Cultural consumers must have creative comforts despite economy new study finds

A new survey finds that cultural consumers--those who actively consume cultural goods (books, film, music, theatre) -- are still spending on creative comforts even in the face of a frigid economy. Seventy-eight percent continue to buy books, 73 percent are paying for cable, 67 percent are attending live theater and 63 percent are renting and attending movies.

The 2009 American Life and Culture Report by Patricia Martin, a leading expert on culture and commerce, surveyed 2,300 consumers in collaboration with Meaningful Measurement.

"Cultural consumers are making room in their budgets for traditional entertainment by increasingly attending free events," said Patricia Martin, lead researcher on the study. "They are not living a diminished lifestyle, just carefully selecting experiences that further their personal growth and help them continue to live a meaningful life."

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Additional findings from the study include:

Cultural Consumers Far From Socialists

Despite cries from conservatives, the research reveals that these politically progressive people have not adopted a socialist mindset -- 98 percent agree with the statement, "My success depends on me." Furthermore, nine out of 10 people believe that individual hard work leads to success.

Cultural consumers create echo effect that multiplies a message

Cultural consumers are influential when it comes to leisure pursuits. They are active and spend a good deal of time out of the home attending events and circulating in their communities. They organize outings with groups. The younger cohort maintains blogs (30%), and are social networkers.

Millennials create. Boomers consume.

Younger respondents are content creators; one-third actively blog and 82 percent said their peers consider them to be creative. More mature cultural consumers (46-65 year olds) create less, but still spend more than three hours a day online.

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