Turning the page

A Eurobarometer report published lately on the cultural and reading habits of the Maltese offers a dim picture of the situation compared to our European counterparts, especially in the light of new media technologies.

Access to reading material has increased over the past years. There's almost an unlimited supply of free quality ebooks on the internet, including the classics. There has been a considerable improvement in the quality of our cultural offerings too - theatre, galleries and museums are more accessible than ever. More can always be done, but there's no doubt that the level has improved in recent years.

The survey by the European Commission offers much food for thought. The Maltese score on 'been to the theatre', 'visited a public library' and 'been to a concert' is lower than the EU average. Worryingly, when the Maltese were asked about reading a book in the past twelve months, we scored just 55% - which is overshadowed by the 68% of the EU27. The 13% gap is worrying but, considering that in the same study in 2007 there was a 26% difference, we can at least be pleased that the margin is decreasing.

Studying the socio-demographic breakdown, we find that the core age group, which falls short repeatedly is the 25-39 group. Specifically, those still in education score just 4% on the index of cultural practice, compared to 18% of their European counterparts. The report delves into the barriers holding back such individuals from reading books, visiting a museum and going to the theatre.

The assumption could be made that there was a limited choice in local events, however this is not the case. A total of 81% of Maltese respondents said that they hadn't read a book because they either didn't have the time (46%) or due to a lack of interest (35%). None of the 500 questioned said that they hadn't read a book because it was "too expensive".

Lack of interest is a reason given in most cases - seen a ballet or opera (62%), visited a museum (52%), been to a concert (49%) or visited a library (51%). Out of the EU27, only Bulgaria (14%) scores lower than Malta's 18% result.

This report proves that some problems cannot be solved simply by throwing money at them. Investment by government can offer access to books and culture but there is a core problem that cannot be addressed by government alone. The mentality problem needs wider discussion if there is to be change. We need to find the reasons why those still in education have such a low interest in reading and cultural events and then decide how we can address this.

Evarist Bartolo is Minister for Education