Cultural consumption and social stratification in Athens: A synthesis of findings across cultural fields and some remarks on the significance of popular culture

The paper reviews the results of a 2013 survey of cultural consumption in public venues, that is, going out practices, in Athens in the fields of cinema, music and the performing arts (dance and theater). Its main aim is to present a synthesis of the findings across all three fields with a view of evaluating the validity of alternative schemata relating cultural consumption to social stratification such as Bourdieu's homology and Peterson's cultural omnivore thesis. This evaluation is based, in contrast to most studies on this issue, exclusively on cultural choices involving participation in public events and public spaces of cultural consumption in a particular large city. While the omnivore phenomenon was found to be markedly limited, Bourdieu's hierarchical schema applied partially in that, alongside adherents to "highbrow" culture, substantial segments of upper and upper-middle strata adopt sharply differing popular cultural practices. While cultural consumption research has lately focused on the extent of omnivorousness among the educated middle class, this study argues that equal attention should be paid to the significant presence of popular modes of cultural life that cuts across social classes.