Policy & research

UK public rallies behind local museums: Survey shows strong demand for support

Horniman World Gallery

Andrew Lee

A new survey commissioned by Art Fund and run by More in Common found that 80% of UK adults want local authorities to support their local museums, a view shared by the large group of engaged young people who are already actively supporting museums.

Ahead of the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2025 winner announcement, the new survey shows that local museums are a strong source of regional pride, and that the UK public want their local authorities to maintain and even increase support.

A horizontal bar chart showing the results of the survey, broken down by the political parties that survey respondents voted for in the 2024 general election (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform UK, The Green Party). There is also a bar for ‘All’. The chart shows that, across politics, 80% of people want their local authority to offer the same or more support to their local museums.

80% of people surveyed think that their local authority should offer the same or more support to their local museums.

The world’s largest museum prize, Art Fund Museum of the Year recognises the importance of local museums to their communities and regions. All five of this year’s shortlisted museums are deeply connected with their local audiences, each supported either financially or in-kind by their local authorities and communities. Local museums contribute to placemaking and help shape their areas into vibrant, inspiring places to live and visit.

We surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults across the UK and found that:

Four in five people across the UK (80%) want their local authorities to either do more to support museums or continue providing the same level of support.
This is a viewpoint that spans across politics: across every voter group, four fifths or more say that they want their local authorities to maintain or increase support.
Local museums are a strong source of regional pride, with three in five people across the UK saying museums make them feel proud of where they live.
This sense of pride spans across the country, with close to half or more of people in every region of the UK saying their local museums make them proud of their area.
78% of people in Scotland and Northern Ireland say museums make them proud of where they live, with 72% of people in the North East of England saying museums make them proud of where they live.
Three quarters of UK adults (73%) say that museums teach them something new when they visit.
A quarter of UK adults have financially supported a museum or art gallery in the UK, with a third (32%) of young people aged 25-34 financially supporting their local museum or art gallery.
Knowing how the donation money is used is what would most encourage people to support their local museums.

The survey reveals strong public demand for local authority support, and highlights that there is a large group of engaged young people who are already financially supporting their local museums.

This demonstrates the ongoing opportunity for the museum sector to engage with local policymakers and next generation philanthropy.

This year’s five brilliant finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year are brought to life with public support – whether that’s through audience visits or local authority and public funding. We want to see this support continue to grow across the UK so that more museums like them can delight and inspire local communities everywhere.