The report is a supplement to the Norwegian Cultural Barometer 2021, which was published by Statistics Norway on 24 May 2022. In the survey, a representative sample of people with an immigrant background answered questions about their use of various cultural activities. The sample consisted of immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents in the age of 9 years old and older. Interviews were conducted with 1,715 people with an immigrant background. For more information regarding sample size and data collection, see Appendix A.
Overall results from the Norwegian Cultural Barometer 2021 shows a significant decline in the amount of people in the Norwegian population participating in all cultural events. This decline can reasonably be explained by restrictions and closure due to the corona pandemic. Cultural use among people with an immigrant background must therefore be viewed in connection with the pandemic and less access to cultural facilities in certain periods of the year (see Appendix B).
In most cultural fields, we find small proportions who attended cultural events, both in the entire population and among people with an immigrant background. With a few exceptions, the proportions who have attended cultural events are similar in both the entire Norwegian population and for people with an immigrant background specifically. Approximately equal proportions stated that they had been to the cinema in the past year, around four out of ten in both groups. Reading books during a year was also similarly popular in both the population as a whole and by those with an immigrant background.
However, in some arenas, people with an immigrant background were more frequent users than the entire population. For example, those with an immigrant background were more often visitors to events regarding religions or beliefs. Also, among those with an immigrant background a larger proportion visited the public libraries than the whole population. Forty-seven per cent of people with an immigrant background went to public libraries during the last 12 months of 2021, and this was the most popular cultural activity among people with an immigrant background. On the other hand, a significantly lower proportion used the public libraries' digital services, with 17 per cent.
Among people with an immigrant background, 27 per cent stated that they had been to a museum during the last 12 months, while 16 per cent had been to art exhibitions in the same period. 11 per cent viewed a museum exhibition digitally, and 12 per cent had viewed an art exhibition digitally.
Furthermore, 11 per cent of people with an immigrant background went to theatre performances and musicals during the last 12 months, while a larger proportion saw theatre performances digitally with 17 per cent. Very few attended opera or dance performances in 2021, and digital opera- and dance performances were more popular than physical ones amongst the immigrant population. There is a similar trend by those who saw concerts in 2021, where they mostly saw digital concerts rather than physical ones in the last 12 months, with 32 against 15 per cent.
One in ten with an immigrant background went to a festival in the last 12 months. Nearly one in four with an immigrant background went to a sporting event during the last 12 months, most popular was watching soccer games.
Nineteen per cent of people with an immigrant background stated that they play an instrument in their spare time, and this was more popular among men than women. Nineteen per cent engage in creating art, such as drawing, photography and painting in their spare time. Art as a leisure activity is more popular among women than men with immigrant background, 24 per cent versus 14 per cent. Seventeen percent of people with an immigrant background were members of a sports team or a sports club in 2021, while only 2 percent were members of a theatre group or an art association.