Astrid Van Steen

On intergenerational differences in highbrow cultural participation. Is the Internet at home an explanatory factor in understanding lower highbrow participation among younger cohorts

This article uses a series of cross-sectional data sets from 2001 to 2010 to study differences in highbrow cultural participation among subsequent generations in Belgium. Using an Age-Period-Cohort model, we first assess whether and to what degree highbrow cultural participation differs between birth cohorts, age groups, and periods. Second, we examine whether or not having Internet access at home is a contributing factor in understanding intergenerational differences. We assess whether Internet access at home enhances or displaces highbrow cultural participation and look into the different effects of Internet access on different generations. Results suggest that highbrow cultural participation is indeed declining among younger cohorts, indicating a weakening position of highbrow culture in the lives of young people. But, having Internet access at home cannot be regarded as a competitive force for highbrow participation. On the contrary, Internet access is associated with higher levels of highbrow cultural participation. Moreover, this positive association is most pronounced in the youngest birth cohorts.