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Summary
The fact that different researchers ask almost identical questions on their surveys
and interpret them variously as indicators of aesthetic value, intellectual stimulation
or social bonding reveals the need for a more substantial (and generally
accepted) theoretical basis for the disaggregation of cultural value and impact into
subcomponents. The lack of more general agreement on this point poses a severe
problem for the advancement of our understanding of the impacts and values that
are created by cultural experiences. In light of the incongruities between the measurement
constructs, it can hardly be expected that researchers will be able to corroborate
or refute each other’s findings and thereby develop a stable and cohesive
body of knowledge in the short-term.
Over the past decade, quantitative research on individual impacts has been
concerned with proving that it is possible to measure audiences’ experience of
cultural events. Having demonstrated that audiences report significant differences
in their responses to various cultural experiences, the next steps must be to refine
the methods used to measure those responses, and to explore the uses and limitations
of this information.
Developing a robust set of indicators cannot merely be a matter of researchers negotiating
a consensus agreement. The measurement constructs must be grounded
in a coherent theory that is substantiated with empirical results. Moreover, the
indicators used to measure impact must make plain sense to audiences and
visitors, and must be germane to the experience they’ve had. This represents a
core challenge for researchers – reconciling the effects that audiences talk about
in open-ended explorations of cultural experiences with theoretically sound and
statistically valid models for impact. On the quantitative side, researchers must
be more rigorous in testing sets of indicators—their own as well as those of other
researchers—in a variety of settings. The most valid and reliable constructs for
specific purposes must be identified by testing them in direct comparison with
other indicators.
Measuring Individual Impact: Post-Event Surveying 75
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences