o:3244 Komunikacione strategije institucija kulture i kulturne prakse starije publike: komparativno istraživanje Communication strategies of cultural institutions and cultural practices of elderly audiences : doctoral dissertation sr The subject of this comparative research is the communication strategies of national cultural institutions towards elderly audiences in North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bulgaria (more specifically, in the capitals of the three countries as their most prominent socio-cultural representatives) and the attitudes, practices, and needs of elderly audiences regarding cultural offerings, communication, and cultural engagement. Interviews and an online survey were employed as methodological techniques for data collection on a convenience sample of 20 national cultural institutions and 83 elderly respondents from the mentioned countries.In general, the results indicate that the majority of national cultural institutions in all three countries do not develop systemic and systematic cultural and communication strategies specifically targeted at elderly audiences. At the same time, the online survey of elderly audiences reveals divided opinions: while some respondents do not perceive the need for a specialized approach, the majority believe that more direct communication and more personalized cultural and artistic programs would significantly enhance their participation in socio-cultural life. Regarding communication channels and media, elderly audiences primarily use television as their main source of information, although a significant proportion also use the internet and social networks. However, national cultural institutions tend to perceive elderly audiences as insufficiently digitally literate, which is not entirely consistent with the collected data. Most respondents reported daily use of digital devices, although not always for discovering cultural offerings. This highlights the need for clearer and more tailored communication strategies, as well as educational initiatives that connect older adults’ (digital) habits with cultural content. Similarities between the three countries are more pronounced than their differences.The limitations of this research mainly relate to the limited sample size of elderly respondents, which does not allow for broad generalizations; therefore, results should be interpreted with caution and within context. Nevertheless, this research provides a solid foundation for future, more representative studies in terms of sampling, as well as guidelines fordeveloping communication strategies and communication-cultural practices that fully and adequately engage all age groups in the socio-cultural life of a community. Biografija autora: list 324. Bibliografija: listovi 271-300. Datum odbrane: 13.01.2026. Audience studies 91552100 186330121 91552101 8812 2026-04-06T17:19:34.053Z 45 no 46 Tea S., 1985- Koneska Vasilevska 88680713 2025 63 mentor Nataša, 1979- Simeunović Bajić 9093991 2025 63 član komisije Dragana Pavlović 2025 63 član komisije Danka, 1974- Ninković Slavnić 33541479 2025 324 lista 3782079 http://phaidrani.ni.ac.rs/o:3244 no yes 12 2026-04-06T17:19:34.320Z 70 komunikacione strategije, nacionalne institucije kulture, kulturno angažovanje, komunikacija i interakcija, kulturne prakse, starija publika, digitalna kultura, Severna Makedonija, Srbija, Bugarska communication strategies, national cultural institutions, cultural engagement, communication and interaction, cultural practices, elderly audiences, digital culture, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria 316.77:004.738.5(043.3) S 265 1738 18A13 18A1313 2025