The study is the first large-scale survey of its kind in Austria. It examines how museums contribute to areas such as learning, social connection, accessibility, wellbeing, participation, sustainability and community life, while also identifying challenges and opportunities for the sector.
- Access and read the study (in German)
Museums see themselves as contributors to wellbeing
The survey shows that museums perceive their strongest contributions to be in the areas of knowledge and skills, cultural competence and as welcoming places where people can spend time, learn and connect with others.
Many institutions also rated their contribution to subjective wellbeing, social relationships and feelings of safety highly. The findings suggest that museums increasingly see themselves as places that contribute to quality of life beyond their traditional educational and collections-based roles.
Wellbeing is often present, but rarely explicit
One of the report's central findings is that many museums already support wellbeing without necessarily describing their activities in those terms.
Respondents highlighted a wide range of activities that contribute to wellbeing, including opportunities for reflection, social interaction, encounters with culture and nature, community programmes, storytelling activities and accessible public spaces. While only a minority offer programmes explicitly focused on health or wellbeing, many museums recognised that their existing work already has positive effects on visitors and communities.
The value of museums is not always visible
The study also found that museums rarely measure or communicate their social impact in a systematic way. While most participating institutions believe they make a significant contribution to society, only a small proportion conduct regular visitor surveys or use structured methods to assess their impact.
As a result, the report argues that the social value of museums is often overlooked and remains overshadowed by more traditional indicators such as visitor numbers.
Four key conclusions
According to the study, Austrian museums:
- Already make significant contributions to wellbeing and social sustainability.
- Often create social value implicitly through everyday museum practice.
- Frequently have stronger practice than formal strategies or policies.
- Have a major opportunity to better measure and communicate their impact.
The publication concludes that museums do not need to create social value from scratch. Rather, the challenge is to recognise, measure and communicate the value they already generate for individuals, communities and society.
NEMO’s work on the topic
In 2025, NEMO published a statement outlining NEMO’s position on integrating museums into health and social policy across Europe. It affirms NEMO’s ongoing to recognising museums as vital components of civic care systems, and calls for their structural inclusion in public-health strategies. The statement also highlights the importance of intersectoral collaboration, social prescribing, and evidence-based approaches to embedding wellbeing into museum practice and policy.
NEMO also organised a conference on the topic, check out the recordings and other outputs on the conference wrap-up page.
