The new evaluation of the Culture Pass by the Court of Auditors, made public yesterday, confirms the criticisms expressed since its launch in 2021. If the system has succeeded in massively reaching young people, its objectives of democratization and cultural diversification remain largely unachieved.
With nearly 4 million young beneficiaries and a utilization rate of 84% for the youngest age group, the Culture Pass displays undeniable quantitative success. However, the reality is less striking: only 68% of young people from modest backgrounds have activated their pass.
In addition, the practices reserved on the Pass lack diversity: books represent more than half of reservations, followed by cinema tickets. Other artistic forms, such as theater or dance, only account for 7% of choices. Added to this is a marked trend: 88.6% of orders are made directly via the application’s search engine, proving that young people access it with a specific idea in mind. The past thus simply confirms existing habits rather than transforming them.
In order to ensure better public control, the Court calls for transforming SAS Pass culture into a state operator, allowing supervision by the rules of public accounting and better information. She also proposes that the 32 regional managers of the Pass be placed under the supervision of the regional directorates of cultural affairs (DRAC).
The individual system costs 244 million euros, to which is added 80 million for the collective Pass, for a total of 324 million euros in 2023. The magistrates are putting forward several measures to reduce the bill. In particular, they recommend reducing the individual allocation from €300 to €200, an amount deemed more in line with actual expenses (€244 on average). Another, more targeted solution would be to introduce resource conditions in order to reserve the Pass for the most disadvantaged young people.
The report also points to a lack of editorial vision in the content offered. The application now brings together more than 140 million offers, including 86 million books. A glut that drowns users in a flood of options with no real direction. The Court insists on the need to develop offers with cultural support, in order to generate real interest in artistic forms that are less easily accessible.
