The Lublin 2029 European Capital of Culture Monitoring and Evaluation Team (more about team) is launching a large-scale social research project on participation in culture, barriers to participation, and the potential for cultural development in Lublin.
The research is being conducted as part of the preparations for Lublin 2029 European Capital of Culture (ECoC). Although the official ECoC title year is 2029, the preparation process is already underway.
Therefore, in 2026 the Team aims to gain a better understanding of how different groups of residents and people involved in creating and organising culture engage with Lublin’s cultural offer, what barriers they encounter, and what needs they identify in relation to the development of culture in the city. The findings will help to improve the design of ECoC activities in the coming years, so that the programme is more accessible, responds to the actual needs of different groups, and takes into account both the city centre and its neighbourhoods, as well as communities whose voices tend to be less visible in public debate.
The research will take the form of a group discussion, i.e. a meeting facilitated by a trained moderator. The discussion will last approximately two hours. A total of 20 meetings with different groups are planned. Participation in the study is compensated with a PLN 200 Allegro gift voucher (Allegro is Poland’s largest online marketplace, similar to Amazon or eBay, offering a wide range of products from numerous sellers).
The Team is looking for people connected with Lublin — both those involved in creating and organising culture and those who participate, or do not participate, in the city’s cultural life.
There is also an opportunity to apply for a second form of research: in-depth interviews, conducted as individual conversations. These meetings will also last up to two hours and will be compensated with a PLN 200 Allegro gift voucher. For participants in the individual interviews, it is important that they are willing to take part in follow-up interviews in subsequent years. The interviews will focus both on expectations and needs regarding the programme and on a broader perspective on the development and implementation of Lublin 2029 European Capital of Culture.
Research participants
The Team is looking for people willing to participate in one of 10 groups, as well as 8 people willing to take part in individual interviews (details below). You may apply to only one group.
The Team is looking for people with specific characteristics, which is why the application form includes several recruitment questions. Based on the answers provided, the Team will select participants for individual meetings. Completing the form will take approximately five minutes. After reviewing the applications, the Team will contact those who meet the participation criteria. The meetings will take place in the city centre (Academic Campus / Miasteczko Akademickie). Meeting dates for the individual groups are provided in the recruitment form. If you require any organisational or accessibility adjustments in order to participate in the meeting, please indicate this in the form. If you would like to participate in the study, please complete the questionnaire listed next to the group with which you identify (you may apply to only one group):
Cultural practitioners
• Cultural sector staff: employees of public cultural institutions in Lublin
https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/425
coordinator: Radosław Mącik
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
• NGO staff and members: people involved in non-governmental organisations working in culture or in social initiatives that include a cultural component
https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/428
coordinator: Radosław Mącik
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
• Informal groups and independent cultural activists
people working outside formal organisational structures https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/407
coordinator: Agnieszka Kolasa-Nowak
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
• Cultural practitioners and artists
people actively creating, curating or programming cultural events and projects
https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/416
coordinator: Agnieszka Kolasa-Nowak
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
Cultural participants
• Young people aged 13–26 school and university students https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/427
coordinator: Andrzej Stawicki
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
• Residents of Lublin people aged 27–60, including those who were not born in Lublin but currently live in the city https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/406
coordinator: Monika Ratajczyk, Andrzej Stawicki
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
• People aged 60 and over
https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/408
coordinator: Monika Ratajczyk
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
• People from other countries living in Lublin https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/404
coordinator: Karolina Podgórska
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish / English
• People who experience accessibility barriers when using the city and participating in cultural life, including people with disabilities
https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/419
coordinator: Karolina Podgórska
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
People interested in participating in an individual in-depth interview, including follow-up interviews in subsequent years, with each interview compensated separately https://surveys.umcs.pl/a/413
coordinator: Agnieszka Duda-Jastrzębska
language of the questionnaire and language of the interview: Polish
Detailed information about the research
The aim of the research is to understand the perspectives of Lublin residents – both those who actively participate in the city’s cultural life and those who engage with cultural activities only occasionally or not at all. Equally important is understanding the experiences of people who contribute to Lublin’s local cultural sector: employees of cultural institutions, representatives of non-governmental organisations, cultural practitioners, artists, cultural facilitators and organisers of informal initiatives.
The Team is interested not only in how Lublin’s current cultural offer is perceived, but also in what facilitates or hinders participation in culture, which groups may remain outside the mainstream circulation of cultural events, and what conditions are needed to make culture in the city more accessible, diverse and closely connected to residents’ everyday experiences.
The research is diagnostic in nature and is being conducted in accordance with the principles of the international ICC/ESOMAR Code of Ethics. Its findings will help establish a baseline for the further development of Lublin 2029 ECoC, provide a better understanding of the needs of different groups, and inform the planning of subsequent stages of monitoring and evaluation. As a result, Lublin 2029 European Capital of Culture will not be evaluated only after the programme has ended, but will also be able to evolve and be adjusted throughout the preparation process.
If you have any further questions, please write: badania.esk@lublin.eu
