2025 Opening Minds to Science The Saint Louis Science Center’s Report to the Community
“I grew up going here with my grandparents. Now I get to bring my kids here. All of the exhibits are so fun and interactive. All my friends would love it here.” Science Center Visitor August 2025
“Greatly enjoyed [the] Pompeii exhibit as well [as] seeing the Vault exhibit on our way across to the planetarium.” Science Center Visitor September 2025
“We enjoy the planetarium and the science shows. We enjoy the volunteer scientists that are available to give us more education about their expertise areas.” Science Center Visitor August 2025
“We had a great experience in the planetarium. Our daughter has been asking to see the Solar System show for weeks now and it didn’t disappoint. Great images and commentary!” Science Center Visitor October 2025
“We had fun here today. It was a great experience. I’ve been coming to the Science Center since I was a little child over 22 years ago. So, to see the same exhibits that I loved and enjoyed, for my child to love them too, and for the Science Center to still be around is amazing!” Science Center Visitor January 2025
“Coming to the Science Center stimulates a long-held excitement for science I’ve had since I was a child. The simulators and sun viewing were highlights. I’ve come since I was a kid and the Science Center is still fresh and cool. Love the new exhibits.” Science Center Visitor August 2025
From the President and Chief Executive Officer
Ray Vandiver Dear Friends of the Saint Louis Science Center,
“Visiting always reignites my curiosity and imagination, plus all of the exhibits are awesome. I particularly liked the Game Exhibit.” Science Center Visitor January 2025
I am excited to introduce the 12th edition of Opening Minds to Science – The Saint Louis Science Center’s Report to the Community, 2025. As a STEM-driven, community institution, understanding our audiences and the ways we can engage with them is key to serving the community as we deliver our mission to inspire everyone to be curious and engaged in science. This report calls attention to key findings from our 2025 visitor studies work, including an overview of our general public visitation demographics, guest satisfaction ratings, and a look at how evaluation informs the development and review of our exhibit galleries and educational programs. This year, we highlight evaluation work that is helping shape the development of a brand new, upcoming gallery about innovation in St. Louis; attendee reactions to Science Center Up Late—the Science Center’s new, after-hours program for adult audiences; and feedback from parents about their children’s experiences in the Summer STEM Explorers Camp.
“Very fun and FREE! Great place for kids where learning is super fun and interactive!” Science Center Visitor February 2025
I hope this report offers meaningful insights into the people we serve. Listening to our audiences, learning from them, and sharing what we discover is a vital part of our work as a science-forward organization and is one way we express the Science Center value of being inclusive and welcoming to all. Sincerely,
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
Our Data Why is this work important? How do we learn about our audiences?
5
People Served How many people does the Saint Louis Science Center reach?
6
General Public Audience Profile Who are our visitors? Why do people visit the Science Center? What do guests do during their visit?
10 Guest Satisfaction How do guests rate their Science Center experience?
11 Public Perception How do locals perceive the Science Center’s entertainment-education mix?
12 Exhibit Evaluation Front-End Evaluation for a new St. Louis Innovation Gallery How does evaluation inform the development of new exhibits?
14 Program Evaluation
Participant Feedback about Science Center Up Late What did we learn from attendees to a new adult program?
16 Program Evaluation Parent Feedback about Summer STEM Explorers Camp What do parents tell us about their children’s experiences at summer camp?
17 Thank You Co-Authors: Elisa Israel
Rebecca Nall
Director of Research & Evaluation Saint Louis Science Center
Research & Evaluation Associate Saint Louis Science Center
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OUR DATA Why is this work important? How do we learn about our audiences? Our audiences and their experiences are central to everything we do at the Saint Louis Science Center. We use audience research and evaluation to better understand our visitors and their experiences with Science Center offerings. This helps our team make informed decisions in the planning and review of exhibits, programs, and operations. This work is done following best practices in the field of visitor studies.
Data presented in this report were systematically collected and analyzed through a variety of studies, including: Exit Surveys of adult, general public visitors that provide key information, including demographics, visitation patterns, and measures of satisfaction. The Science Center is one of more than 30 science museums and over 90 art museums across North America participating in the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies (COVES) where all participating institutions collect comparative visitor data through a common exit survey. COVES is managed by the Research & Evaluation team at the Museum of Science, Boston.
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Program Evaluation Studies, in which participant feedback, provided through tools such as surveys, is used in the design and refinement of educational programs. In this report, we highlight feedback we collected from attendees at the new Science Center Up Late events for adults, and from parents about their children’s experiences in the Science Center’s Summer STEM Explorers Camp.
Exhibit Evaluation Studies, in which visitor input, collected through tools such as interviews and card sort activities, is used to inform the design and development of new interactive experiences. In 2025, we conducted front-end evaluation to support the development of an upcoming gallery focused on innovation.
Some of the data that are used in this publication were made available through the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies (COVES). Neither the Museum of Science (Boston) staff nor COVES bear any responsibility for the results or conclusions presented here.
PEOPLE SERVED How many people does the Saint Louis Science Center reach? The Saint Louis Science Center monitors daily attendance through the use of onsite door counters and by tracking attendance at offsite programs.
