French people consume less and less culture, even if 86% of them consider it essential for their quality of life

According to a study conducted by Ifop for the Art Explora International Foundation, which France Culture has been able to consult, one in five French people has not made any cultural outings in the last twelve months.

Published on 08/04/2026 at 09:42, updated on 08/04/2026 at 13:45

Reading time: 4 min

A study reveals that French people are consuming less culture, even though 86% of them consider it “essential” for their quality of life. Conducted by the Art Explora International Foundation and the polling institute Ifop, the study shows a decline in all cultural activities among the French between 2017 and 2025: reading a book at least once a year (72%; -13 points compared to 2017); cinema (57%; -20 points); visiting a monument or historical site (51%; -20 points); museum or exhibition (43%; -19 points); library or media library (33%; -16 points); concert (32%; -8 points); opera, dance, or theater performance (31%; no figures in 2017); festival (23%; no figures in 2017).

Today, one in five French people has not made any cultural outings in the last twelve months. Despite this, the survey shows that 86% of the French believe that culture plays a central role in the quality of life, behind family moments (93%) and moments with friends (89%), and ahead of activities related to nature (84%), work (77%), or sports (74%).

The overall decline in cultural practices is attributed to several known factors such as territorial or social inequalities, financial cost, and lack of time. Since 2017, digital platforms have become more prominent in the daily lives of French people, influencing cultural practices. Online, 65% of French people have watched a movie in the last twelve months; 62% a series; 54% a documentary; 34% a concert; and 30% a performance (theater, dance, opera).

“The main teaching of this study is the paradox between attachment to culture and a weakness in cultural practices,” said Bruno Julliard, general director of Art Explora. He noted that there has been a significant decline in cultural practices between 2017 and 2025, with a decrease in museum and exhibition visits, or cinema attendance. Julliard emphasized that even 20% of the French population did not have any cultural outings in the past twelve months.

Survey participants mentioned that the main reason for the lack of cultural practices was not a difficulty in accessing culture in France, but rather a lack of interest. Some barriers highlighted include having to plan cultural outings in advance, overcrowding at events, or monotony in cultural content.

As for recommendations, the study suggests that cultural institutions should allow French people to “regain spontaneity in their activities.” For example, they propose offering more events without reservations or “micro-exhibitions” and “pop-up events during lunch breaks” to shorten the time between the desire for a cultural outing and its realization.

Certain actions to encourage cultural outings are particularly favored by respondents, such as free entry to museums and monuments (73%), school trips (73%), free public transport to cultural sites (69%), cultural vouchers (68%), or festivals in the heart of the city (67).

The study was conducted from June 6 to 18, 2025, among a sample of 4012 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over. Among this total, the study surveyed 3002 people with cultural practices (those who had at least one cultural outing in the past 12 months) and 1010 people without cultural practices (those who had not attended any cultural events in the past 12 months).