Malta

Last update: February, 2015

The free events organised in Malta draw large crowds to popular cultural manifestations. Notte Bianca an all-night cultural event in Valletta is attended by more than 75 000 people, whereas 40 000 attend the yearly MTV concert. Although research by the National Statistics Office reveals that price is not a major barrier for cultural participation, the general perception and concern is that free cultural events remain the main source of cultural engagement for a large part of the population.

Heritage Malta has also introduced a year family pass to access all historical sites at minimal cost. Heritage Malta also runs a comprehensive education programme for school children and holds regular open days in various museums and historical sites. St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Teatru Manoel and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra are also increasing participation via free events and reduced ticket prices for students and senior citizens. Students can also purchase tickets using their Culture Cards. This card works like a debit card system, whereby a EUR15 credit is provided by the state for 3 years to spend on cultural events.

Last update: February, 2015

Trends from the Cultural Participation Survey 2011

Table 13:  Attendance at cultural events

Source: Cultural Participation Survey 2011.
* figures in [ ] are under-represented.

Table 14:  Attendance and active participation at local events 2011

Source: Cultural Participation Survey 2011.
* figures in [ ] are under-represented.

Trends from other Surveys:

The following data is extracted from various reports published by the National Statistics office:

Cinema attendance

• in 2013, cinemas registered a total of 702 239 admissions. The largest share of admissions, 87.5%, was registered for films of US origin. Films originating from Malta registered 3.6% of total admissions. On average, Maltese films enjoyed the highest number of admissions per film;
• 58.8% never attended a cinema screening in 2007 (2007 Lifestyle survey);
• 26.5% attended 1 – 3 times; and
• 67% of 16 – 29 year olds attended once. EU average 77% (Eurostat 2006).

Live performance / Theatre

• 66.7% of the Maltese population never attended a live performance in 2007 (2007 Lifestyle survey);
• 22.7% attended 1-3 times. Audiences from the Western region composed the largest group; and
• 29% of 16-29 year olds attended at least once. EU average was 54%. (Eurostat 2006).

Theatres 2011-2012

A survey carried out among 72 theatres across Malta and Gozo revealed that 429 productions were organised in 2011, with a total audience of 293 772, with an average 348 attendees per performance. At 36%, concerts were most preferred among audiences. Comedies and school performances came next, at 34% and 12% respectively. The average theatre-seat utilisation rate went down from 62% in 2011 to 58% in 2012. These theatres employed 152 persons on a full-time basis in 2012. Another 105 persons were hired on a part-time or sub-contracting basis.  In 2012, 665 were registered as voluntary workers with these theatres. Excluding dance and concerts, performances in 2012 reached 600, of which 337 were in Maltese.  Maltese-language performances were attended by 127 718.

Cultural sites

• 67.6% never visited a cultural site in 2007 (2007 Lifestyle survey);
• 22.4% visited 1-3 times. Attendances were mainly in the Western region; and
• 14% of 16 – 29 year olds attended once. EU average 49% (Eurostat 2006).

Museums and Historical sites 2011

In 2011, the number of active museums and historical sites in Malta and Gozo stood at 68, the same as the previous year. More than half the sites were owned by private or church organisations; the rest were owned by the state. Less than 40% were managed by the state, while nearly a third was managed by voluntary or non-profit organisations. The remaining 30% was run either by the Church or by a private enterprise. Total admissions were 1.9 million, over half of whom were adults and a quarter were group entries. Paid admissions accounted for the majority of admissions. Art museums had the highest proportion of admissions, at 35%. Monuments and sites, and archaeology and history museums continued to be the most popular, with 28 and 25% of total admissions respectively.

Band clubs activity

The town or village annual festa, staged in honour of a patron Saint, remains a very prominent feature in the cultural calendar of the Maltese people. In 2008, Band club members stood at 6.4% of the total population aged 5-84 years. 2 543 were resident band members, 1 380 were trainee band players, 1 409 acted as committee members and 24 855 were registered members.

The survey was carried out again in 2010 among 90 active band clubs in Malta and Gozo. Total band club participation amounted to 30 134, a rise of 1.6% compared to the previous year. Male affiliates amounted to 78% of the total, despite a rise of 4% in female participation when compared to the previous year. Resident and trainee band players in 2010 amounted to 4 123 - an increase of 3% when compared to 2009. Of these, 1 546 were trainee band players - 287 paying and 1 259 non-paying trainees. The share of total band club participation of the total population aged 5-84 was estimated at nearly 8%.

