Measuring the Value of Museum Experiences [Outcomes Lab]

My colleagues and I recently surveyed nearly 7,000 visitors across sixteen U.S. history museums to find out what well-being benefits visitors actually experience — and how long those benefits last. Visitors consistently reported meaningful gains across personal, intellectual, social, and physical dimensions of well-being. Using a method called contingent valuation, we also put a dollar figure on those benefits: visitors perceive their experience as worth, on average, $540 per visit. The study surfaces patterns in who benefits most and what kinds of outcomes visitors value — patterns that may challenge assumptions about what museums actually do for people. We’ll read together for twenty minutes, then discuss: What do these findings mean for how we understand and communicate the value of what museums create? — John About Outcomes Lab Outcomes Lab is for MaP participants who have completed our Outcomes Assessment and are working through what their results mean for practice — how to act on what the data revealed, where to focus, and what to try next. We meet periodically to explore the ideas and research behind outcomes work in museums — each session stands on its own. If you’re interested in joining, use the link above to request membership. Sessions are recorded for internal reference, but recordings are not shared.