How God and King Affect our Musical Tastes

Political and religious convictions affect our musical tastes in unexpected ways, according to Alex Turrini (Department of Policy Analysis and Public Management and SDA Bocconi's Master in Arts Management and Administration Director) and Giulia Cancellieri (IMT Lucca) in their Understanding the profiles of Omnivorous Music Consumers: Cultural Voracity vs. Taste Eclecticism, a work recently acknowledged with the Best Conference Award at AIMAC 2015 – International Conference on Arts and Cultural Management (Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, 26 June-1 July 2015).

Literature defines cultural omnivorousness in two slightly different ways. As to the first definition, omnivorousness is a question of consumption quantity (voraciousness), as to the second it pertains to its variety (eclecticism). The awarded paper investigates the determinants of omnivorousness through an empirical research based on an Italian opera audience.

Turrini and Cancellieri find that, contrary to received wisdom, omnivorous are not necessary highbrows, nor highly educated. "Furthermore", Turrini says, "although voracious and eclectic omnivorous display some similar traits, they also differ in many respects".

In particular, the habit of frequent music performance attendance in childhood contributes to the formation of a voracious omnivorous, but doesn't affect taste eclecticism, while, unexpectedly, music practice does not contribute to the formation of omnivorous attitudes.

Moreover, the scholars write, "voracious individuals are found to have a higher political interest while politics does not seem to affect the taste of the eclectic omnivorous, whose profile is instead characterized by deeply rooted religious convictions that result in a greater tolerance of diversity".