The influence of cultural capital on consumption of scientific culture: A survey of visitors to an open house event at a public scientific research institution

Based on the concept of cultural capital, this study explores the relationship between habitual behaviors of individuals regarding their past accumulation of such capital and current responses to a scientific institute’s public outreach activity. At an open house held at the Institute for Molecular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public understanding of science (Bristol, England) England), 2013-04, Vol.22 (3), p.321-334
Main Author: Kato-Nitta, Naoko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Capital
Consumption
Culture
Human capital
Literature
Public policy
Questionnaires
Science
Science policy
Scientific research
Statistical analysis
Surveys
Technology
Values
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Summary:Based on the concept of cultural capital, this study explores the relationship between habitual behaviors of individuals regarding their past accumulation of such capital and current responses to a scientific institute’s public outreach activity. At an open house held at the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), anonymous questionnaires were distributed among 1,350 visitors and collected from 785 of them (collection rate = 58.1%). The results, measuring the past five to six years, showed that the respondents accumulated cultural capital through participation in scientific activities as well as in activities involving art, music, and literature. Given these quantified values, correlations between citizens’ levels of accumulated cultural capital and their current scientific consumption behavior were studied. A statistical analysis of the two components of cultural capital (science and technology/art and literature) showed that people’s accumulated scientific capital influenced their current behavior and revealed a correlation between the two components.
ISSN:0963-6625
1361-6609
DOI:10.1177/0963662511409509