Kayla Fertig

LIS 60050
December 9, 2018
Research Assignment Final

Introduction and Research Question

Our world is changing. Everyday we are introduced to new technologies and new ideas. In

this fast-paced environment, companies need to keep up or they get forgotten. This idea of

keeping pace is even true when it comes to non-profits, like museums.

It is a dawning of a new age in America, millennials are coming of age. Millennial’s are the

generation of people that were born between 1980 and 2000 (Weber & Urick, 2017). These new

adults now have the opportunity to vote, to go to college, to get jobs, and to be consumers. But

we don’t know what motivates this illusive generation, they are unlike any other generation that

came before them. The millennial generation is more racially and ethnically diverse then prior

generations, they are also less religious and more educated. Their use of technology eclipses

other generations, 75% of millennials have some kind of social media account (Pew Research

Center, 2010). All of these generational differences would affect why millennials choose to do

certain things in their free time, namely why they might visit a museum.

In my study I want to look at this phenomenon, essential why millennials, compared to any

other generation, go to a museum of their own free will. My proposed research question is: What

are millennials’ main motivations when choosing to visit a museum? Sub-questions include:

1. Do social media posts (either from the institution or mutual friends) contribute to their

choice of the museum?

3. What are their expectations upon visiting the museum?

4. What types of museums interest millennials the most?

After completing my research and analysis, this information can be used to better understand

the mindset of millennials. This information can then be shaped into museum marketing

strategies. Museums can reach out to this new and burgeoning audience and get more young

people involved in their local museums.

Literature Review

Millennials, born between the years 1980 and 2000, are the newest generation that is coming

of age. It is a generation that is one-and-one-half times the size of generation Z, the previous

generation, and rivals the size of the baby boomer generation (DeVaney, 2015). Around the

world there are nearly 2 billion millennials, they makeup 27 percent of the global population

(Sofronov, 2018). Millennials are very different from any generation that came before.

Millennials are more racially diverse than any other previous generation. 47% of millennials

identify as a minority, whereas only 26% of baby boomers and only 9% of the silent generation

identify as a minority (DeVaney, 2015). They are the most educated generation, 63% of

millennials say that they have either graduated from college or plan to in the coming years (Pew

Research Center, 2010). Millennials were raised in a world with technology and therefore are

considered “digital natives”. Other generations are “digital immigrants” who came to a life of

technology after living for a substantial amount of time offline. Millennials use technology to

give themselves a voice, they are some of the biggest creators and influencers online. YouTube,

Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, Foursquare, Instagram, and Tumblr were all created by millennials.
This is a generation that has a knack for technology and is demographically differently than any

other previous generation (DeVaney, 2015).

In regard to tourism, millennials travel more than any other generation. On average, they take

35 days of vacation each year. Millennial travelers are heavily influence by advertising and

promotions, 74% say that this alone can convince them to book travel arrangements. But

millennials are out to find a deal, 92 percent say they will not finalize their travel plans until they

feel they have the best deal possible. They are wanting a better value but still expecting premium

service. They also tend to travel with another person or multiple people, whether it is a friend or

coworker. In previous generations, the vast majority of travelers were doing so alone. Over the

next few years, millennials will start to embrace their marketplace potential for they are a largest

generation with the most purchasing power (Sofronov, 2018).

When an individual chooses to go to a museum it is important to look at various factors to

determine the true motivation for their visit. One aspect that needs to be evaluated is the

individual’s expectations for that event. Sheng and Chen (2012) conducted a study looking at

museum visitors’ expectations before the visit, during and after a visit through a survey. They

also conducted an unobtrusive observation where they walked to the museums and observed

individuals. Through this study they found five different types of visitor expectations: easiness

and fun, cultural entertainment, personal identification, historical reminiscence and escapism.

Their results varied based on age, gender, education level, and marital status. Other researchers

have concluded that a museum visitor’s “pre-attitude” toward their visit is influenced their

expectations. In their study they propose that the visitor experience is a result of the interaction

among personal, social and environmental factors (Falk & Dierking, 1992).
 Another aspect to consider is the museum’s “push and pull motives” which Goossens (2000)

explains as the push of emotional needs and the pull by emotional benefits. Sensations like

pleasure, excitement, relaxation are push factors, and things like the friendly people, and culture

are pull factors. These factors are often influence for an individual’s visit. Tourist attractions,

like museums, often market these push and pull factors to their audience.

After acknowledging and evaluating these factors then you can start to determine an

individual’s underlying motivation for their museum visit. The main motivations of museum

visitors tend to be that individuals are seeking “food for thought”, to “learn something”, to

“enrich their life”, to “see things in another’s perspective”, or to “not stand still in life”(Jansen-

Verbeke & Van Rekom, 1996). Millennial tourist motivations are much more diverse. They want

to discover of new cultures or landscapes, contemplate their heritage, connect with the local

community, or connect with nature. When millennials motivations are focused on new cultures

or their heritage they may seek out and travel to a museum (Yousaf, Amin, & Santos, 2018).

Museums are a principle attraction in tourism today and understanding the mind of the consumer

is key.

