Young people becoming cultural consumers – Is it decided in childhood? An international perspective on the factors influencing the cultural consumption of university students

The study examines the factors influencing cultural consumption among young adults, with a focus on the role of extracurricular artistic activities in childhood and cultural capital. The central research question is about the relationship between the three forms of cultural capital (incorporated, objectified, institutionalised) and cultural consumption in adulthood. The study involved 321 native Hungarian-speaking university students in three higher education institutions and focused on participation in various leisure activities and attendance of cultural events. The results highlight that young people with high cultural capital who participated in artistic activities as children are more likely to attend cultural events as adults. The results contribute to the sociological analysis of cultural consumption and support the relevance of Bourdieu’s theory of capital in the study of cultural consumption. The results of the research underscore that cultural capital has a significant impact on cultural consumption and that artistic experiences in childhood play a fundamental role in shaping cultural interest in adulthood.