Vol. 2 No.2 1992 239 A Survey of Visitors at an Art Gallery, Cultural History Museum, Science Center, and Zoo Jon Linton and Greg Young Ernst and Young, Toronto, ONT and The Audience Research Consortium This paper reports the results of a three-year study coordinated by the Toronto Steering Committee of the Audience Research Consortium (ARC) involving the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Toronto Metropolitan ZOO.1 The project was aimed at collecting more reliable information on the needs, motivations, expectations and behavior of separate and shared audiences at the four museums, the similarities and differences in visitor experiences, and demographic and psychographic profiles of traditional and nonmuseum goers that affect attractability. The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the Ontario Science Centre (OSC) and the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo (ZOO) attract a combined on-site attendance of over four million visitors annually, plus an additional three million through outreach programs in Ontario. While this is a sizable audience, the four institutions could serve a larger and more diverse audience. The research examines profiles of visitor and nonvisitor groups, including motivations, learning styles and attitudes that may affect exhibit design, programming, and marketing strategies. Public programs and exhibit planning in museums traditionally are conducted largely by groups of museum specialists, such as curators. However, these groups usually do not take into account the needs and characteristics of large segments of the public for whom the exhibitions and programs are intended. While demographic differences between the four types of museums in this study are already known, little effort has been given to why these differences exist. Are they simply demographic, or do they reflect differences in the experiences offered by each institution that appeal to different audiences? Do psychographic variables affect visitor experiences and enjoyment? An earlier national study of demographic and other characteristics of the Canadian public (Dixon, Courtney & Bailey, 1974) compared museum goers IThe ARC is funded by the Ontario's Government's Multiculturalism and Race Relations Fund as well as by the joint resources of each of the four institutions. The Consortium retained Ernst & Young to assist in the planning and execution of the research, analysis, and interpretation of results. 240 ILVS Review and nongoers. There have been similar examinations of the characteristics of museum visitors (Abby & Cameron, 1961; Abby, 1968; Alt, 1980; Cameron & Abby, 1960, 1961), as well as nonvisitors (Dixon, Courtney & Bailey, 1974; Klein & Bachmayer 1981). This report goes beyond these studies and com­ pares data on traditional museum goers (visitors), nonvisitors, and ethnic visitors across four contrasting types of museums, the results of which may have implications for programming, exhibit planning, and public appeal in art, history, science and zoological settings not only in Ontario, but also in other regions in Canada and in large urban areas. Methods Surveys and Interviews Three kinds of surveys were conducted: • Base survey. A large-scale survey conducted in three stages over 12 months (January 1989 to January 1990) at each of the four target museums. The survey consisted of a questionnaire yielding a total of 4,903 responses. The number of questionnaires received from each museum was approximately equal. • Nonvisitor survey. A survey administered via telephone to 410 randomly selected "non-visitor" households-defined as persons who had not visited any of the four museums within the previous year. Of the 410 respondents interviewed by phone, 20% (n = 84) had not visited any of the institutions within three years. These 84 respondents comprised the nonvisitor sample. • Focus Groups. Six focus group sessions, consisting of 8 to 10 persons each, conducted by Ernst & Young. Four groups (n = 33 each) were "frequent visitors" (3 or more visits per year) to anyone or more of the four museums, one group visited all four institutions at least once in the past year, and one group consisted of first-time visitors to only one of the museums. Results Demographic and Ethnographic Profiles The main findings concerning visitor demographics and ethnographic profiles for the four museums are summarized in Figures 1.1 through 1.6. Figure 1.1 summarizes the percentage of total visitors to the four museums in terms of three age groups-adults, adolescents under 19, and children under 12. Adults constitute the majority of visitors for all four museums, although there is a sharp drop in the propor- tion of adults as one moves from the AGO to ROM, OSC and ZOO, in that order. At the AGO, Vol. 2 No.2 1992 241 over 80% are adults, only 90 T 80·~ about 15% are teens, and Q) P.. there are few children. The E 70 ............... c>l C,I) 60 "-... number of children increas- ca es sharply from the ROM to ~ 50 """.