Investigating the degree of visitors' satisfaction at a museum

Abstract

This paper investigates visitors' satisfaction at a museum. To this aim, an empirical analysis on a representative sample of 359 visitors to the Archaeological Museum G.A. Sanna in Sassari (Italy) is presented. A theoretical model is proposed to investigate the determinants that influence visitors' satisfaction, including sociodemographic characteristics, motivations, and visit experience. Empirically, an ordered logit is employed to test prior hypotheses. Findings highlight that respondents are satisfied by the actual experience and length of the time spent at the museum. Factors such as nationality, gender, and education also play a role in their overall level of satisfaction. Based upon the empirical findings, implications for museum managers are drawn.

Keywords:

• museum
• motivations
• visit experience
• customer satisfaction
• ordered logit

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial contribution by the Fondazione Banco di Sardegna (Project: “Il turismo museale in Sardegna: criticità ed opportunità”, Prot. 2055/2011.0044).