La afinidad electiva entre consumo cultural y percepción sociocultural: el caso de Chile

this article demonstrates the elective affinity between cultural consumption and socio-cultural perception. based on the data gathered by the encuesta de participación y consumo culturóal 2009 ("2009 cultural participation and consumption poll"), in chile, we came out with statistical evidence that proves that cultural consumption holds an elective afinity with the democratic, political, and social assessments of the consumers of cultural goods and services. this trend can also be observed among people who make part of the low income segments of the population, but that in fact consume high doses of culture. thus, starting with the current discussions around the studies of cultural consumption, the article develops a theoretical reflection on the concept of cultural consumption and its interrelations with other social and political dimensions. we discuss the uses to which the concept is subjected to in cultural consumption studies in latin america and we propose a deinition that takes in consideration the assessments that people make of the socio-cultural processes that they experience.