This section houses research relating specifically to audience development. The two main issues covered by this section relate to attracting new audiences, and diversifying an existing audience base.

The research in this section should be seen as a complement to CultureHive and AudienceFinder: two relatively new resources that are rich with best practice guidance and insight.

The summaries in this category are:

Arts engagement of graduates is shaped by childhood exposure

This research was conducted by Susan A. Dumais at City University of New York, USA

Summary

This paper looked to understand two factors that are known to increase the likelihood of increased arts engagement: childhood exposure to the arts and gaining a bachelor’s degree. It found that people who were the …

By | 2 February 2021 |

How talking events help people make sense of art

This research was conducted by Priscilla Adipa at International University of Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire

Summary

This paper examined how ‘talking events’ (formal programmes such as exhibition openings and artist talks) affect people’s engagement with art. It found that talking events ‘draw people into art spaces and prolong their interactions with the …

By | 10 January 2020 |

Why people go to pop concerts

This research was conducted by Steven Caldwell Brown and Don Knox at the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian University

Summary

This research used an online survey of 249 people to uncover four main reasons why people attend pop concerts: they seek experience, engagement with others, to hear something novel and …

By | 29 November 2018 |

The factors that determine attendance at museums and historic sites across Europe

This research was conducted by Martin Falk and Tally Katz-Gerro at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research and the University of Haifa, Israel

Summary

This paper looked at data on 350,000 people in 24 EU countries. The researchers found that household income, education, employment status and nationality made a difference to …

By | 22 November 2018 |

The persuasiveness of theatre reviews and adverts in old and new media

This research was conducted by Russell Thomas Warne and Malisa M. Drake-Brooks at Utah Valley University, USA

Summary

When reading a review of a play, would you trust a blog post more than a newspaper article? How effective are advertisements and how do they influence how much you are willing to …

By | 11 September 2018 |

Understanding the emotional response to museum activities

This research was conducted by Carmen Camarero-Izquierdo, María José Garrido-Samaniego and Rebeca Silva-García at the University of Valladolid, Spain.

Summary 

Museum activities can be positive and pleasurable experiences, which generate emotions. However, there is little research about how and why activities taking place in the museum impact upon visitors’ feelings. …

By | 24 July 2018 |

Travel purpose and expenditure of tourists to Amsterdam

This research was conducted by Ruben van Loon and Jan Rouwendal at VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Summary

This paper reports on the expenditure patterns of urban tourists by analysing Amsterdam visitor surveys between 2006 to 2011. The results show that most tourists who visit Amsterdam primarily visit for the city’s …

By | 5 March 2018 |

The experience of new audiences at classical music performances

This research was conducted by Melissa C. Dobson at the University of Sheffield, UK.

Summary

How can culturally active but non-classical-concert-going people appreciate orchestral music? This study investigates the perceptions and reactions of nine such individuals at three different orchestral concerts, with music ranging from well-known to previously unheard classical pieces. …

By | 5 February 2018 |

How people acquire new tastes in music

This research was conducted by Alessandra Lembo at the University of Chicago, USA.

Summary

Honky Tonk Night Happy Hour is a hard country music club night at small venue in a large mid-western US city. The study took place over 15 months via a combination of observation and life history interviews …

By | 7 August 2017 |

How a school museum visit helps create cultural equality

This research was conducted by Brian Kisida, Jay P. Greene and Daniel H. Bowen at the University of Arkansas and the University of Houston, USA.

Summary

Cultural capital comprises the set non-economic resources that are at one’s disposal through life (things like language and accent, dress sense, etc) and that …

By | 24 July 2017 |