In response to the continuing impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on science centers and museums, ASTC has been conducting a Weekly Attendance and Operations Survey since June 2020. This ongoing survey project contains a data-benchmarking tool for members to collect and report on their visitor attendance and operational status.
We have now completed analysis on a full year’s worth of data and are able to issue the new Weekly Attendance and Operations Survey: Year-in-Review Aggregate Data Report, based on data collected via ASTC’s Weekly Attendance and Operations Survey from May 2020 through July 2021. We will highlight aspects of this new report in a series of blog posts over the coming weeks and months.
Among the findings in the report is that visitor attendance to ASTC-member institutions in 2021 is progressively approaching reported 2019 attendance rates. For example, between May and July 2021, institutions have welcomed an average of 63% of their 2019 visitors (up from 20% in July 2020).
Data collection continues, and ASTC will issue additional summaries and report as they become available. If your science center or museum is not yet participating in the now-monthly collection of data on attendance and operations, we hope that you will join us. Email us at surveys@astc.org to learn more.