Attitudes, Motivations, and Emotions Toward Museum Visits for Undergraduate University Students in New Zealand

This research explored attitudes, motivations, and emotions toward visiting museums for undergraduate university students in New Zealand. It was part of an international grant on factors affecting museum visitation funded by and based at the University of Roma Tre, under the direction of Professor Stefano Mastandrea. Nine countries were represented. The primary research question for the New Zealand study was: What are the perceptions of students in a college of education regarding museum experiences? We explored this by asking: What is the relationship between personality traits and type of museum visited? What is the relationship between art education and museum visits? What motivations and emotions are associated with visiting museums? Participants were n = 78 undergraduate students, who completed an online survey that was created for the grant. Results yielded significant correlations between the number of museum visits in the previous 12 months and (a) whether the participant had had art education outside of a school setting, (b) whether the participant had visited the museum alone or had been accompanied by parents or friends, and (c) the level of interest in the artist/scientist/exhibit; The intentions to visit a museum in the next 6 months was predicted by the number of museum visits during the previous year, wanting to have fun, and a pursuit of emotional wellbeing. A factor analysis of emotional reactions to museum visitation loaded on 2 factors that explained 60.49% of the variance. The first factor comprised items concerning wonder, pleasure, aesthetic enjoyment, fun, interest, wellbeing, and curiosity. The second factor involved items related to melancholy, distress, and boredom. Results are discussed in terms encouraging museum attendance for this age group.