Havering Museum Audience Development & Access Plan Appendix III: Qualitative Research Matthews Millman Ltd with Cassie Herschel-Shorland NRAC consultant Contents Page 1 Introduction 1 2 Leisure Profile 5 3 Local & Family History 7 4 History in Havering 9 5 Havering Museum: Location & Building 14 6 Havering Museum: Themes & Stories 16 7 Havering Museum: Pricing & Opening Hours 21 8 Havering Museum: People & Promotion 23 Annex: Respondent Profile Havering Museums Access & Audience Development Plans Appendix III: Qualitative Research 1 INTRODUCTION Matthews Millman and Cassie Herschel-Shorland have been commissioned by the London Borough of Havering and Havering Museum Ltd to develop an Audience Development and Access Plan to support a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a new Museum in Romford. 1.1 Business Objectives The business objectives of the project are as follows: Provide robust, objective evidence upon which the Audience Development and Access Plans are based Provide realistic and achievable targets to inform the wider business planning process Develop strategies that are both easily understood and have practical application in the shorter as well as longer term Ensure that all recommendations are fully compliant with HLF requirements Ensure that all research and consultation is conducted to the highest professional standards in compliance with the code of conduct of the Market Research Society Establish an inclusive approach that embraces the full range of potential markets and partners for the new Museum Provide a strong legacy of research and consultation tools, as well as a network of contacts, that can easily be used during the development of the new Museum 1.2 Research Objectives 1.2.1 Audience Development Plan The objectives of the Audience Development Plan are: Provide a detailed analysis of Social, Technological, Economic and Political context within which the new Museum will operate (STEP analysis) Identify comparators and competitors Develop an analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses of the operating context, and Opportunities for and Threats to the project (SWOT analysis) Identify core geographic catchment and options for market development Evaluate attractions of and barriers to visiting the Museum Identify means of capitalising upon these attractions and overcoming barriers Provide recommendations on Product: including core and special education programmes, onsite and offsite activities, considerations for location and built environment 1 Matthews Millman Ltd June 2007 Havering Museums Access & Audience Development Plans Appendix III: Qualitative Research Provide recommendations on Price: a pricing strategy that meets access and income requirements Provide recommendations on People: realistic visitors targets, together with core, developmental and experimental market segments Provide recommendations on Promotion: an appropriate deployment of individual elements of the promotional mix Identify appropriate levels of resource (human, financial, capital) to deliver the ADP Provide recommendations on monitoring and evaluation of the ADP 1.2.2 Access Plan The nine objectives of the Access Plan are as follows: Set out strategies and actions for access to an inclusive museum service Outline an informed approach to meeting legal duties Set best practice standards for access and inclusive design Identify potential barriers to access that may be physical, sensory or intellectual Consider potential social, cultural and financial barriers to access Provide recommendations to remove, reduce or avoid potential barriers to access that may be physical, sensory or intellectual Set up consultation with local disabled people Provide a tool by which the Museum can establish responsibilities for reasonable actions, plan timescales and indicate resource implications Provide measures to monitor outcomes of the Access Plan 1.3 Methodology The methodology used for the preparation of the Audience Development Plan comprised: Desk research Structured face to face interviews with the general public at population points throughout the London Borough of Havering Postal survey to the Friends of Havering Museum An online survey hosted on a Romford local history website Depth telephone interviews with Museum Board members Depth telephone interview with representative from Local Education Authority Qualitative research comprising 2 focus groups – one with Museum attenders and one with non-attenders in the area 2 Matthews Millman Ltd June 2007 Havering Museums Access & Audience Development Plans Appendix III: Qualitative Research 1.4 Samples The total samples for the primary research are: Methodology Total Sample Face to Face Survey 102 interviews in the following locations: Romford: 25 Rainham: 25 Harold