The award-winning Imperial War Museum North. © IWM North
A new survey published by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) shows that over 12 months, 64 per cent of adults, almost two thirds of the population, visited a museum, a library or an archive.
The Taking Part annual report is the first single survey to collect information on the reasons why people like to visit museums, libraries and archives and why they don’t.
Based on 28,117 face-to-face interviews with adults aged 16 or over, it shows that nearly two thirds of all adults made use of a museum, library or archive over a 12 month period.
Extrapolation from the survey found that 16.8 million adults in England visited a museum or gallery in the year prior to the study. One conclusion drawn from the study was that those taken to one of these types of venue as a child were far more likely to visit as adults.
Mark Wood, Chairman of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Board, said: “The report will be a very useful tool, the first of its kind, to focus work on the key areas of attracting more people into our wonderful museums, libraries and archives. It will also help to ensure that services meet the changing expectations and demands of their regular users.”
