How Are Cultural Tastes Stratified? Evidence from Library Borrowing for the Entire Population of Denmark

Research shows that cultural tastes are socially stratified. Yet, most of this research relies on small-sample surveys and includes only a few dimensions of stratification. To address these limitations, we analyze registry data on library borrowing for the entire adult population of Denmark and consider four dimensions of social stratification: wealth, education, income, and occupation. We find considerable social stratification in library borrowing and in highbrow literary tastes by wealth and education, but not by income and occupation. As Denmark is characterized by higher wealth and educational stratification than income and occupational stratification, our results suggest that although cultural tastes always seem to be socially stratified, the type of stratification likely depends on the nature of the wider inequalities within a given context. We end by discussing the implications of our results, including how stratification of tastes according to wealth represents a type of stratification not considered in existing research on cultural stratification.