Hill: 25 Hornchurch: 27 Postal Survey 29 (a 54% response rate) Online Survey 24 (hosted on local history website) Depth telephone interviews with Board 10 members Depth telephone interview with L.E.A 1 Focus group discussions with museum 2 groups x 9 people in each attenders and non attenders 1.5 Focus Group Recruitment Criteria Recruitment criteria for the two focus groups were as follows: Group One: comprised people who had been to museums/galleries/heritage organisations anywhere at least twice in the previous year Group Two: comprised people who had not been to museums/galleries/heritage organisations anywhere in the previous three years Both focus groups aimed to comprise: residents of the London Borough of Havering mix of gender, ethnic origin, social grade geographic spread within the Borough The following were excluded from the groups: journalists, politicians, employees of the London Borough of Havering, professional museum/arts administrators and employees, Friends of the Havering Museum. 1.6 Reporting Outputs The documents produced as a result of this process are: Audience Development Plan Appendix 1: Market Appraisal Appendix 2: Quantitative research Appendix 3: Qualitative research (this document) Access Plan Access Audit 3 Matthews Millman Ltd June 2007 Havering Museums Access & Audience Development Plans Appendix III: Qualitative Research 1.7 Reporting Notes The names of respondents remain confidential and quotations are not therefore attributed to individuals. However, quotations are attributed by research group as follows: Group 1: Museum Attenders (MA) Group 2: Non Attenders (NA) All quotations used are the opinions of respondents who participated in the research programme and do not in any way represent the views of Matthews Millman Limited. Within quotations the following punctuation marks may be used: ( ) Words within brackets are inserted by the moderator in order to provide essential points of reference or grammar; ... Three dots are inserted within quotations in order to indicate parts of a phrase or sentence not reproduced in full; - A single dash is used to indicate a pause within the structure of an individual comment; ___ Underlining is used to indicate stress; and, // Two parallel dashes are used when consecutive comments are reproduced. 4 Matthews Millman Ltd June 2007 Havering Museums Access & Audience Development Plans Appendix III: Qualitative Research 2 LEISURE PROFILE This section of the report provides information upon the frames of reference within which respondents are making their judgments about the new Museum for Havering. 2.1 Museum Attenders The Museum Attenders interviewed for this research enjoy a range of leisure activities, including going to the cinema, fishing, keeping fit, gardening, shopping, socialising and walking. It is clear from their comments that respondents enjoy visiting central London to see a range of sites: “Right the way through, all the bridges, Westminster, right through to the Eye” (MA); “Just mainly go and see relatives, we’ve been to the Tower of London” (MA); “I’ve been to the Dungeons”// “That river walk”// “Jack the Ripper walk” (MA). The museums and historic sites mentioned in this group are: Carlings Museum (sic) in the Walworth Road Imperial War Museum (the IWM) London Transport Museum (the LTM) Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green Natural History Museum (the NHM) The Ragged School Museum Windsor Castle Tower of London It is clear that respondents make good use of the national museums in the capital, and visit several times a year. Their principal motivations are to entertain their children and/or relatives, and the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green is a particular highlight: “Bethnal Green - It’s all been refurbished”// “Oh, it’s fun” (MA). 2.2 Non Attenders Respondents in the Non Attenders group enjoy a mix of leisure activities, ranging from horse riding to football, playing bingo to watching films in the cinema or at home, and shopping to visiting parks. Shopping appears to play a particularly important part for several respondents in this group, not just for necessities but also as a social and/or family activity. 5 Matthews Millman Ltd June 2007 Havering Museums Access & Audience Development Plans Appendix III: Qualitative Research Comments that represent the mix of interests in this group are as follows: “Watch football, I don’t play football, but I like to watch football, I’m interested in football. Always shopping, shopping at the weekends, three kids to look after, always got to get something or do something” (NA); “I like bingo when I get the chance to do it, power walking, I do that, go over the parks a lot with the baby” (NA); “Sundays I go to church and visit friends and family” (NA). Although