The vast majority of respondents (72.2 percent) of the annual barometer on the perception of culture in Portugal, promoted by the platform Generator and released at the festival and discussion forum Oeiras Ignition Generator, considers that the Government, considering only the area of Culture, has not provided adequate financial, fiscal and social means to respond to the crisis.

This evaluation increased twelve percentage points in relation to last year, when it was already unfavourable (57 percent).

The study, carried out by the consultancy firm Qmetrics for the independent journalism, culture and education platform Gerador, was made with a sample of 1,200 people aged 15 and over, from mainland Portugal and the islands, designed to respect the characteristics of the population. The interviews took place between 22 March and 27 April.

The survey also shows that the overwhelming majority of the Portuguese (93.4 percent) believe that Culture is important for the economy of a country and 84.5 percent believe that more than the current 0.39 percent of the State Budget should be applied in the sector next year.

Culture is regularly present in the life of half of the Portuguese (51.1 percent), although not as much as they would like, and approximately 55 percent believe that in ten years time they will have more time to dedicate to it.

Music is perceived as the most expensive cultural activity, by 65.6 percent of those polled, followed by theatre (20.7 percent) and buying a book (15.1 percent).

Around one third of the Portuguese (32.3 percent) were willing to pay to see a concert online in the future. This number increases when the subject is cinema, with 41 percent of those polled being willing to pay to watch films online.

The survey shows that around half of the Portuguese (53.5 percent) pay monthly for streaming services or for film series channels.

When the subject is music - that is, monthly payments for music services - the percentage drops to 17.7 percent.

However, practically all respondents (94.4 percent) listen to music regularly, mostly through the radio or television.

“Pop" and "Rock" are at the top of the musical preferences of those polled, who have the actor Ruy de Carvalho, the band Xutos & Pontapés, the artist Joana Vasconcelos, the Nobel Prize for Literature José Saramago, the director Manoel de Oliveira and the comedian Herman José as their main cultural references.

However, when we analyse the age group between 15 and 24 years old, the figures change.

For the youngest, the most named cultural references are the actress Kelly Bailey, the musician Diogo Piçarra and the rapper Bispo, the poet Fernando Pessoa, the director Pedro Costa and the comedian Fernando Rocha.

The online festival Oeiras Ignition Generator, which runs until 22 May, counts with the participation of David Throsby, Gonçalo M. Tavares and Beatriz Gomes Dias, among others.

In this second edition of the festival, several national and international authors get together to try to answer the question "Is there a new opportunity for culture now?", having also confirmed the presences of John Romão and Welket Bungué.

The aim of this virtual meeting, with transmission on the Generator's website (www.gerador.eu) is precisely to "reflect on the new opportunities that exist for culture in the post-pandemic", in an initiative that results from a partnership with the Oeiras City Hall, candidate city to the European capital of culture in 2027.