This research release is a continuation of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations and Museums: Part I, and is rooted in my recent research, including the 2017 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers and broader population samples I ran in the fall of 2016 and spring of 2017.

People visit museums for lots of reasons. We all know that. And when we ask visitors why they visit, there are a few reasons that come up often.  They visit for family time. Because they want to see something at the museum. For fun. For learning experiences. To bring out of town guests. And so on.

What visitors don't say are things like "I have a strong intrinsic motivation to learn." Or "I don't really like museums, but I think it is important for my kids to come to get a leg up on school." (As you'll see as my research unfolds, both valid reasons for visiting, though I am admittedly giving extreme examples.)

Yet the difference between these two reasons, and others I am uncovering, are huge. Especially, around impact, which I'll discuss in a future research release.

To begin to sort through all of this, and why it matters to museums, let's step back and focus on breaking down the population so that we have a sense of how it plays out overall. I'll include comments on how it affects museum visitation.

First, as I mentioned in an earlier research release, motivations around learning are not a zero-sum game. Even the most intrinsically motivated person likely has extrinsic motivations for learning (such as making a living). And there's a good chunk of the population that is intrinsically motivated at some level, but extrinsic motivations are stronger. But generally, I think it is fair to break down the population this way:

Broadly, that means three segments of the population.

1. Extrinsically motivated, reactive. Two sub-groups are in this group:

1. Individuals who see learning as such hard work (in psychology terms, a "low need for cognition," and they are at the lowest end), they don't seek it out. Even when they know it could help them. Learning is something that happens when it is required of them (compulsory attendance at school; training for a specific job).
2. Some individuals who would value learning, and be proactive about it, if they had to time, energy, or money to think about it and do so. (This is a smaller group.)

Overall, this group is extremely, extremely hard to conduct research on, as they rarely (if ever) take surveys. Why? Two reasons: 1 - since they don't seek out information unless absolutely necessary (or, for some, because they have no time to be proactive about it), they are not likely to be on any lists, or be intercepted by an online survey; and 2 - surveys are not something they are inclined to participate in anyway. They are a huge part of what I refer to as the "blind spot," or survey bias that means practically no survey truly represents the population. I don't have a strong sense of the size of this population, but if I had to guess, I would guess about a third of American adults, maybe more. (BTW, they don't visit museums.)

2. Extrinsically motivated, proactive. Individuals that place a value on learning, even a very high value on learning, but primarily as a means to an end to reach one or more goals in their life. And they are proactive about it through both formal education and informal means. So going to college to get a good job. Training programs for a better job that can better support a family. Learning to fit in with a social group. Learning to gain approval (such as that of a parent). And so on. Learning isn't necessarily their favorite thing to do (we could probably put it in the same category as vegetables and exercise; good for you, ok to do, but not necessarily relished by many). But these individuals have good, even excellent reasons for actively seeking out learning, and do so when those learning opportunities meet their needs. That can mean museums, whether sporadically, casually, or often (indeed, some of our most avid museum-goers are highly extrinsically motivated). But if museums are not meeting their needs, there is no reason to visit (as you'll see, this is a HUGE issue). My estimate for this segment of the population? About 50% - 60%.

Note: Some of the extrinsically motivated, proactive learners may also have rather strong intrinsic motivations around learning. For some, in certain subject areas they enjoy. For others, generally. What I'm looking at is their overall motivations around learning, and for this category, those individuals who are more extrinsically motivated than intrinsically motivated.

3. Intrinsically motivated, proactive. Individuals who love to learn for its own sake. Who find learning pleasurable, enlightening, relaxing (in psychological terms, having a "high need for cognition"). Highly curious individuals. These individuals seek out learning opportunities often because they like to think. They read for pleasure (including literary fiction, nonfiction). And they are the biggest fans of museums. Museum-going happens for them throughout their lifetimes, regardless of the presence of children in their lives (a distinction that matters). In fact, I think it is fair to say that museums have cornered this market. My estimate for this segment of the population? I have 6% in my research notes, but let's estimate 5%, maybe slightly higher.

Now, there is an important issue here we can't ignore. Valuing learning primarily for its own sake more than for extrinsic economic reasons may be related to class … and an assumption that the good job will come with it.  Thus, socio-economic status, capacity (time, money, energy) to pursue learning, and also race and ethnicity all affect learning motivations. That tricky dissection is coming in my next research release.

Additionally, I want to go back to something I just said about the intrinsically motivated. That we've "cornered this market." That's really important because it means that since they already know us, love us, and seek us out. There is no potential audience growth here, and our marketing really doesn't matter to them because they are actively searching us out anyway. But at only about a twentieth of the population, they can't sustain museums (and nor would we want to serve only them, obviously).

No, our focus needs to be on extrinsically motivated, proactive individuals, which is the segment of greatest potential growth. They put a high value of learning, and thus we are well-positioned to serve them well. But only if we present our value on their terms, meeting their needs. Some extrinsically motivated individuals (primarily parents of young children) inherently get this, and visit museums regularly. But most don't find the value of museums to be worth it (as much as it pains me to write that). You'll be hearing a lot more about this in the coming weeks.



