World Media Economics & Management Conference 2012
International conference
School of Journalism & Mass Media Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Faculty of Law, Economic and Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Department of Marketing & Communication, Athens University of Economics and Business
Thessaloniki (Greece), May 23-27, 2012
Abstract
This paper presents the main points of an empirical research on the uses of music by the university student population in a Greek regional urban center (Alexandroupoli). This is a quantitative research on a representative sample of 400 students to trace the influence of several factors on the uses of this particular cultural good. The literature review shows that little research has been done to study the influence of personality traits and social values on cultural consumption. In this study, these variables were included along with gender and the field of studies.
Participants indicated their values on an abbreviated version of the Schwartz Value Survey and their personality traits on the Big Five Inventory scale. Statistical analysis of the data (principal component analysis and hierarchical regression) confirmed the following hypotheses:
- The operationalization of the consumption of music revealed more types of uses compared with those found in the literature.
- Social values influence the uses of music.
- Individual differences, traced by studying personality traits, contribute in predicting the various uses of this particular cultural good.
- The field of studies (natural or social sciences) influences the various uses of music.
- Gender is also one of the factors that contribute in predicting the various uses of music.
Finally, the paper presents the main conclusions of this research which highlight the multidimensional nature of cultural consumption and the need to develop similar research on different types of cultural goods.