With 2013 almost at an end, latest figures show that people are flocking to museums and galleries across the UK in greater numbers than ever.
In spite of a dip last year, which was attributed to the poor weather and the Olympics, several surveys have confirmed that visitor figures and cultural engagement are holding steady or continuing on an upward trend.
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) says summer attendance among its members, which include national, non-national and independent institutions across the UK, was 22.3% up on the same period in 2012.
England’s nationals have also enjoyed a successful year, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reporting an average 14% rise in visitors at the museums it sponsors, over the summer months.
Mixed picture
A spokeswoman for National Museums Scotland says visitor numbers were slightly down in July because of the heatwave. But a “fantastic” August had made up for this, with an increase in footfall across all of its sites, and one exhibition attracting 44,000 visitors, compared with a forecast of 25,000. Annual figures reveal that attendances at Scotland’s museums were up by more than 500,000 in 2012-13.
National Museum Wales – Amgueddfa Cymru reports a more mixed picture. Attendance at its seven museums was up by more than a third in May compared with the previous year, but fell slightly between July and September. However, 2012 was a record year, with attendances across National Museums Wales’ sites reaching 1.75m.
Some sites have bucked the upward trend for specific reasons. National Museums Liverpool’s attendances in July and August were at their lowest level since 2009-10, as the larger crowds that the new Museum of Liverpool had been attracting levelled off.
Smaller museums have also suffered. Four of Kirklees council’s five museums experienced a fall in numbers over the summer following a cut to their opening hours, while Durham’s Weardale Museum recorded its worst summer since the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001.
But in general, visitor numbers are rising. Taking Part, the DCMS’s rolling survey of English households, shows that between July 2012 and July 2013, 53% of adults visited a museum – the highest percentage since the survey began in 2005-06.
Meanwhile, 72% of adults visited a heritage site – a slight drop on last year but significantly higher than the 2005-06 figure.
Similarly, the latest Scottish Household survey, published in August, shows that the number of adults in Scotland visiting museums has risen three percentage points since 2009-10, and now stands at 29%.
What makes these figures more impressive is that they coincide with severe cuts to public spending, which have led to reductions in staff numbers, opening hours and exhibition programmes at institutions across the UK.
Trends such as “staycationing” and increasingly audience-focused museum practice are cited as possible factors behind the rise, but while growing numbers are positive news, the figures should not be taken at face value.
Time lag
The long-term impact of funding cuts is yet to play out, says independent cultural researcher James Doeser, as there will be a lag between cuts being implemented and any change in behaviour showing up in the data.
Further analysis of the figures shows that significant disparities remain between visitors of different ages and from different socio-economic levels (see comment, below).
Taking Part highlights a fall of almost 10% in the number of children visiting museums in England. This drop could reflect the fact that, while museums are maintaining public programming, they are doing so at the expense of activities such as education and community outreach.
Doeser also warns that the forms of culture that tend to attract older visitors, including museums, must be cautious in the longer term because their audiences are not being replenished by “new” old people.
Higher footfall brings other problems. A spokeswoman for the National Museum Directors’ Council says that coping with crowds, with fewer resources, is a growing problem for some members.
The increased wear and tear caused by crowds is becoming a “real issue”, she adds, as cuts to capital funding affect buildings maintenance. Similarly, slow-moving queues and packed galleries can have a negative impact on the visitor experience.
For these reasons, it is difficult to say whether the upward trend can be sustained. The gold standard for measuring whether people’s behaviour has changed over time is longitudinal data, says Doeser.
Next year, the DCMS plans to release the first Taking Part survey to include longitudinal data, which should offer more insight into how cultural engagement is affected by other aspects of people’s lives. The data should uncover more detailed evidence on the barriers to engagement and the levers that change people’s behaviour.
This is vital because, in spite of increased attendance, the current figures make it clear that the museum sector still has a lot of work to do to attract more visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
These rises are clearly to be celebrated. But museum visitors are still most likely to come from what the DCMS refers to as the “upper socio-economic group” (61% of whom visit), than “lower socio-economic groups” (almost 40% of whom visit) – even though the latter visit more than they did.
This year’s data shows that the proportions of 16- to 24-year-olds and 25- to 44-year-olds have fallen, as have those from black and minority ethnic groups.
Taking Part draws on people’s own accounts of their museum visiting habits (including abroad). Although it can’t be compared with the data for DCMS-sponsored museums, there are some telling indicators. Last year’s figures show a considerable gap in the proportion of visits by UK adults from different social groups – the upper socio-economic group accounted for 87% of visits.
The rise in attendances at those museums are more than accounted for by overseas visitors. The celebrations for the 10th anniversary of free admission marked the museums’ role in attracting overseas tourists.
But it is disappointing that we are not doing more to boost attendances by those for whom free entry was intended.
