Results of survey on participation of residents in cultural activities

The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of Survey on Participation of Residents in Cultural Activities for the second quarter of 2016. This Survey aims to collect information on participation of individuals aged 16 and above in cultural activities in the six months prior to the date of interview. Cultural activities include going to the cinema, going to a library, visiting a museum or World Heritage site, and attending a performance or art exhibition. In the second quarter of 2016, a total of 302,300 individuals participated in cultural activities; the cultural activity participation rate (percentage of individuals participating in cultural activities in the population aged 16 and above) was 54.9%, up by 2.1 percentage points year-on-year. Local residents participating in cultural activities totalled 257,900, with a participation rate of 59.2%, up by 1.2 percentage points. Analysed by type of cultural activity, going to the cinema remained the most popular activity for local residents, with 169,800 participants, up by 7.6% year-on-year. As the government organised a number of film screenings in support of Macao films and videos, local residents who had watched locally produced films and videos rose notably by 58.5% to 35,100. Local residents going to libraries increased by 3.1% year-on-year to 114,400; the activity participation rate was 26.3%, up by 0.5 percentage points. Students had a higher participation rate than non-students, at 68.0% and 22.0% respectively. With the government’s efforts to promote Macao history and culture, local residents visiting museums or World Heritage sites increased by 19.1% year-on-year to 113,900. The average visit per participant was 2.8, the same as a year earlier. Specifically, 82,500 local residents visited World Heritage sites (72.4% of total) and 75,100 visited museums (65.9%). There were 90,500 local residents attending performances, down by 0.7% year-on-year. The average attendance per participant remained unchanged from a year earlier, at 2.3. Music/dance performances were more popular among local residents, with 65,500 participants (72.3%), while theatre performances had 45,200 participants (50.0%). There were 38,300 local residents attending art exhibitions, up by 5.2% year-on-year; 95.7% of them also participated in other types of cultural activities, and 51.6% took part in four or more types of activities, up by 3.0 percentage points.