Self‑Report Inflation in Cultural Surveys

Survey questions about cultural participation (reading, museum visits, book consumption) are prone to social‑desirability and question‑framing inflation; a simple yes/no prompt can overstate engagement compared with time‑use measures and behavioral logs. Where cultural metrics inform policy, funders and journalists should prefer behavioral or time‑use anchors or ask follow‑ups that validate claimed participation. — If common, self‑report inflation undermines policy, funding, and cultural debates by creating misleading perceptions of public engagement and must be corrected with better survey design and validation.