Sara Selwood is a partner at Pomegranate consultants and an honorary professor at UCL
In spite of a dip last year, which was attributed to the poor weather and the Olympics, several surveys have confirmed that visitor figures and cultural engagement are holding steady or continuing on an upward trend.
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) says summer attendance among its members, which include national, non-national and independent institutions across the UK, was 22.3% up on the same period in 2012.
England’s nationals have also enjoyed a successful year, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reporting an average 14% rise in visitors at the museums it sponsors, over the summer months.
Mixed picture
A spokeswoman for National Museums Scotland says visitor numbers were slightly down in July because of the heatwave. But a “fantastic” August had made up for this, with an increase in footfall across all of its sites, and one exhibition attracting 44,000 visitors, compared with a forecast of 25,000. Annual figures reveal that attendances at Scotland’s museums were up by more than 500,000 in 2012-13.
National Museum Wales – Amgueddfa Cymru reports a more mixed picture. Attendance at its seven museums was up by more than a third in May compared with the previous year, but fell slightly between July and September. However, 2012 was a record year, with attendances across National Museums Wales’ sites reaching 1.75m.
Some sites have bucked the upward trend for specific reasons. National Museums Liverpool’s attendances in July and August were at their lowest level since 2009-10, as the larger crowds that the new Museum of Liverpool had been attracting levelled off.
Smaller museums have also suffered. Four of Kirklees council’s five museums experienced a fall in numbers over the summer following a cut to their opening hours, while Durham’s Weardale Museum recorded its worst summer since the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001.
But in general, visitor numbers are rising. Taking Part, the DCMS’s rolling survey of English households, shows that between July 2012 and July 2013, 53% of adults visited a museum – the highest percentage since the survey began in 2005-06.
Meanwhile, 72% of adults visited a heritage site – a slight drop on last year but significantly higher than the 2005-06 figure.
Similarly, the latest Scottish Household survey, published in August, shows that the number of adults in Scotland visiting museums has risen three percentage points since 2009-10, and now stands at 29%.
What makes these figures more impressive is that they coincide with severe cuts to public spending, which have led to reductions in staff numbers, opening hours and exhibition programmes at institutions across the UK.
Trends such as “staycationing” and increasingly audience-focused museum practice are cited as possible factors behind the rise, but while growing numbers are positive news, the figures should not be taken at face value.
Time lag
The long-term impact of funding cuts is yet to play out, says independent cultural researcher James Doeser, as there will be a lag between cuts being implemented and any change in behaviour showing up in the data.
Further analysis of the figures shows that significant disparities remain between visitors of different ages and from different socio-economic levels (see comment, below).
Taking Part highlights a fall of almost 10% in the number of children visiting museums in England. This drop could reflect the fact that, while museums are maintaining public programming, they are doing so at the expense of activities such as education and community outreach.
Doeser also warns that the forms of culture that tend to attract older visitors, including museums, must be cautious in the longer term because their audiences are not being replenished by “new” old people.
Higher footfall brings other problems. A spokeswoman for the National Museum Directors’ Council says that coping with crowds, with fewer resources, is a growing problem for some members.
The increased wear and tear caused by crowds is becoming a “real issue”, she adds, as cuts to capital funding affect buildings maintenance. Similarly, slow-moving queues and packed galleries can have a negative impact on the visitor experience.
For these reasons, it is difficult to say whether the upward trend can be sustained. The gold standard for measuring whether people’s behaviour has changed over time is longitudinal data, says Doeser.
Next year, the DCMS plans to release the first Taking Part survey to include longitudinal data, which should offer more insight into how cultural engagement is affected by other aspects of people’s lives. The data should uncover more detailed evidence on the barriers to engagement and the levers that change people’s behaviour.
This is vital because, in spite of increased attendance, the current figures make it clear that the museum sector still has a lot of work to do to attract more visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
Sara Selwood
These rises are clearly to be celebrated. But museum visitors are still most likely to come from what the DCMS refers to as the “upper socio-economic group” (61% of whom visit), than “lower socio-economic groups” (almost 40% of whom visit) – even though the latter visit more than they did.
This year’s data shows that the proportions of 16- to 24-year-olds and 25- to 44-year-olds have fallen, as have those from black and minority ethnic groups.
Taking Part draws on people’s own accounts of their museum visiting habits (including abroad). Although it can’t be compared with the data for DCMS-sponsored museums, there are some telling indicators. Last year’s figures show a considerable gap in the proportion of visits by UK adults from different social groups – the upper socio-economic group accounted for 87% of visits.
The rise in attendances at those museums are more than accounted for by overseas visitors. The celebrations for the 10th anniversary of free admission marked the museums’ role in attracting overseas tourists.
But it is disappointing that we are not doing more to boost attendances by those for whom free entry was intended.
Sara Selwood is a partner at Pomegranate consultants and an honorary professor at UCL
