Data Stories - Wilkening Consulting

Data Stories: infographics that tell a story
All Data Stories are clickable PDFs for download and/or printing.

2023 Data Stories - Annual Survey of Museum-Goers

Visitation Gaps - 2023 UPDATE

External Pressures on Museum-Going

2023 Annual Survey Methodology

Museum Visitation

2022 Data Stories - Annual Survey of Museum-Goers

The False Consensus Effect

Climate Change in Museums Part 5

Climate Change in Museums Part 4

Connection to Humanity

Amplification vs Over-Amplification

Respecting Visitor Values: Audience Perceptions

Museums and Wellbeing Part 2

Museums and Wellbeing Part 1

Climate Change in Museums Part 3

Climate Change in Museums Part 2

Climate Change in Museums Part 1

Museums and the LGBTQ+ Community

Experience Preferences

Visitation Gaps

Visitation Recovery - Pandemic

Click here for an infographic about the 2022 Annual Survey Methodology

2022 Annual Survey Methodology

2021 Data Stories - Annual Survey of Museum-Goers

Methodology - 2021

Demographics - museum-goers

Visitation Patterns - Pandemic

Membership Motivations

Virtual Audiences, part 1

Virtual Audiences, part 2

Community Concerns

Inclusion Spectrum Methodology

Prosocial Attitudes and Inclusion

Leisure Time Patterns

Museums and Trust 2021

Free download of this graphic research report fielded on behalf of the American Alliance of Museums.

Teaching Inclusive History: Educator Needs

Explore the needs of educators as they teach the most emotionally difficult content in schools. Free PDF download here.

Audiences and Inclusion:
A Primer for Cultivating More Inclusive Attitudes Among the Public

10-Step Primer from Audiences and Inclusion - Poster/Printable

*Free Download* from AAM's Website

2021 Data Stories - COVID Audience Research (scroll down for Data Stories from 2020)

COVID Winter

Vaccinations

Spring Update

2020 Data Stories - Annual Survey of Museum-Goers

Methodology Primer: Bias

Title: Museum-Goers and Accessibility A 2020 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story We all want our museums to be inviting places. Places that everyone can find comfortable and easy to visit. That means accessibility is important. When we asked museum-goers what kinds of access and support their families could use at museums, there was one big takeaway: Over half of museum-goers indicated an access need. 53%, to be exact! And their responses represented a variety of needs: Aging populations and their physical, cognitive, and social needs 35% Physical or mobility disabilities 29% Mental illness 17% Learning or cognitive disabilities 16% Deaf or hard of hearing 15% Sensory sensitivities or Autism Spectrum Disorder 15% Blind or low vision 12% Interestingly, age was not a significant factor in the responses. In fact, respondents under 30 and those over 70 averaged the same number of additional support needs: 1.5. The evidence also suggests that respondents thought broadly about the term

Accessibility

Curiosity: A Primer A 2020 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story Curiosity. The more we examine curiosity, the more important it appears to be, not only to individuals but to society. Research1 consistently shows that curious people have improved: • Practical life outcomes • Self-actualization • Prosocial outcomes Why? A key reason may be having an open mindset towards new information, other perspectives, being challenged, and even a comfort level with feeling uncomfortable. So curiosity deserves a closer examination. In the 2020 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and Broader Population Sampling, we did just that. Yet there was an issue we immediately had to grapple with: the public (including museum-goers) has a rather different definition of curiosity than scholars. To the public, the word

Curiosity

Worldviews, Clusters, and Intuitive Epistemology: An Introduction A 2020 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story Everyone is different. We all know that. And that extends to our visitors. Each one comes in with their own idiosyncratic blend of values, attitudes, and beliefs that affect how they engage with the content museums share. So let's step back and see how this affects learning in museums (and elsewhere). Our values, attitudes, and beliefs are influenced by a number of factors, including: • Upbringing • Education • Gender • Religion • Ethnicity • Race • Socio-Economic Status • Social Network These values, attitudes, and beliefs (we'll call them

