social cohesion.
The INVENT consortium addressed the objective of understanding how various cultural concepts and cultural participation relate to well-being, tolerance, and cultural openness at the individual level through multiple methods using the rich survey, interview, and smartphone data collected in the project. We explored various measurements and predictors of cultural openness and examined the relationship between cultural participation and well-being, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cultural engagement and participation.
One of the primary tasks of this project was to identify the cultural and social prerequisites necessary for realizing the goals of the New EU Agenda for Culture. The INVENT consortium conducted a secondary research analysis on cultural policies, which provided context and data on indicators that were challenging to obtain. The consortium also investigated societal support for public funding of culture, exploring how the survey participants perceived the importance of public funding for various cultural areas.
INVENT members engaged with cultural policy officers and practitioners at national, regional, and municipal levels, gaining additional insights into innovative practices and barriers to create more inclusive policy models.
The project's findings have provided a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of cultural practices, perceptions, and preferences among European citizens. This knowledge has been made available in different forms for different audiences (cf. the INVENT Outpur Guide on the project website), including eight substantive research reports, 27 case study reports, a series of scientific articles in international scientific journals, the research monograph (Engaging with Culture in Transformative Times, forthcoming with Routledge) featuring sixteen collaborative book chapters, three policy briefs and a policymaker's guidebook titled Towards a Social turn in Cultural Policy, and three Newsletters and six animated videos targeting a general audience.
Lastly, the INVENT consortium created the European Inventory of Societal Values of Culture, which serves as an accessible, lasting online resource for researchers, policymakers, cultural professionals, and interested citizens. It will facilitate examining and assessing culture's societal value and serve as a dependable foundation for developing inclusive cultural policies and guidelines at European, national, and local levels.
