New official figures show that 67.5 percent of spending under Denmark’s state-funded culture pass has gone to cinema tickets, prompting sharp criticism from Liberal Alliance and a call for further debate from the culture minister.
DR spoke on Friday with two students at the preparatory basic education program, FGU, about how they used the money. Silke Maria Søndergaard Larsen, who studies in East Jutland, received 1,000 kroner through the government’s culture pass for cultural experiences this year.
She told P1 Morgen that most of it went to cinema tickets and gift cards. She also visited the music venue Værket in Randers, and spent the last of the year’s funds on a gift card for her grandmother before the money expired.
Asmus Holm Barnfield, an FGU student on Amager, used his pass last Saturday on four tickets for himself and his friends to see the artist Legobygger123. He said the scheme makes him more inclined to come to school, and that the extra money increases the chance he goes out.
The usage figures were first reported by Kulturmonitor, which stated that 67.5 percent of the culture pass funds have so far gone to cinema tickets, equal to more than 4 million kroner. According to DR’s politics desk, total spending stands at just under 6 million kroner.
The same figures show “ticket provider” as the second-largest category, at nearly 17 percent, or about 998,000 kroner, covering theater, concerts and comedy. The numbers come from card provider Acomplish via the Ministry of Culture, in an answer to a parliamentary question from Venstre’s Marie Bjerre.
Criticism from Liberal Alliance
Katrine Daugaard, culture and social spokesperson for Liberal Alliance, has opposed the culture pass from the start. She describes it as a completely disrespectful use of taxpayers’ money, and says hard-working people should not pay for young people outside education and employment to invite friends to the cinema and concerts.
Daugaard said she does not begrudge anyone a cinema trip. In her view, the 140 million kroner set aside for the scheme would be better spent supporting culture that cannot survive on commercial terms.
As reported by Socialmonitor, Daugaard also asserts that the state pays around 1,500 kroner in administration and IT for every 1,000 kroner granted. That figure is her political claim and is not backed by published ministry calculations in the available coverage.
Culture Minister Zenia Stampe was not available for an interview. She wrote to DR on Wednesday that she is glad to receive the figures for use in the further discussions of the culture pass, including what the pass should be able to be used for.
Stampe added that she personally has larger ambitions for how broadly the pass reaches into Danish sports and cultural life. Berlingske has reported that the scheme has struggled to reach vulnerable young people, with official figures showing most designated recipients had not used their pass with about half a year left of the trial period.
