Factors associated with the attendance at cultural events in Mexico during the covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

During the COVID-19 pandemic, information concerning attendance at cultural activities and arts participation has not been fully explored. Thus, this manuscript aims to explore the factors related to attendance at cultural and artistic activities during the shutdown period. With that purpose, we use the 2018, 2019 and 2020 MODECULT datasets (n = 1994, n = 1978, n = 1663, respectively) to perform a logistic regression analysis. Results suggest that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, being young, high education attainment, interest in cultural activities, and being familiar with cultural and artistic activities are positively associated with attendance at plays, music performances, dance performances, exhibitions and movies. Contrary, availability of information, perception of prices, perception of free time and cultural offering near home show negative relationships with those same categories. These findings have relevant implications on cultural policies, regarding the aspects that affect culture and arts participation in crisis times.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural attendance
• covid-19
• crisis
• cultural policies
• Mexico
• cultural participation

Notes

1 Essential activities included health services, pharmaceutical sector, public security and citizen protection, legislative activity, tax collection, food production and distribution, distribution of energy, gas stations, gas, and drinking water, transportation, and telecommunications, among others.

2 Cultural participation is referred to be composed of four dimensions or practices: attendance, engagement, consumption and information (see, e.g. ESSnet-CULTURE, 2012; McCarthy & Jinnett, 2001; UNESCO, 2009).

3 The dataset used in the analysis employs the term “sex” rather than “gender”.

4 At September 2020, most Mexican states were located at the orange level (high risk) and a few of them at the yellow level (moderate risk) of the epidemiological traffic light (24 and 8 states, respectively). The orange level comprises measures such as that public spaces (e.g. parks and outdoor markets) and cinemas, theatres, restaurants and churches (and other non-essential activities) could open with a capacity of 30% (El Economista 2020). Meanwhile, the yellow level includes the following restrictions: public spaces (e.g. parks and outdoor markets) and cinemas, theatres, restaurants and churches (and other non-essential activities) could open with a capacity of 60%; as well as people from government offices could return to work (Hernández, 2020).