“Kids, Today We’re Going to the Museum!” Discriminating Factors in Museum Visiting for Families With Children in Italy

Paola Borrione, Martha Friel, Giovanna Segre

Paola Borrione is Head of Research at the Santagata Foundation for the Economics of Culture. Her research focuses on the economics of culture and contemporary cultural production, especially in connection with new technologies. In these areas she has led research projects, strategic consulting and training, and has extensive experience at both the national and the international level.
Martha Friel is an assistant professor of Culture and Tourism Management in the Faculty of Arts and Tourism, IULM University, Milan. Her research focuses on the economics and management of culture, the creative industries and tourism, as well as on the intersectoral relationships between art, culture and tourism.
Giovanna Segre is an associate professor of Economic Policy at the University of Turin, where she is Deputy Director of the Master’s Degree in Economics of Environment, Culture and Territory and Vice-President of the Interdepartmental Research Centre for Urban Studies. She is also Research Associate of IRCrES-CN and a member of the Scientific Committee of the Santagata Foundation for the Economics of Culture.

ABSTRACT
Despite the increasing attention that museums are paying to children and families, demand by these targets has been little investigated and official statistics in many countries offer limited information. This study is intended to contribute to our knowledge about children’s museum attendance by analyzing and discussing data collected during F@Mu National Day of Families at the Museum, an Italian annual event held nationwide. The study explores the main characteristics of museum visits by children – both with their family and with their school – in order to identify high- versus low-attendance discriminant factors and to outline some strategic considerations in terms of museum management and cultural policies.
KEYWORDS
Museums, children, cultural participation, museum management
RÉSUMÉ
En dépit de l’attention de plus en plus grande qu’accordent les musées aux enfants et aux familles, la demande de ces groupes a été peu étudiée et les statistiques officielles disponibles dans différents pays offrent finalement assez peu d’informations. Cette étude est donc destinée à enrichir nos connaissances sur la fréquentation muséale des enfants, et ce, grâce à l’analyse et à la discussion de données recueillies pendant la Journée nationale des familles au musée (F@Mu), un événement annuel italien. Les auteures explorent les principales caractéristiques des visites muséales des enfants – avec leur famille ou avec leur école – afin de déterminer les facteurs discriminants liés à la fréquentation faible ou élevée des musées et de présenter certaines considérations stratégiques en matière de gestion muséale et de politiques culturelles.
MOTS CLÉS
Musées, enfants, participation culturelle, gestion muséale
RESUMEN
A pesar de la atención creciente que los museos proporcionan a los niños y a las familias, ha habido poca investigación de la demanda de parte de esta clientela, y en muchos países las estadísticas oficiales brindan una información limitada. La intención de este estudio es contribuir a nuestros conocimientos sobre la asistencia de los niños a los museos mediante el análisis y la discusión de datos recogidos durante el Día Nacional de las Familias en el Museo F@Mu, un evento anual italiano que se celebra en todo el país. El estudio examina las características principales de las visitas de los niños a museos– tanto con sus familias como con sus escuelas– para identificar los factores discriminatorios de alta versus baja asistencia y esbozar algunas consideraciones estratégicas en relación con la gestión de los museos y con las políticas culturales.
PALABRAS CLAVE
Museos, niños, participación cultural, gestión de museos