By comparing the results of the 2008 survey with those of 1997, we can take stock of the profound changes in the conditions of access to culture under the combined effects of the dematerialisation of content, the widespread use of broadband Internet and the considerable progress in household equipment for computers, game consoles and multimedia telephones. Those under 45 years of age; young people and privileged backgrounds are the main users of it, unlike television, whose consumption has always been rather that of the elderly and those with few degrees.
The rise of the Internet and “new screens” has resulted in a decrease in radio and television viewing times among younger generations, while daily (paid) and book reading has continued to decline. in line with trends observed in the 1980s and 1990s. On the other hand, the extra time spent in front of the screens did not affect the general propensity of French people to go out at night nor did it change their habits regarding the use of cultural facilities: while libraries and media libraries experienced a slight decrease, Cinema in theatres reached more people in 2008 than in 1997 and attendance at venues or exhibitions has not changed much overall. Finally, the development of digital and the Internet have profoundly renewed the ways of making amateur art in the field of photography and video but also of music, writing or graphic arts.
All the statistical results as well as a commented summary are available on 14 October at 9.30 am on the website: http://www.pratiquesculturelles.culture.gouv.fr/ and a first analysis of the results is proposed in the book published on October 15, Les Pratiques culturelles des Français à l'ère numérique – Enquête 2008 by Olivier Donnat, co-edited by the Ministry of Culture and Communication and La Découverte.
See also the press kit: «Les Pratiques culturelles des Français à l'ère numérique, Survey 2008»