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1. Main trends in young people's creativity and cultural participation

2. Main concepts

Main trends in young people's creativity and cultural participation

The Spanish Constitution (Constitución Española de 1978) establishes in Article 44.1 that “the public authorities shall promote and protect access to culture, to which everyone has the right.” Article 46 also mandates that citizens preserve the historical and cultural heritage and provides for sanctions in the event of attacks against it.

According to the most recent official data, young people continue to lead in cultural participation across multiple fields in Spain. The Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices in Spain 2024-2025 (Encuesta de Hábitos y Prácticas Culturales en España 2024-2025) – published by the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura) –  shows that young people present the highest participation rates in museum and monument visits, attendance at live stage and music events, reading, and library usage. These rates reach record highs, recovering strongly from the COVID-19 downturn.

In recent years policy has also shifted to strengthen youth-specific access to culture, for instance through the introduction of the Bono Cultural Joven (see Chapter 8.4) which offers a €400 credit to young people turning 18. This reflects a move from solely promoting consumption to widening youth access and participation.

These developments highlight several key trends:

• Young people are often more culturally active than older cohorts, but structural inequalities (income, education, geography) remain significant barriers.
• Policy focus is evolving toward youth-targeted measures that reduce cost and access barriers and promote not only consumption but also creation and participation.
• Governance and sector reforms (see below) are reshaping the cultural and creative ecosystem in which young people operate.

Main concepts

Cultural heritage: The concept of cultural heritage has expanded beyond monuments and object collections to include intangible dimensions— oral traditions, performing arts, social customs, rituals, festive events, knowledge and techniques linked with nature and the universe, traditional craftsmanship, etc. The Law for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (Ley 10/2015 para la salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial) and the National Plan for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage  (Plan Nacional de Ley 10/2015 para la salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial) reflect this expanded definition and commit to coordinated action among administrations and linkage to other policy areas, such as education. 

Access to culture: The idea of access to culture is enshrined in Article 44.1 of the Constitution as a universal right. While public authorities in the fields of education and culture increasingly emphasise access, the concept remains less embedded in many other policy domains. The 2011 the Spanish “Culture For All” Strategy (Estrategía Integral “Cultura para Todos”) represented an earlier milestone in recognising access for people with disabilities; however, its evaluation revealed uneven implementation across territories and the absence of a single unified roadmap. A more recent review is pending, and the 2024-25 survey provides fresh evidence on access barriers for young people.