The latest version of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ report Children’s Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities has recently been released. This report shows participation rates in a range of cultural, recreational and sporting activities by children aged 5-14 inclusive. I’ll focus on museum and gallery visitation here, although for comparison I’ve included public libraries and performing arts attendance in following table:
This shows that 70% of children aged 5-14 attended at least one library, museum, gallery or performing arts event in the preceding 12 months. Note the figures pertain to activities undertaken outside of school hours, so this does not take into account school visits. The increases in performing arts and museum and gallery attendance are statistically significant, at least when comparing 2012 to 2006.
The following table breaks down the frequency of attendance among participants:
Frequency of participation in museums and galleries is comparable with that of performing arts among all age groups, whereas visitation to libraries is more frequent (which makes sense given the nature of library use).
Museum and gallery attendance is not uniform throughout the community, however. Children from non-English speaking countries and non capital city residents are less likely to attend. There are also slight variations according to gender and age bracket, as well as differences by state of residence. The state differences may be at least partly explained by the fact that some states have more of their population concentrated in capital cities than others.
It’s hard to compare these figures directly to the ABS figures for adults, as museums and galleries are reported separately for adults. (Recent ABS statistics for museum and gallery visiting are reported here.)
From the audience research that I’ve conducted in museums in Sydney, I have observed two trends. Firstly, many children like to bring their families back to the museum that they’ve visited on a school excursion to share their experience. Secondly, many young “inner-city apartment dwellers” use the museum as a playground to get their children out of the home. I was surprised to meet parents who visit weekly and fortnightly for this purpose. This highlights the need to make the museum an engaging place for families everyday, not just offering kids’ programmes during school holidays ( there are also interstate and overseas tourists with children all year round). If children grow up with positive museum and gallery experiences, I am certain that there is a flow on effect for their engagement as adults.