Survey reveals public demand for virtual reality museum experiences

A global survey has uncovered strong public interest for using virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) technologies to access museum collections explaining the digitisation of collections could improve accessibility and attract younger audiences.

The £5.6m Museums in the Metaverse (MiM) project at the University of Glasgow surveyed more than 2,000 people worldwide, and found 79% of respondents expressed interest in using digital technology to explore collections currently unavailable to the public.

Funded by UK Research and Innovation, MiM is developing an XR platform to showcase cultural heritage collections. With an estimated 90% of collections held in storage globally, digitising archives is seen as a way to broaden public engagement and increase accessibility. 

The survey also revealed high levels of awareness regarding VR technology, with 96% of respondents being familiar with it and 55% have engaged with it in some form. VR provides a fully immersive digital experience, often accessed through headsets, while XR is an umbrella term that encompasses all immersive technologies. 

Murray Pittock, pro-vice principal of special projects at the University of Glasgow and co-author of the report, said: “Our research reveals a clear appetite for immersive digital experiences, with people eager to interact with cultural artefacts in new and exciting ways. This shift in public expectations is already visible in the growing popularity of virtual reality cultural spaces globally, and our findings at Glasgow are helping chart a course for how museums can embrace this digital future.”

Under the MiM project, the University of Glasgow unveiled a VR exhibition last month celebrating the pioneering scientist Lord Kelvin. The exhibition features objects not normally on public display, presented within a digitally recreated, historically accurate 19th-century laboratory.

Lord Kelvin exhibition, University of Glasgow

The study also highlighted the potential of XR technology to attract younger audiences, with previous virtual projects having engaged large numbers of 25 to 34-year-olds.

In 2023, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris launched its immersive VR experience, Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874, to record success, drawing 18,000 visitors in just five months. Using VR headsets, audiences engaged with artists and their famous works, including Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. 

Fergus Bruce, report co-author and research associate in digital culture and heritage economy for MiM, said: “Our research here – conducted over several months and drawn from a diverse audience sample of thousands of cultural heritage enthusiasts – demonstrates a clear appetite for virtual access and engagement with collections. These are important findings for any collections or custodians looking to increase the reach, impact, and sustainability of the cultural materials they hold.”

MiM is due to be completed in March 2025, and will launch an innovative two-sided XR platform. One side will allow visitors to explore cultural assets through immersive experiences, while the other will enable curators – both experts and novices – to craft new narratives by combining objects and virtual environments in ways not possible in the physical world.