Museum Visitors At All Time High

The proportion of the British public that has been to either a museum or gallery in the past 12 months is at an all time high. According to research carried out by MORI in August, the proportion is now higher that at any time since the end of the 1980s, when MORI first started recording this information.

Coinciding with the abolition of entry charges at many national institutions last December, the proportion of Brits who have visited a museum or gallery has risen to more than two in five (45%), up from a third (35%) last year. The previous high score (44%) came in 1991, before many of the national museums and galleries introduced charges.

All ages seem to be taking advantage of this opportunity, and there has been a rise in museum/gallery visiting across all social classes. However, while the proportion of DEs has risen from one in five to a quarter, among ABs, three in five (62%) have been to a museum or gallery (compared to 51% at this point last year). People living in the South, and those with degrees, are also particularly likely to be found in Britain's museums and galleries.

A total of 15% of the public say they knew about the scrapping of admission charges, and have consequently made more visits. However, two in five say although they knew, this has not affected the frequency of their museum/gallery-visiting. A further two in five did not know that the national museums and galleries had scrapped their admission charges last year.

MORI conducted 2,095 face-to-face interviews among a representative cross-section of the British population between 8th and 13th August 2002.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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