__• Adults ZOO. The OSC has the '0 40 ~ highest proportion of teens, 30 _-_.0 Children «12) and the ZOO the highest ~ 20 Adolescents proportion of children. 10 (12 to 19) Almost all ZOO groups O:,r----t-----t-----t include children. AGO ROM OSC zoo Figure 1.2 shows the Figure]. ]. Vistors by Age Group. number of persons per group (overall mean = 3.2 persons) and comparisons in group sizes across the four museums. Group sizes small for AGO and ROM (mean =2.4) and are much larger for OSC and ZOO (mean =4.25), as might be expected. Adult visitors to AGO and ROM are primarily singles, couples or triads. AGO has the highest proportion of single adult visitors. 4.5 4.0 4 -I- p.. e::J - o 3.2 _ Mean Size for all museums ':; 3-- I:: ~ 2.5 ~ - 2.3 ..... o ] 2-­ E ::J Z a i-- Q,) ~ I r- AGO ROM OSC ZOO Figure ].2. Mean Size of Visitor Groups. In Figure 1.3 (next page), the proportion of visitors with one, two, or three or more children and visitors without accompanying children are compared across the four museums. Visitors without accompanying children are in majority for all the museums, but as may be seen in Figure 242 ILVS Review 1.3, there is a steady decrease in visitors with children to AGO, who seldom 60% have accompanying children, to the ZOO 40% with the highest pro­ portion children. The OSC and ZOO attract more adult-child groups, although one child is most fre­ Figure 1.3. Percentage of Visitor Groups With Children. quent. Among the four mus eums, excluding school groups, there were wide differences in the numbers of children accompanying adults, with the ZOO showing the highest percentage of children (27%), followed by QSC (20%), ROM (14%) and AGO (2%). OSC and ZOO attract more men than women, with essentially a 50-50 split for the ROM. Figure 1.4 compares the times (in minutes) spent at the four museums. The mean time, overall, was 190 minutes (about 31/4 hours). How- ever, total time of a visit ranged from a little over 2 hours at AGO to around 4 hours at the OSC and ZOO. The 240-- longer times at the OSC and ZOO - may perhaps be due to the larger 210 -- size of the groups coming to OSC [90- - - - - ­ - - MeanTime d ZOO h h CI':l 180-- (in minutes) an , or per aps t ere was 2 more to see. a 150-- ~ Figure 1.5 (next page) compares 120-- educational levels across the four museums, as well as for the shared 90 -- audience. Overall educational 60 -- levels were highest for AGO and ROM with 36%-38% university -- graduate and around 30%-32% for ,- It;1 university undergraduates. There AGO ROM OSC ZOO were relatively few persons at a Figure 1.4. Mean time spent (in minutes) at high school level or less (8%-12%). each of the four museums. With larger numbers of children and adolescents attending, the educational level of visitors to the ZOO and OSC may be somewhat underestimated, although they still had about 26%-27% university graduates. As may be seen in Figure 1.5, mean educational level of the shared audience was less. Vol. 2 No.2 1992 243 45 University 45% Graduate Q) 40 40% 0.. University § 35 Unde~grad 35% lZl '@ 30 Community 30% (5 College E-- 25 25% 4-< High 0 20 20% "S School Q) u 15 or less 15% I-; Q) 0.. 10 10% 5 High School or Less 5% 0 .....+---+-- -- - -'--'- 0% AGO ROM OSC ZOO Shared Audience Figure 1.5. Education Levels for Visitors to each Museum and for their Shared Audience The ZOO appears to have the broadest mass appeal and mix of social and economic backgrounds, although it does not draw as many non­ Canadians or those of British origin. The reasons are unclear. The action and visually exciting exhibits with living animals may have broader appeal to varied ethnic groups. Active involvement with exhibits may not depend on literacy, education, language, or intellectual interpretations in order to be enjoyed. Canadian/British groups were larger than other ethnic groups, nonvisitors, and the shared audiences. The Canadian/British sample, overall, was about 70%-much larger than the 40% found in the 1983 metro population census figures. A smaller percentage of non-Canadian/British metro residents (Italian, Chinese, Black/Caribbean, etc.) are attracted to the OSC and ROM, which could have resulted in under representing ethnic groups in overall figures. AGO has the highest percentage of international and U.S. visitors but a surprisingly low share of Toronto tourists. The ZOO attracts the highest proportion of visitors with Canadian/British origins. Like AGO, the ZOO does not attract as many international visitors.