Effectiveness of Expanded "Culture Day"... 7 Out of 10 Say Participation in Arts and Culture Has Increased

Survey on Satisfaction with the Expanded Culture Day

Usage Satisfaction at 89.8%, Intention to Reuse at 91.1%

"Helps Reduce the Burden of Cost, Time, and Distance"

On July 15, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, since expanding "Culture Day" from the last Wednesday of each month to every Wednesday in April, public participation in cultural and artistic activities has increased, and satisfaction with the policy has also risen.

According to the "Survey on Satisfaction with the Expanded Culture Day" released the same day, 71.1% of all respondents said that their participation in cultural and artistic activities had increased due to Culture Day.

Busan International Dance Festival. Yonhap News

In particular, among respondents who said their participation in cultural and artistic activities had increased or stayed the same, 60.3% claimed that the total number of their cultural activities increased, not simply that they shifted their activities to Wednesday. The Ministry analyzed this as evidence that Culture Day is not merely replacing existing cultural demand but is, in fact, substantially expanding overall public participation in culture and the arts.

The policy satisfaction levels were also high. Satisfaction with using Culture Day was 89.8%, intention to use it again was 91.1%, and willingness to recommend it to others was 91.8%. The Ministry evaluated these rates as showing potential for ongoing participation and voluntary spread, beyond just one-off satisfaction.

The main reasons for satisfaction were cited as discounts and benefits (27.8%), the quality of programs and works (22.0%), and opportunities for free participation (21.9%). This suggests that not only price competitiveness but also content quality received a positive response from users.

The survey also indicated that Culture Day is effective at easing major barriers to cultural engagement such as cost, time, and distance. 83.4% of respondents said Culture Day helped reduce financial burdens. In addition, 79.5% said it made it easier to secure time for culture, and 70.9% felt it made cultural experiences more accessible in nearby locations. 90.1% of respondents said that expanding Culture Day contributes to an overall improvement in public access to culture.

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Ministry further analyzed that the Culture Day policy is creating a virtuous cycle: it increases the public's use of cultural and artistic facilities, and these experiences in turn boost policy satisfaction. In fact, the group whose participation in cultural and artistic activities increased reported an average policy satisfaction score of 6.26 out of 7, which was significantly higher than the 5.53 reported by the group whose participation did not increase. Meanwhile, differences in satisfaction by occupation were relatively small, with office workers at 6.11 and students/other occupations at 6.01. The Ministry explained that these results show the Culture Day policy is having broadly positive impacts across all groups rather than just on specific sectors.

This survey was conducted among 1,000 people who experienced Culture Day at six major national and public cultural facilities, such as the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, on June 24 and July 1.

Kim Yongseop, the Director of Regional Culture Policy at the Ministry, stated, "Through these survey results, we have reconfirmed the effectiveness of the Culture Day policy," and added, "The Ministry will continue to develop the system so that people can more easily and enjoyably experience culture in their daily lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.