Worldviews

Museums and Neutrality: Taking Positions in a Polarized Society A 2020 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story Museums are not neutral. Or are they? Like in many things, our audiences disagree on neutrality: whether museums are neutral or not, or even if neutrality is a desirable goal. We asked how audiences really felt about neutrality. The overall results showed that a majority of museum-goers did think museums can take a position ... though largely with limits. Museums should always be neutral 28% Museums can take a position on issues that most people would agree with 7% Museums can take an evidence-backed, mission-based position 54% Museums can take positions AND should be more activist on social justice issues 7% But within these results lies a rather stark divide. Over half of Traditional audiences thought museums should always be neutral, no matter the issue ... a rate over 5x higher than more Neoteric audiences.1 And 4/5 of Neoteric audiences said a museum can take a position ... vs. only a third of Traditional audiences. To learn more, we asked respondents why they answered as they did. For those who said neutrality, the focus was overwhelmingly on facts and self-determination. Present the facts and let us make up our own mind. - survey respondent Most noticeably, Traditional audiences appeared to want the safety of neutrality in museums ... and not to be challenged: about a third of the

Neutrality

The Purpose of Learning A 2020 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers Data Story Museums are about learning. Indeed, 2/3 of museum-goers explicitly visit museums in order

Purpose of Learning

The 250th (Semiquincentennial)

Commissioned by the Commonwealth of Virginia, this research explores patriotism, American identity, and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. (March 2023 version)

2020 Data Stories - COVID Audience Research

How are museum-goers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Do museum-goers want virtual content from museums during the pandemic?

Feeling Safe and Comfortable at Museums

Financial Support of Museums

Hope and Healing

Broader Population Concerns for Museums

Summer Update

Relevancy

Museums and the Pandemic: Data Story #10 Autumn Update It's fall, and the change in seasons is looming for many museum-goers. Seven months into this pandemic, with no immediate end in sight, has many museum-goers feeling we are on a never-ending rollercoaster of challenges and stressors. We reel from crisis to catastrophe day-to-day. - panelist response Right now, feeding my soul and heart are secondary. How can I stay alive? How can I make decisions to keep me and my family safe? - panelist response They are looking ahead towards colder weather ... with dread. I keep telling myself that not being able to go out this winter won't be too bad ... but this feels a little like whistling in the dark. The reality is that we don't know what's going to happen, so we have to hope for the best and plan for the worst, I guess. - panelist response I am concerned that in the coming months, virtual events will once again become the only options as the weather gets colder and restrictions increase. Mental health is definitely becoming a bigger problem as I am terrified of having to re-enter the type of experience we had in March, April, and May. - panelist response Though some are planning ahead with ways to cope: Winter is tough on me, but I've prepared myself that I'll just have to grin & bear it this time! Going to ramp up the hygge! - panelist response I'm actively trying to channel my Norwegian relatives and make my home very cozy for winter. I'm putting things like scented candles and cozy blankets around the house. We're also decorating for specific holidays (we didn't do this much before) and I'm putting things like my knitting, puzzles, and coloring books out to remind myself to do that instead of doom-scrolling social media. - 30s white female But overall, the emotional state of most museum-goers is low, with concerns mounting around: • Virus fatigue ○ My biggest worry for me (and others) is a fear of complacency and compliance fatigue. - panelist response • Education ○ As an educator, I can tell you with certainty that this

Autumn Update

Museums and the Pandemic: Data Story #12 Communities and our Post-Pandemic Future This autumn has seen us struggling with a pandemic that is spreading quickly. People are tired, stressed, and nervous. So it seems odd to ask about community gathering places and post-pandemic behaviors. It seems odd because it is odd. Yet if museums are going to serve audiences effectively while also helping their communities rebuild, we need to start planning now to address those needs. ---------------------------- Most of our panelists agreed that community gathering spots (i.e.,

Community & Post-Pandemic Future

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2019 Data Stories

Curiosity, Empathy, and Social Justice: A Long-Form Data Story

Young Adult Museum-Goers: A 2019 Update

Museum-Going Parents: A 2019 Data Story Update - Part 1

Museum-Going Parents: A 2019 Data Story Update - Part 2

The Perceived Value of Informal Learning

2018 Data Stories

The Impact of Museums: Knowledge

The Impact of Museums: Creativity

The Impact of Museums: Curiosity

Museum Visitation Rates: A Myth-Busting Data Story

The Impact of Museums: Empathy

Families, Their Needs, and Museums

2017 Data Stories

Young Adult Museum-Goers

Museum-Going Parents

Older Adult Museum-Goers