52.9.

This is the percentage of Canadians 14 to 34 who agree with the statement ‘Graffiti is a form of art;’ 22% disagree and 25% are on the fence.

How does this affect you and your brand? It actually has a lot of implications. Contemporary brands need to exude modernity and lifestyle resonance to win over younger consumers. Keeping in step or leading the charge on a cultural level are fundamental to brand-scaping.

Here’s an interesting array of culture-related stats from Canadians 14 to 34 to consider:

• 63% are interested in attending a concert this year

• 42% are interested in checking out a food and cultural festival

• 39% are interested in attending a professional sports event

• 8% are interested in checking out their local version of a Pride Parade

As we dig deeper, into the actual creation of art, the involvement and authenticity piece kicks into high gear. Here, we find cultural activity at levels of 10% or more (in aggregate, across the country), including photography (28%), playing a musical instrument or DJing (20%), creative writing (17%), running a zine or blog beyond Facebook or MySpace (14%), visual arts and singing (both at 12%), dancing (11%) and poetry (10%).

These cues paint a picture of a target more engaged in, and discerning of, cultural output than previous generations. And they expect the brands they let into their lives to follow suit.

This ‘statsthought’ was gleaned from Ping – Youthography’s quarterly national study of Canadians aged 9 to 34. It was culled from a survey fielded in fall 2008 and responded to by 1,762 14- to 34-year-olds, regionally represented. Mike Farrell (partner, chief strategic officer) can be reached at mike@youthography.com.