ERIC Number: EJ1275240
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2154-8455
EISSN: N/A
Sharing the Pi: Are Incentives an Effective Method of Attracting a More Diverse Science Festival Audience?
International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, v10 n3 p217-231 2020
Science festivals are seen as a success story for public engagement with science, with numbers rapidly growing. However, research has shown that attendees at such events tend to be more affluent, better-educated and more interested in science than populations at large. This has led to calls for research into how festivals can widen participation beyond the already engaged. This paper details the efforts of one festival to attract a more diverse audience through the use of a targeted 'Community Pass', offering attendees a free lunch, as well as by undertaking analysis of the characteristics that made individuals more likely to attend. The research shows that such a scheme can attract a very different audience to visit, albeit on a small scale due to cost implications. Working with existing community groups was shown to be the most effective method of distributing the passes, with recipients valuing a personal interaction with the distributor. There is also some suggestion that the incentive might nudge audiences who had a 'fragile' intention to attend the festival into actually visiting. However, more research is needed into whether larger-scale measures, such as employing community outreach officers, could have a more significant effect on overall attendance profiles.
Descriptors: Science Fairs, Audiences, Participation, Incentives, Program Effectiveness, Community Involvement, Foreign Countries, Socioeconomic Status, Science Interests, Community Programs, Science Teaching Centers, Exhibits, Science Activities, Intention, Elementary School Students, Attendance, Barriers
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A