Trust, value, and public opinion: Learning to listen

Abstract

How do museum professionals know that the institutions they serve are valued by the public? And who are the public or publics being served? Why should museums be trusted? It can be argued that one of the most important elements of professional knowledge is an understanding of the publics we serve and what the people who constitute these publics value in, and about museums. Despite its importance, the question has been little studied. This paper uses two national public opinion surveys conducted in Canada nearly 50 years apart to document changing perceptions of museums in Canada over the last half century and places their findings in the context of comparative studies in the United States, Europe, and Britain. The paper also looks at the curious tension between what museum professionals think about museums and what the public says about them, and how this can shape museum theory and practice.