Research Methods

The proposed research method is quantitative because it would yield the most functional

results. The research would collect through an online survey conducted through Qualtrics. The

design of this survey will be as user-friendly as possible. The questions will be well framed and

clearly written to ensure the most meaningful data from the survey participants. The questions

will flow logically for the ease of the participant (Bhattacherjee, 2012). The survey will also be

available on multiple devices, the survey can be access on mobile devices or a desktop computer.
Study Population

The population for this study will be American millennials born between the years of 1980

and 2000 (Weber & Urick, 2017). The sample that will be studied will be narrowed down to

Northeast Ohio millennials who recently visited a museum. The study will employ the

convenience sampling method when selecting individuals. Potential participants will be recruited

from five local Northeast Ohio museums. These five local museums will specifically be from

different topic sectors (i.e. art, history, local history, natural history, and science). At these

museums there will be a link to the survey and a corresponding QR code will be posted. There

will also be flyers available with the link and QR code so museum visitors can pick up this

information. People could then follow this link, read more about the study, and choose whether

they wanted to participate. This survey would be exclusive online through Qualtrics. One of the

survey questions will ask the participant their age, if they said that they were between the ages of

18 and 38 then they would be classified as a millennial. If the participant answers that they are

under the age of 18, then the survey would end. Minors are not permitted to participate.

Research Procedures

The survey is completely online and can be completed on a participant’s phone or laptop. The

survey will take a maximum of five minutes to complete and will contain various types of

questions. The questions in the survey will focus on the mindset of the museum visitor and why

they chose to visit a museum. Determining why an individual was at the museums can illuminate

their true motivations behind visiting the museum. Uncovering their likes and dislike, their

affiliation to the museum, or even how they heard about the museum could reveal parts of their

lives, their story, and their driving motivations (see Appendix for survey questions).
 The survey will remain online and operational for three months, there will be no limit to the

number of people that can answer the survey during that time. The minimum number of

participants for this survey is 1,849. This number is the minimum because it will give the data a

99% confidence level with a confidence interval of 3, this is calculated from a total population

size of 325,700,000 within the United States. If the population of this study were to be

downsized and it focused on the population of Ohio, which is 11,660,000, the calculation of

1,849 is also correct (Connaway & Radford, 2017).

After three months, the survey will be shut down and taken offline. The flyers and poster will

be collected from the local museum selected for the study.

Data Preparation and Analysis

After three months, when the survey is complete, all of the participants’ answers will be

imported and stored in Qualtrics. In the Qualtrics website the data will be able to be complied

and sorted into each question, individually. Qualtrics allows the user to compile their data into

tables or various graphs. For analysis, the data from each survey question will be compared

generationally. For example, for the question, “have you ever purchased a museum membership

before?”, the responses from Gen Z would compared to Millennials, which would be compares

to Baby Boomers, and so on. This data collected from each generation will be compiled onto a

table for each question then transformed into a histogram for a visual comparison. All of this can

be done in Qualtrics by creating a cross tabulation which allows a person to view the results to

multiple questions at one time.

Reporting the Findings

survey response by generation. The tables and charts included in the final report will come from

the survey questions that most illustrate what motivates millennial museum visitors as compared

to other generations. This distinct difference between generations is what needs to be

highlighted. There will also be a narrative section that explains the importance of the data and

the validity of these results. These results will impact the museum community and how it

promotes itself to the millennial generation. Knowing what is important to this generation and

what motivates them to visit museums can be very important to museum marketing. This

information could help increase millennial visitation to museums and even their museum

membership numbers. Tapping into this younger generation is very important for the success of

these museums.

Timeline

Month 1

 Create and finalize survey in Qualtrics

 Send the survey to test subject to test its functionality

Month 2-7

 Distribute survey information, including flyers and handouts, to local museums

 Continuously check that the website is still functioning

 Continuously check local museums to make sure they have enough handouts

Month 8

 Close the online survey

 Complete data analysis

Month 9

 Compile data tables and charts

 Write the final report

Potential Limitations and Research Quality

A potential obstacle in my study is the sample, or the part of the population being studied,

will be bias. The study is using a convenience sampling technique which does not give everyone

in the population an equal chance of being part of the sample. This study is only collecting data

from those people that easily available to research. This process creates bias (Simple Learning

Pro, n.d.). Another way the sample can be viewed as bad or flawed is through unintentional

modification of the population. In this study the participants will be participants from popular

museums in northeast Ohio. This creates a framing problem with the sample, selecting

individuals from these popular museum leaves out all the rests. It neglects all the other museums,

in all the other cities, with all the other possible participants. This studies technique is biased

toward individuals who visit these specific museums more frequently (Connaway & Radford,

2017). Because of this bias, the opinions of the collected sample may not adequately reflect the

opinions of the population (PowToons, n.d)

One way to mitigate this bias is to collect a sample from a wide base, not to favor one portion

of the population over the other. Instead of gathering participants from one museum from one

location, this study will reach out to individuals at five museums. These five museums will serve

different communities and focus on different topics (i.e. art, history, local history, natural history,
and science). Working with a wider, more diverse range of people will combat and limit this

bias. By taking this step, the trustworthiness of this study will be improved.
 References

Bhattacherjee, A. (2012). Chapter 9: Survey Research. In Social science research: Principles,

methods, and practices. (pp. 73-82). Tampa, Florida: Global Text Project.

