The impact of free entry to museums

Abstract

The commitment of the then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to ensuring free entry for all visitors to national museums and galleries by the end of 2001 left many of MORI's clients in the national institutions somewhat uncertain about the future. What impact would ‘going free’ have? Would those who might be described as ‘sociallyexcluded’ be encouraged through the doors? Would the money visitors saved on entrance fees be spent in the shops and restaurants? The first question was answered in spectacular fashion when, in earlysummer 2002, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced a 62% increase in ‘visitor numbers’ in the seven months since entry charges were scrapped. While it is known that DCMS tends to use the terms ‘visitors’, ‘people’ and ‘visitor numbers’ to refer to visits per se, as a researcher two questions sprang to mind: • Did these figures mean there were actually a lot more people visiting museums and galleries, or were the same people visiting more frequently? • Was the boost in visiting restricted to the national museums and galleries, or were more people visiting museums and galleries generally? MORI decided to see what more could be discovered about these extra visits by placing four questions about the British public's museum‐going habits on its GB Omnibus study in August 2002. The results of that survey form the basis of this chapter. They demonstrate that, although the numbers of people visiting museums has increased significantly since 2001, the increase is greatest among those groups who have traditionally always gone to museums and galleries, while the increase among groups who might be described as socially excluded is much lower. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of MORI's findings for the future of the museums and galleries sector.