6. Cultural participation and consumption
Liechtenstein
Last update: May, 2023
Cultural participation contributes to social cohesion in Liechtenstein and is an important driver of integration in society. Engaging with art and culture provides access to history, traditions and cultural values in Liechtenstein, Europe and the world. The basic principle of enabling as many citizens as possible to participate in the cultural life of the country is gaining importance in cultural policy – as a new approach.
Modernising access to culture and social cohesion are key issues going forward with the implementation of the UN Agenda 2030, the Education Strategy 2025plus and the Liechtenstein Digital Agenda (see 2.1). With its Integration Strategy (see 2.5.1), Liechtenstein recognises the value of diversity as a strength and asset. A number of initiatives show that “culture” is seen as an element of social and political life as well as an instrument to promote social integration. “Participation” replaces the old concept of welfare for people with disabilities, for example, and focuses on self-determination and personal responsibility (see 2.2, 2.5.6 and 2.6).
Issues such as the accessible experience of culture and art, diversity in the sense of the non-judgemental recognition of differences between people, inclusive culture as a joint cultural production by artists with and without disabilities, or digital access to culture are being discussed. At the same time, numerous amateur associations – orchestras, choirs, theatre groups and cultural associations – that are financially supported by the state have traditionally enabled participation and form the basis for a lively and diverse cultural landscape (see 1.2.5). According to the Statistics Office, one in three people in Liechtenstein is culturally active.
Liechtenstein has participated in the “Long Night of Museums” event since 2000, which was initiated by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF. Museums and galleries throughout Austria, parts of Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein keep their doors open until one o’clock in the morning. All visitors need is a ticket, and buses take them from museum to museum across national borders. So far, a total of almost 5 million people have participated in the Long Night of Museums. The number of museum visits in Liechtenstein is also likely to have increased significantly.
Last update: May, 2023
Liechtenstein does not yet collect data on cultural participation. There are few absolute figures and no percentages of how many people have participated in or attended cultural activities in the last three years or in the past 12 months. Nor are there any surveys on how much time people in the country spent at the cinema, reading books, listening to music, on the internet or computer, listening to the radio, watching videos or TV. According to the Statistics Office, the number of visitors to the Liechtenstein National Museum increased from 100,468 to 118,800 between 2017 and 2019, while the number of visitors to the Liechtenstein Art Museum decreased from 22,317 to 21,396. Utilisation of the Liechtenstein National Library has increased significantly between 2017 and 2019: while checkouts of books, magazines, audiovisual and digital media totalled 198,041 in 2017, the number increased to 234,130 in 2019.
No figures are available for Liechtenstein either on how many people engage in artistic activities, how many people write, paint, take photographs, produce videos and websites, act in theatre, dance or play an instrument. Approximate absolute membership figures are only available for wind orchestras (450) and choirs (1,000).
Last update: May, 2023
The Statistics Office regularly publishes information on population, environment and energy, employment, education, sport, etc. in the Liechtenstein Statistical Yearbook. Culture plays a marginal role here. There is no information on cultural spending by households.
Last update: May, 2023
Cultural life in Liechtenstein is supported by a large number of associations and groups based on voluntary commitment (see 2.7). Volunteers in the country’s eleven municipalities are involved in music, local history, art galleries and even museum associations with their own facilities. The cultural associations are an indispensable supporting structure for art and culture as well as for cultural participation.
According to a 2008 study on “Social Capital and Well-Being in Liechtenstein”, 36 per cent of Liechtensteiners were involved in voluntary work at that time, and about one in two young people up to the age of 24 (56 per cent). Liechtenstein had around 500 associations with over 15,000 members with interests in sports, culture, social affairs, religion, politics, the environment, etc. The most popular form of participation was in a sports association, followed by cultural associations or initiatives.
Since there are no further surveys on voluntary work for Liechtenstein so far, it is not possible to make any statements on the development or to derive any comparisons, for example, between the areas of sport, culture or social affairs.
At its 52nd session of the General Assembly, the United Nations declared 2001 the International Year of Volunteers. In addition to recognising the achievements of volunteers and networking among organisations, the objectives of the UN Year were to promote volunteering and mobilise new volunteers. The government of the Principality of Liechtenstein endorsed these UN objectives in 2003.
Liechtenstein celebrates Volunteer Day on 5 December each year. Furthermore, LGT Bank in Vaduz, which belongs to the Princely House’s LGT Group, has presented the biennial LGT Award for Social Commitment since 2014. In a world where people have less and less time, it is particularly important to support charitable work in the long term.
Socio-cultural institutions and initiatives play a very important role in Liechtenstein. These cover education and politics, children and youth, social work and senior citizens, as well as the environment. The focus is on mobilising population groups in order to release potentials for shaping the world we live in. Socioculture in the sense of a contribution to the democratisation of art and culture as a complement to traditional cultural forms and cultural institutions is still in its infancy in Liechtenstein (2.6).