Connaway, L. S., & Radford, M. L. (2017). Research methods in library and information

science. (6th Ed.) Santa Barbara: CA. Libraries Unlimited.

DeVaney, S. A. (2015). Understanding the millennial generation. Journal of Financial Service

Professionals, 69(6), 11-14.

Falk, J., Dierking, L. (1992) The Museum Experience. Washington, D.C.: Whalesback Books
Goossens, C (2000). Tourism information and pleasure motivation. Annals of Tourism Research,

27(2), 301-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(99)00067-5

Jansen-Verbeke, M., & Van Rekom, J (1996). Scanning museum visitors: Urban tourism

marketing. Annals of Tourism Research, 23(2), 364-375. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-

7383(95)00076-3

Pew Research Center. (2010, Feb 24). Millennials: confident. connected. open to change.

Retrieved from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/wp-

content/uploads/sites/3/2010/02/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf

PowToons. (n.d). Report Writing Made Simple: Research Limitations. Retrieved from

https://learn.kent.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-8790330-dt-content-rid-

121336472_1/courses/15473.201880/video%20caption%20files/Report%20Writing%20

Made%20Simple.html

Sheng, C. & Chen, M. (2012). A study of experience expectations of museum visitors. Tourism

Management, 33(1), 53-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.01.023

https://learn.kent.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-8790435-dt-content-rid-

121336487_1/courses/15473.201880/video%20caption%20files/Types%20of%20

Sampling%20Methods.html

Sofronov, B. (2018). Millennials: A new trend for the tourism industry. Annals of Spiru Haret

University Economic Series 18(3), 109-122. DOI 10.26458/1838

Weber, J., & Urick M, J. (2017). Examining the millennials’ ethical profile: Assessing

demographic variations in their personal value orientations. Business and Society Review

122(4), 469-506. https://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12128

Yousaf, A., Amin, I. & Santos, J. C. (2018). Tourists' motivations to travel: A theoretical

perspective on the existing literature. Tourism and Hospitality Management, 24(1), 197-211.
 Appendix

(C1) Do you consent to participate?

 Yes

 No

(Q1) Based on your year of birth, what generation are you a part of?

 Gen Z: Born 2001 – Present

 Millennials or Gen Y: Born 1980 – 2000

 Generation X: Born 1965 – 1980

 Baby Boomers: Born 1946 – 1964

 The Silent Generation: 1945 and before

(Q2) In what city do you currently reside?

 Open-Text Response

(Q3) How many times have you visited a museum in the past six months?

 1 time

 2-4 times

 5-10 times

 10 or more times

(Q4) On your most recent museum visit, what drew you to this museum?

 Open-Text Response

(Q5) Do you plan on visiting a museum within the next six months?

 Definitely yes

 Probably yes
  Might or might not

 Probably not

 Definitely not

(Q6) Do you visit museums more locally or when you travel?

 Locally

 Abroad

(Q7) Do you usually visit museums alone or with someone? If so, who?

 Alone

 With Someone

o Open-Text Response

(Q8) What type of museums interest you the most? (Check all that apply)

 Art

 Historical

 Local History

 Natural History

 Science

 Other

(Q9) Have you ever purchased a museum membership before?

 Yes

 No

(Q10) Would you ever purchase a museum membership?

 Yes
  No

 Not Sure

(Q11) Have you ever purchased an online deal (i.e. Groupon) for a museum before?

 Yes

 No

(Q12) The following questions ask about factors that could impact your expectations for a

museum. Please respond to each question using the scale below.

 I think about the museum’s ticket prices when decided whether to go to a museum.

o Strongly disagree – Disagree - Neither agree nor disagree – Agree - Strongly

agree

 I consider social media post about a museum when decided whether to go to that

museum.

o Strongly disagree – Disagree - Neither agree nor disagree – Agree - Strongly

agree

 I consider my friend’s experiences with a museum when decided whether to go to that

museum.

o Strongly disagree – Disagree - Neither agree nor disagree – Agree - Strongly

agree

 I think about external factors (i.e. the parking, the weather, etc.) when decided whether to

go to that museum.

o Strongly disagree – Disagree - Neither agree nor disagree – Agree - Strongly

agree

(Q13) Do you have a social media account?

 No

(Q14) Which types of social media accounts do you currently have? (Check all that apply)

 Facebook

 Twitter

 Instagram

 Snapchat

 Google+

 Other (please specify)

(Q15) How would you rate you most recent visit to the museum?

 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10

(Q16) Before your visit, do you recall seeing any social media posts about the institution?

 Yes

 No

 Not sure

(Q17) Have you ever posted about a museum on social media?

 Yes

 No

(Q18) Would you follow a museum’s official social media account?

 Yes

 No

 Not sure