The Role of Motivations in Explaining Benefits Arising from Cultural Consumption: A Case Study Based on the Artecinema Documentary Festival

Abstract

Over recent years, scholars highlighted that cultural consumption motivations are highly heterogeneous among individuals and that they might shape the intensity of cultural consumption. This article contributes to this literature by inspecting whether motivations are linked to individual benefits arising from cultural consumption. The analysis relies on microdata collected through an original survey of spectators who attended an arts documentary festival annually held in Naples (Italy). The results show that the motivation matters in explaining the benefits perceived by festival participants. More in detail, the motivations related to the love of arts are crucial in explaining the willingness to pay for festival financing. The article is based on original primary data collected during the event. The findings prove to be interesting for institutions and cultural events professionals, insofar as they offer useful insights into the demand for local and highly targeted festivals.