Data Approach
High-confidence insights from unique research methodologies.
%
Portion of the U.S. population that has visited any kind of cultural organization in the last two years
Average number of months between visits to cultural organizations
%
Percentage of Americans who believe museums are trustworthy
where behavior becomes strategy
We solve for executive uncertainty.
A board does not need a hunch. It needs to know what an audience will do, what a decision will cost, and what a strategy will return — with the confidence to act.
The applied‑research and advisory arm of IMPACTS Research & Development, IMPACTS Experience translates large‑scale behavioral intelligence into practical strategy for cultural leaders: attendance, pricing, audience behavior, membership, economic impact, and institutional sustainability.
We focus not only on existing audiences – those who already attend cultural organizations – but also the attitudes and behaviors of those persons who are not currently active participants in the culture economy. Continuously in market collecting information concerning audience perceptions, behaviors, and motivations that lend prescient insight into an organization’s future market potential, IMPACTS Experience applies technological innovation to behavioral economics to serve museums, zoos, aquariums, performing arts organization and other cultural visitor-serving organizations.
High-Confidence Market Research
Robust Inputs
Representative Data
Predictive Technologies
Where does the data come from?
IMPACTS Experience conducts numerous studies to identify and inform emerging trends and behaviors concerning cultural organizations.
Select nonproprietary data that we are generally able to share with partners derive largely from three sources:
The National Awareness, Attitudes, and Usage Study
At over 422,000 survey respondents and counting, the National Awareness, Attitudes, and Usage Study (NAAU) is believed to be the largest ongoing study of perceptions and behaviors related to visitor-serving organizations in the United States. Originally funded by IMPACTS, The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, and Monterey Bay Aquarium, funders also include Google, the U.S. Department of State, and Stanford University, among others. Learn more about the NAAU.
Institutional monitoring of 224 organizations
IMPACTS monitors aspects of operations and attendant audience behaviors and perceptions related to 224 visitor-serving organizations in the United States. These organizations include museums, zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, symphonies, and other performing arts entities. Monitoring these organizations – combined with data from the NAAU – allows us to observe trends in how people perceive both specific organizations and the overall sector.
Partner organizations
IMPACTS also works with a select group of partner organizations with whom we collect specific data and intelligence. These partners support our deepest dives into data that may impact cultural institutions at large. Often, these partners allow us to share anonymized case studies to spark discussions in workshops and webinars while showing real-world examples for comparative context.