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 Emma Hall, Wayne Binney and Julian Vieceli at Deakin University and Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
This paper examines how performing arts companies can increase customer loyalty and attendance by utilising the marketing tool known as bundling. Loyalty and attendance can be increased by offering …
This research was conducted by Mart Willekens and John Lievens at Ghent University, Belgium
This paper assesses the role of cultural capital, economic and social factors and time pressure on engaging in arts and heritage activities. It also analyses the difference between non-attendees and attendees, as well as the frequency …
This research was conducted by Natascha Notten, Bram Lancee, Herman G. van de Werfhorst and Harry B. G. Ganzeboom at four different universities in the Netherlands
There are two contrasting explanations for why levels of cultural engagement vary according to education levels within populations. One states that people come to …
This research was conducted by Karen Burland at the University of Leeds and Stephanie E. Pitts at the University of Sheffield, UK
This study set out to examine audience participation and engagement in a well-established jazz and blues festival held annually in Edinburgh. The festival audience had high expectations of …
This research was conducted by Marta Zieba at the University of Limerick, Ireland.
This paper examines the effect of domestic and international tourism on theatre attendance in Austria. The paper takes data from 20 theatres over a 39 year period (from 1972 to 2011). The number of theatre …
This research was conducted by Juan Gabriel Brida, Chiara Dalle Nogare and Raffaele Scuderi at the Free University of Bolzano-Bozen, University of Brescia and University of Enna “Kore”, Italy
Of all the drivers of museum attendance, “motivation” has rarely been systematically assessed. The aim of this study was to understand …
This research was conducted by Joachim Vlieghe, Kris Rutten and Jaël Muls at Ghent University and the University of Brussels, Belgium
This paper looks at how readers participate in literary culture through social media. Researchers looked at the website and Facebook group of the Flemish reading initiative Iedereenleest.be (EverybodyReads.be), and …
This research was conducted by Orian Brook at the University of Stirling, UK
A great deal of research has shown how cultural engagement is shaped by education, social class and ethnicity. However, much less attention has been given to the accessibility and appeal of cultural facilities themselves. This paper used …
This research was conducted by Andrew Newman, Anna Goulding and Christopher Whitehead at Newcastle University, UK
This study set out to explore the factors that influence older people's engagement – or indeed lack of engagement – with contemporary visual art. Specific factors addressed in the paper are social class, education, …
This research was conducted by Gerbert Kraaykamp, Natascha Notten and Hidde Bekhuis at Radboud University, The Netherlands
This research draws on large-scale survey data to explore possible explanations for the relative lack of engagement in (Western) highbrow culture of migrant communities in the Netherlands. Focusing on Turkish and Moroccan communities, …