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:
This research was conducted by Susan A. Dumais at City University of New York, USA
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 …
This research was conducted by Priscilla Adipa at International University of Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire
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 …
This research was conducted by Steven Caldwell Brown and Don Knox at the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian University
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 …
This research was conducted by Martin Falk and Tally Katz-Gerro at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research and the University of Haifa, Israel
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 …
This research was conducted by Russell Thomas Warne and Malisa M. Drake-Brooks at Utah Valley University, USA
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 …
This research was conducted by Carmen Camarero-Izquierdo, María José Garrido-Samaniego and Rebeca Silva-García at the University of Valladolid, Spain.
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. …
This research was conducted by Ruben van Loon and Jan Rouwendal at VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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 …
This research was conducted by Melissa C. Dobson at the University of Sheffield, UK.
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. …
This research was conducted by Alessandra Lembo at the University of Chicago, USA.
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 …
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.
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 …