A total of 1 257 performances were recorded in 2010, of which 62% was carried out in the band clubs' own locality. There was an increase of 49 performances when compared to 2009 levels.

Musical preference

The lifestyle survey (2007) shows that the majority of Maltese residents listen to more than one type of music. However, among those who listen to just one type, country music is the genre mostly listened to, followed by classical and pop music. In fact, while 38.9% stated that they listen to more than one type of music, 19.2% prefer country music, 10.9% prefer classical music and 10.8% listen to pop music. On the other hand, 7.1% do not like listening to music. 

There is a major difference between age groups as to what genre of music they listen to mostly. For example, techno, trance and house music are the most popular types of music among those aged 18 to 24, while rock music is most popular among persons aged between 25 and 34 and between 55 and 64.

Hobbies (2007 lifestyle survey)

In the lifestyle survey (2007) reading is the most popular hobby among the adult population, with 48.1% of females and 27.3% of males participating. Total book loans by public libraries in Malta and Gozo (2008) stood at 767 548 (-9.5% from 2012). Illiteracy in 2005 stood at 7.20% of the population.

Singing, dancing and acting is a hobby enjoyed by 7.8% of the population and 5.4% of the population plays a musical instrument as a hobby.

Radio listenership and TV viewership (2009)

Radio listenership is at 54.2% of the population whereas television is viewed by 75.1% of the population.

Creative content participation online

Figures from a survey carried out in 2009 among a representative sample of persons aged 16-74 revealed that 67% and 64% of households had access to a computer and the internet respectively. More than half of the individuals aged 16-74 in Malta and Gozo made use of computers and the internet.

Table 15:  Individuals using the internet who selected the following as their online activity, in %, 2009

Source: Survey on Creative content participation online 2009.

Table 16:  Individuals using the internet who purchased creative content from the internet, in %, 2009

Source: Survey on Creative content participation online 2009.

Last update: February, 2015

Public's perception of phone, internet and broadcasting services

A survey by the Malta Communications Authority released in 2014 provided an insight into the public's perception of phone, internet and broadcasting services, including quality and tariff levels. Of most significance was the exceptional growth in Internet access via mobile technology. The number of mobile subscribers owning a smart phone allowing them access to the Internet more than doubled to 37%, from 16% registered in 2011. The survey showed that 80% of households have internet access, a considerable development when compared to the 68% of households having internet access in 2011. According to the survey results, 46% of Maltese households have at least two TV sets, with 57% of Maltese Households today having at least one HD TV set at home, a stark increase compared to 28% in 2011. 26% of households viewed TV via the Internet, a marked increase from 19% in 2011. 51% of these households always/often consider Internet TV as a good substitute to traditional TV.

Culture related Consumption

Specific surveys regarding private culture expenditure do not exist. However, data drawn from the 2008 Household Budgetary survey suggests that Maltese households' expenditure on goods and services produced by the Culture and Creative Industries in Malta represents on average around 3.4% of total expenditure. The table below gives an indication of the average distribution of such expenditure amongst the different cultural and creative sectors. However this is only an average percentage indication, as information on the distribution of expenditure by household consumption is not available. Median expenditure would be higher or lower than this figure, particularly for the individual expenditure components making up these goods and services. For instance, though based on the given percentages, a household spending EUR 20 000 yearly would roughly be spending EUR 40 yearly on Music related goods and services, while many such households may not really be spending anything related to Music. Therefore it is likely that those households that do spend on goods and services in this category actually spend much more than EUR 40 per annum. Therefore, the information below should be considered carefully and in aggregate terms.

Table 17:  Average cultural expenditure in Malta 2008, in %

Source: 2008 Household Budgetary survey.

Table 18:  Household expenditure in Cultural Domains

Source: 2008 Household Budgetary Survey.

