Hughes, Karen, and Moscardo, Gianna (2019) For me or not for me? Exploring young adults' museum representations. Leisure Sciences, 41 (6). pp. 516-534.

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Abstract

While museums are widely recognised for their role as institutions that educate people about a range of topics, concerns have been expressed about their relevance to young adults - who are claimed to rarely cross their threshold. This study explores museum visitation and social representations of 259 young Australian and Chinese adults. The analysis revealed the cohort held a shared social representation of museums as places for school groups, families or cultural elites who sought to learn from exhibits of authentic objects. While there were some differences between the perceptions of Chinese and Australian respondents, it was clear that neither group regards museums as places for young adults. Both groups suggested that museums would be more appealing if they were more engaging, relevant, welcoming, and offered opportunities for social interaction with peers. Implications for the future design of museums are discussed.

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