The IMPACT North West Project Resources

North West Audience Development Project

The North West Audience Development Project is the first piece of cross-border research to shed light on behaviours and patterns in audiences of arts, culture and heritage across Derry, Strabane, and Donegal.

The North West Audience Survey is a key part of this project, and has offered valuable insight into audiences with disabilities, satisfaction rates and how audiences in the North West value arts, culture and heritage as part of their lives.

Final Report 23-24

The final report detailing our findings from the second year of our North West Audience Survey has been published and is available to read now.

Some of our key findings include:

· Theatre was the most popular culture form, followed by music, participatory classes/events, community, and visual art.

· More than 90% of respondents agree on the importance of the sector, and that the event/venue made them feel welcome and better for coming/joining in.

· Those who attended with a spouse/partner gave the lowest ratings, while those attending alone or with an organised group gave some of the highest ratings. Download the full report to read more. Please contact eve@wewillthrive.co.uk if you have any questions about the report.

Download our Final report 23 - 24

Earlier Snapshots Section

Were you aware that 58% of disabled respondents hailed from urban areas, indicating an 8% higher likelihood for disabled audiences coming from these areas?

Download our Audience Snapshot on Audiences with Disabilities in the North West - Snapshot from 15th December

Did you know that those aged 16-24 were less likely to report feeling connected to others while attending arts and heritage?

Download our Audience Snapshot on the Impact of Age on audiences in the North West - Snapshot from 11th January

Are you surprised to learn that 14% attended alone?

Download our Audience Snapshot on Impact of Who Audiences Attend With in the North West - Snapshot from 24th January

IMPACT North West

After 2 years of the North West Audience Development Survey, we made the decision to change the questions we ask in the survey, and to align it with our existing IMPACT Survey. From April 2024, the North West Survey was renamed IMPACT North West. The first 2 years of the North West Survey allowed us to build a robust benchmark, with insights into audience demographics. IMPACT North West is a more detailed survey, which gives us a more nuanced view of audience behaviours and motivations.

Now that these two surveys are aligned (with some key differences to allow for inclusion of participatory and heritage activities in the North West), we can get deeper insights into an even wider pot of data. Survey participants can see where they stand when compared to other organisations in Derry, Strabane and Donegal, versus the wider arts and culture sector in Northern Ireland.

How can you take part in IMPACT North West?

Organisations can sign up to the project by e-mailing eve@wewillthrive.co.uk
We will meet with you to discuss the easiest ways you can collect data from your audiences. This can be via newsletter, post-visit email, social media, paper surveys, or signs in your venue. We’ll provide recommended copy and can even create the signs for you.
We ask that you send out the survey continuously to recent visitors throughout the year.