Media release ,  26.09.2022

Children enjoying fewer cultural activities due to financial constraints

When it comes to getting children involved in cultural activities, Swiss parents mostly turn to music, with instrument lessons among the most popular choices. The involvement of children in cultural activities is important to most of the respondents. However, the relatively high costs hinder parents from low-income households in particular from getting their children involved in cultural activities. These are the findings of a survey conducted by Swiss-fluencer.ch on behalf of Generali Switzerland. 

From drum lessons straight to ballet class: there is no shortage of extracurricular activities for children. But which of these activities do young people get involved in, exactly? And what role do the relatively high costs (such as for music lessons) play in this? A survey conducted by Swiss-fluencer.ch on behalf of Generali Switzerland shows that music is the most well-known way of getting children involved in cultural activities among the parents who were surveyed. Over half said they are generally aware of musical activities that are offered for children (51%). One in three respondents is aware of such activities in the area of dance (35%), and only 13% have heard of ones for film. 

Musical activities are the most popular – and expensive

Musical activities are not just the most well-known method among the respondents, but also the most frequently used. 44% of parents who are aware of musical activities also get their children involved in music outside of school. The average cost of this per household with children amounts to around CHF 400 per month. Most commonly, the children attend instrument lessons (60%). This is followed by early childhood music education (32%) and joining a band, ensemble or orchestra (24%). Only 14% of the respondents chose singing activities for their children. 42% of respondents who are familiar with dance activities said that their children are involved in one. At around CHF 140 per month, the monthly costs are much lower than for musical activities.

Getting children involved in cultural activities is important to parents, but they are put off by the cost

Getting children involved in cultural activities is important or very important to 59% of the parents surveyed. But only a third of the respondents are satisfied with the range of cultural activities that are available for children. The survey also shows that many parents are restricted by the costs. 71% would get their children involved more if free options were available. More than half said that financial factors restrict how much they can get their children involved in activities (56%). This particularly affects children from households with a gross monthly income of less than CHF 6,000. When it comes to getting their children involved in cultural activities, 78% of respondents in this category feel restricted for financial reasons. Among high-income households (gross income of more than CHF 8,000 per month), considerably fewer parents say that they have to limit themselves (45%). 

Free music promotion programme sets the tone

The music promotion programme “Lion Kids by Generali and Swiss Music Awards” targets precisely those areas of culture where provision for young people is lacking. Mike Fuhrmann, Chief Marketing & Customers Officer of Generali Switzerland, says: “The fact that not all children have the same opportunities to develop their musical skills moved us to launch this programme. This is our way of giving young people the chance to unlock their talent and develop their creativity.” Every summer, 150 children between the ages of six and twelve embark on a musical voyage of discovery together. Under professional guidance, the participants spend a full day experimenting with instruments, writing song lyrics, singing and dancing. The focus is on having fun and introducing children to the world of music in a relaxed atmosphere. It is free to take part, and places in the workshops throughout Switzerland are allocated on a lottery basis. Each year, the music promotion programme is supported by a mentor. The singer Stefanie Heinzmann from Valais took part in this year’s programme. Together with the “Lion Kids”, she recorded a song, which premiered at this year’s Zurich Film Festival. All proceeds from the song will go to “The Human Safety Net Switzerland” to help socially disadvantaged children and support regional family centres. The programme provides a way for the Lion Kids to help other children through their music.

The song “Our Time is Coming” by the Lion Kids and Stefanie Heinzmann can be downloaded here.

The survey, representative of the population as a whole, was carried out by Swiss-fluencer.ch on behalf of Generali Switzerland between 23 and 28 August 2022, with 443 people taking part.