Surveying audiences

Coordinators: Marie-Pierre Delaporte, in charge of audience development in the museum of Jewish art and history (mahJ), Paris, France (marie-pierre.delaporte[at]mahj.org); Katy Tari, director of programs and Public Services, Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal’s Archeological and Historical complex, Canada (ktari[at]pacmusee.qc.ca)

Focus: to foster exchanges between researchers and museum teams on the issue of audience by sharing knowledge about research findings and methods of surveys. The aim of this exchange is to set aside time for a discussion outside the framework of institutional communication, in order to give voice to the questions raised by the visitors’s perspective on these mediation practices, thus bringing them into perspective.

Language: French.

Open to: All, via an email to the coordinators.

Calendar: On Zoom, on the second Friday of the month from 4.30 pm to 6.00 pm (France) / from 10.30 am to 12.00 pm (Montréal). The Zoom link is sent to the SIG mailing list a few days beforehand. 2026–2027 meeting schedule

Description

Since its creation in 2020, this group has been fostering dialogue between museum professionals and social science researchers. Some of the topics covered include:

  • visitors’ behaviours and practices, perceptions, knowledge and emotions
  • the nature of visitors’ connections to the museum and the role played by outreach activities
  • the sociology of visitors
  • the specific characteristics of mediation tools and situations in relation to the visitors
  • the methodology of surveys conducted within museums
  • the relationship between museum staff and audiences
  • the status of surveys, situated between participatory practices and marketing
  • the impact of their results and the concept of the impact of museum programmes

These surveys symbolically bring visitors into a museum institution that is primarily focused on production (of knowledge, discourse, exhibitions and programmes). They give a voice to those who are all too often reduced to mere numbers – visitor figures – or to target audiences for cultural programmes – visitors from the ‘social sector/socio-community organisations’, people with disabilities, young people, school groups, etc.

The SIG has around thirty French-speaking participants, whether they work in Germany, Brazil, Canada, France, Switzerland, etc. Of these, around ten usually attend meetings.

The format of the meetings includes a session with a guest speaker to explore a specific topic in greater depth. No videos are shared, but reports are available internally, as are some presentations. The annual report is the main channel for sharing these discussions more widely.

Publications

‘Process for a visitor survey’ poster and annual reports.

‘Process for a visitor survey. Questions to ask yourself from the outset in order to frame the survey project properly’ poster, 2025. It summarises recommendations to help museums engage with their audiences in a way that respects both the public and staff, using methodologies tried and tested in the social sciences. This poster is intended for students, teachers and professionals working in museums. It can be used during training sessions or work meetings on projects that may include a survey.

Link to the poster
High definition

Annual reports

The annual reports highlight the SIG’s discussions: