Science museums and their visitors in the beginning of the 21st century: longitudinal study of the spontaneous visitation to five institutions in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

ABSTRACT

Science museums and their visitors is a longitudinal study carried out by the Observatory of Museums and Science and Technology Centers (OMCC&T) aiming to monitor the spontaneous visitation profile and public opinion in five science museums, located in the municipality of Rio of January. The quadrennial survey is carried out with unscheduled visitors, over 15 years old, by using a self-applied questionnaire, with 28 objective questions about the visitor’s profile, background and circumstances of the visit, opinion, and their cultural habits. The data related to the 8,706 respondents from the four stages of the survey, carried out in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017, were treated statistically and showed patterns and changes in the profile and the public’s view of the visit to these institutions. Note the referral from other visitors and social media as an important means of disseminating information about museums. The study pointed to the satisfaction of visitors in all museums, combined with the desire of returning for a new visit in the following 12 months. Also stand out: the increasing female presence throughout the stages, the increase in self-declaration of black ethnicity, the successive drop in declared household income, and the increase in unemployed visitors. However, the portion of the population that most frequents museums is the one with higher education and income, indicating that social exclusion remains a problem that must be permanently studied and debated, for the democratization of culture.

KEYWORDS:
Audience study; Science museum; Spontaneous visitor; Longitudinal study