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Educational stratification in cultural participation: cognitive competence or status motivation?

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  • Natascha Notten
  • Bram Lancee
  • Herman Werfhorst
  • Harry Ganzeboom

Abstract

This article examines educational stratification in highbrow cultural participation. There are two contrasting explanations of why cultural participation is stratified. The status hypothesis predicts that people come to appreciate particular forms of art because it expresses their belonging to a certain social group. The cognitive hypothesis stipulates that cultural participation depends on a person’s cognitive abilities, which is why educational stratification in cultural consumption is so evident, especially among consumers of high culture. However, to test these explanations, previous work predominantly relied on an individual’s level of education, thus confounding the two mechanisms. We test the status and cognitive hypothesis using data from the International Adult Literacy Survey, covering 18 countries. First, by including an individual’s literacy skills, we separate the effect of cognitive ability from that of education. The remaining effect of education can be seen as a better measure of the status-related motives for cultural participation. Second, we examine whether stratification varies across countries. The findings show that the status-related effect of education on cultural participation is smaller in societies with larger educational expansion and intergenerational educational mobility. This is in line with the status explanation, which holds that boundaries between educational groups are less exclusionary in societies that are educationally less stratified. In contrast, the relation between cognitive skills and cultural participation is unaffected by distributional variation in education, as the cognitive hypothesis predicts. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Natascha Notten & Bram Lancee & Herman Werfhorst & Harry Ganzeboom, 2015. "Educational stratification in cultural participation: cognitive competence or status motivation?," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 39(2), pages 177-203, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:39:y:2015:i:2:p:177-203
    DOI: 10.1007/s10824-014-9218-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesco Casarin & Anna Moretti, 2011. "An international review of cultural consumption research," Working Papers 12, Venice School of Management - Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    2. Melissa Osborne & Herbert Gintis & Samuel Bowles, 2001. "The Determinants of Earnings: A Behavioral Approach," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(4), pages 1137-1176, December.
    3. Jordi Sintas & Ercilia Álvarez, 2002. "The Consumption of Cultural Products: An Analysis of the Spanish Social Space," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 26(2), pages 115-138, May.
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    11. Andrey David Ramos Ramírez & Nora Elena Espinal Monsalve, 2020. "Aplicación de modelos de elección discreta regularizados para el análisis de los determinantes del consumo cultural en Colombia: el caso de los bienes del patrimonio cultural [Aplicação de modelos reg," Nova Economia, Economics Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil), vol. 30(1), pages 37-68, January-A.
    12. Carla Cristina Rosa de Almeida & João Policarpo Rodrigues Lima & Maria Fernanda Freire Gatto, 2020. "Expenditure on cultural events: preferences or opportunities? An analysis of Brazilian consumer data," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 44(3), pages 451-480, September.
    13. Fernanda Gutierrez-Navratil & Maria J. Perez-Villadoniga & Juan Prieto-Rodriguez, 2024. "Attracting new audiences to high culture: an analysis of live broadcasted performing arts at cinema theaters," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 48(3), pages 387-404, September.
    14. Biondo, Alessio Emanuele & Cellini, Roberto & Cuccia, Tiziana, 2022. "Cultural consumption in times of lock-down: An agent-based model of choice," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 430-440.
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