A note about fielding research. I hold dear the idea that research for the field, about the field, should be shared with the field. But that only works when museums work together to make it possible. Since individual museums are needed to field this work, the survey also benefits participating museums on an individual level by providing benchmark data on visitation rates, motivations, attitudes and preferences, and demographic questions … all of which can then be tracked over time in the future. Participating museums are also allowed to add 1 - 2 custom questions specific to their needs. 
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Which means if you value this research,  want more of it in the coming years, and want to track your own museum's progress over time, please support this work by enrolling your museum in the 2018 Annual Survey of Museum Goers. The fee for 2018 is only $1,000 per museum. 


The questions for this survey have been inspired by ongoing conversations within the museum field (who does/does not go to museums, why they do/do not visit, and what that means for communities) and ongoing research in the fields of education and psychology around lifelong learning and intrinsic motivation.

I bet you love to go to museums. It's the joy of learning, isn't it? Seeing new things, finding out what they are, connecting those stories with others you may know (or to your life experiences). You just never know what you'll learn … and that excites you, right?

And you've seen visitors to museums who are like you. Looking around in wonder, having "oh" and "a-ha" moments of connection and insight, intently reading, looking, talking, or doing.

But they are not all museum visitors, are they? Or even a majority of museum visitors? Because over there? There is a mom, spending more time looking at her phone than the exhibits. I bet she'd rather be doing something else. And on Friday night will your after-hours event be teeming with young adults, many of whom will consider the objects and exhibits mostly background?

I'm not casting aspersions on that mom, or those young adults. Heck, sometimes even I am that mom. The thing is, people come to museums for many different reasons … all of which are valid. And as many of you have shared with me, figuring out those reasons, which are both intrinsic and extrinsic, matter.

I took all of this into consideration when I sat down to draft the 2017 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers. Indeed, sorting out intrinsic and extrinsic motivations around learning ended up being the primary line of inquiry, as my analysis is showing understanding these motivations, and their differences, are incredibly important.

Having an intrinsic motivation for learning, and for visiting museums, not only affects visitation rates over a lifetime, but it affects level of engagement, depth of impact, and philanthropy. Additionally, I'm uncovering patterns that an intrinsic motivation for learning also affects civic engagement, community attachment, and outlook and outcomes in life. The difference matters.

So let's back up a moment and consider what is intrinsic motivation, and what is more extrinsic.

Intrinsic motivations around learning are based in an inherent desire to know. Curiosity. A joy in learning. A feeling of satisfaction when one has had to think and figure something out. A belief that learning unlocks understanding, empathy, a broader outlook, and a confidence in action. Now, someone with strong intrinsic motivations may not believe all those things (much less articulate them), but that's the basic pattern. Psychological and educational research has shown that students with strong intrinsic motivations outperform other students, as do intrinsically-motivated employees.

In contrast, extrinsic motivations around learning are more about a means to an end. Going to college to get a good job (or better job security). Choosing a profession based on salary, not affinity. Visiting museums so that your children learn something (and it's your job as a parent to provide that exposure or experience).

It isn't a zero-sum game, however. Being intrinsically motivated does not preclude extrinsic motivations as well. I consider myself highly intrinsically motivated, but I also acknowledge that my education is a means to an end for bringing in an income to support my family. Or that I may have to research something I'm not interested in because it matters for my work. The two motivations can live together quite nicely, as my rough, hand-drawn graphic shows. The distressing part is that more people are not strongly intrinsically motivated.

Museums are a great place to spend time with family and friends. We all know that.

Research confirms that many museum visits are driven by a desire for a good social experience with those we care about (why museums are chosen over other options is where motivations get really interesting, but I digress). And let's be honest, we choose museums for time with our families and friends as well. I know I do.

But when we think of who drives that social experience, many of us think of women. Moms making choices for their families. Wives bringing husbands. Groups of female friends at the art museum or botanical garden. Women also comprise a significant majority of museum email lists … and thus are typically more aware of what is going on at museums.

There are exceptions (visions of my father and WWII museums in Europe come to mind), but generally … women. Right?

What if we're wrong?

In broader population research I fielded last fall, I asked respondents, both museum-goers and non-visitors, if they were to visit a museum, what their primary reasons would be. When it comes to spending time with family or friends, here's what I found:

Yep, men were 1.3x more likely to cite time with family and friends.

Museum-going men were 10 percentage points more likely to cite this reason than museum-going women, 42% vs. 32%.

And even among non-visitors, men were still more likely; 24% of men said if they were to visit museums, this would be a reason versus only 17% of women.

So maybe we need to rethink our assumptions a bit, and consider how we can attract and engage more men in ways that motivate them to say "hey, let's go to the museum today" with their family or friends.

And a final note. Spending time with family or friends wasn't the top reason why someone might visit a museum for either men or women. Learning experiences for themselves was number one for both, at 37%.


The questions for this survey have been inspired by ongoing conversations within the museum field (who does/does not go to museums, why they do/do not visit, and what that means for communities) and ongoing research in the fields of education and psychology around lifelong learning and intrinsic motivation.