The above figures indicate that the most popular component of Maltese household expenditure on goods and services produced by the CCIs are books, newspapers and magazines, accounting for more than 28%. Adding to this the share spent on audiovisual services, the share of expenditure on media services amounts to around 33%. This does not include expenditure on goods such as TV sets, Hi-Fi equipment and similar equipment. On the other hand, there is a low average expenditure share on museums and galleries, at 0.3%. More than 21% is spent on the arts, namely 10% on visual arts, 6% on music and 5% on performing arts. Around 6% spent on creative business services, including expenditure on software services, interior design and creative services.

Last update: February, 2015

Amateur arts and folk culture

Due to a lack of professional, legal and employment frameworks to recognise art as a profession, the arts in Malta still operate on a relatively amateur level. The majority of artists work on a semi-professional level, with only few earning an income from their creative work. However, in Malta, semi-professional work, even though it is mainly created as an after-work activity, is perceived differently from community art or cultural activity in the community which is embedded in the identity of each town.

Malta has a long tradition of amateur cultural groups and associations, originally connected to Church-run parish centres and band-clubs. After political Independence in 1964, this activity proliferated, especially after the creation of the Movement for the Promotion of Literature (1967), a front that set the pace for new-wave thinking in devising popular cultural activities.

There exists no official Amateur Arts policy in Malta, but the government regards such activity of immense socio-cultural importance. Certain village clubs and cultural associations receive ad-hoc financial support from the government through the National Lottery Good cause fund.

All towns and villages have their own array of cultural associations, which can range from historical societies to theatre groups. The cultural landscape is further enhanced by "friendship societies". These structures run on a voluntary basis, which promote cultural connections between Maltese and foreign counterparts in the fields of painting, music, dance and other areas, which sometimes include theatre. Other friendship societies, with interest limited to the local scene, are active in the field of heritage (e.g. Friends of the Cathedral Museum) and theatre (e.g. Friends of the Manoel Theatre).

Cultural houses and community cultural clubs

The cultural identity of each city and village in Malta and Gozo is shaped by the presence of village band clubs which are also directly connected to the village patron saint and at times also indirectly linked to one of the two main political parties. These band clubs, often housed in the main village square, act as rehearsal spaces for the brass band, formal and informal meeting spaces for the members and organising committees and also act as concert halls for fundraising activities or as part of the society's yearly cultural programme. The clubs are also often transformed into exhibition spaces for nativity cribs during Christmas time and performance spaces for passion plays and exhibition halls for the traditional re-enactment of the Last Supper and miniature Good Friday statues during Easter. In Victoria Gozo, the two village band clubs also double up as opera houses that host the yearly opera performance which, even though belonging to the community, is often referred to as a national event.

In 2008, Band club members stood at 6.4% of the total population aged 5-84 years. 2 543 were resident band members, 1 380 were trainee band players, 1 409 acted as committee members and 24 855 were registered members.

Between 1997 and 2000, the number of young persons who joined musical associations, band clubs, heritage and crafts associations and amateur theatre groups rose by 31.1%, bringing total membership to 6 318, representing 44.7% of children and young persons aged 5-29 years in Malta.

A Cultural Mapping project was launched in 2013 as a research project designed to generate information and analysis on cultural use and practice in public and publicly-accessible spaces in Malta and Gozo. The scope of this project is to create a valuable information database which maps out the cultural use of public and private spaces across the islands. This project will have two deliverables; an interactive online map and an academic publication bringing together academics and specialists from a number of relevant fields. In order to identify the spaces, sites and venues of relevance and their basic tangible qualities, a map of all localities in Malta and Gozo will be drawn up using GIS technology. Data shall include spaces, streets, squares and venues used for a range of cultural activities. This map will be publicly-accessible and can be used by individuals, organisations and policy-makers in the planning of any activities or events. Furthermore, researchers will be able to directly contribute to development of the map by adding layers of data obtained through their own research.

Meanwhile, an analysis of contemporary cultural activity in relation to the use of these spaces shall also be carried out. This analysis is being carried out by a University of Malta Working Group comprised of academics from the fields of Education, Sociology, Public Policy, Anthropology, Built Environment, and Economics.

This tool will allow the Valletta 18 Foundation to address challenges in the artistic and cultural sectors through an assessment of the cultural infrastructure across the country. Cultural mapping is one way in which the Foundation plans to leave behind a sustainable and long lasting heritage; future teams in cultural management will be provided with a digital tool with which to make informed decisions about venues, cultural practices, regeneration of various localities and the needs of local cultural industries.