686,956 People served in 2025
In 2025, the Science Center reached 686,956 people. The vast majority, 98% (674,288 people), were onsite visitors. The remaining 2% (12,668 people), experienced educational programs and community outreach activities at offsite locations such as schools and community events. Throughout 2025, the Science Center’s regular operating schedule was five days per week (Thursday–Monday), as it has been since June 2020.
82%
General Public
7%
School Groups
3%
Non-School Groups
2%
Facility Rentals
4%
SLSC Events & Other Onsite
2% All Offsite Programming and Outreach
5
GENERAL PUBLIC AUDIENCE PROFILE Who are our visitors? Every month, a randomized sample of our adult, general public guests are invited to participate in a survey at the end of their visit. These surveys provide key information on demographics and visitation patterns. In 2025, we surveyed a statistically valid sample of 934 visitors. GENERAL PUBLIC VISITORS’ RESIDENCE Respondents represented 34 states, plus several countries. The majority of them (67%) reside in the Metro St. Louis area, including St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and the surrounding Metro area counties in Missouri and Illinois.
FIRST TIME VS. REPEAT VISITORS Nearly four-fifths of general public visitors had visited previously. On average, these repeat visitors came to the Science Center 2.3 times during the previous 12 months.
18%
12%
St. Louis City
33% Tourists
First Time
How often do repeat visitors come to the Science Center?
Repeat
1st visit in 12 months
82%
2–4 visits in 12 months
29%
St. Louis County
13%
13%
Metro Area IL Counties
Metro Area MO Counties
5 or more visits in 12 months
All Local Residents - 67% Local Zoo-Museum District Residents - 41% Local Non Zoo-Museum District Residents - 26%
METRO ST. LOUIS CALHOUN MACOUPIN JERSEY
LINCOLN
WARREN
ST. LOUIS CITY
MADISON
ST. LOUIS COUNTY
CLINTON ST. CLAIR
FRANKLIN JEFFERSON
WASHINGTON
6
MONROE
38% 9%
SCIENCE CENTER MEMBERSHIP STATUS Most general public visitors were not current Science Center members. Members, however, visit more often: Repeat visitors who are members came an average of 4.4 times per year, while those who are not members visited an average of 1.9 times per year.
BOND ST. CHARLES
53%
14%
86%
Members
Non-Members
VISITING GROUP TYPE AND AGE RANGES Although the majority of adults visited in groups that included children, nearly one-third visited in adult-only groups. Most adults in groups with children were age 25-44, while those in adult-only groups were more likely to be either age 18-34 or 55+. 65+ 5% 55-64 5%
65+ 17%
45-54 13%
OVERALL GENERAL PUBLIC AUDIENCE RACIAL IDENTITY
White African-American/Black Asian/Pacific Hispanic/Latino/a/x American Indian/Alaska Native Middle Eastern/North African^ Multi-racial
0.5 % 1%
4%
9%
5%
13% 68%
^ Middle Eastern/North African was added to the COVES survey in July 2024.
55-64 18% 45-54 10% 35-44 15%
Groups 31% of Adults Only
Groups with Adults & Children
69%
35-44 43%
25-34 25% 25-34 30% 18-24 15%
Ages of Adults in Groups of Adults Only
18-24 4%
Ages of Adults in Groups of Adults & Children
The typical group with children consisted of two adults and two children. Of all the children represented in these groups, 26% were age 0-3, 31% were age 4-7, 34% were age 8-12, and 10% were age 13-17. Guests in adult-only groups typically come in groups of two; however, some visit in larger groups and others visit by themselves.
VISITORS FROM THE ST. LOUIS METRO AREA The distribution of the racial identities of Science Center visitors who reside in the St. Louis area (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and the surrounding Metro area counties in Missouri and Illinois) is somewhat similar to the 2024 US Census Bureau data for the St. Louis Metro area (the most recent data available). 2025 Science Center Local Visitors
2024 US Census Data for St. Louis Metro Area
White
67%
71%
African-American/Black
15%
17%
Asian/Pacific
5%
3%
Hispanic/Latino/a/x*
3%
4%
1%
0.2%
1%
NA
8%
7%
American Indian/ Alaska Native Middle Eastern North African^ Multi-racial
* The US Census tracks Hispanic/Latino/a/x data separately from race data; total exceeds 100% for the US Census data column. ^ Middle Eastern/North African was added to the COVES survey in July 2024. It is scheduled to be added to the US Census in 2030.
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION COMPLETED The Science Center’s adult, general public visitors tend to be fairly well-educated, with slightly less than two-thirds holding at least a Bachelor’s degree.
1% Some High School Some College
10%
17%
Bachelor’s Degree
11%
31%
High School Degree Associate’s Degree
30% Graduate Degree 7
GENERAL PUBLIC AUDIENCE PROFILE Why do people visit the Science Center? PRIMARY REASON FOR VISITING Exit survey respondents selected up to two primary reasons for visiting from a list of nine options. Every year, the most commonly selected reason for visiting the Science Center was for the social experience of spending time with others in their group.
(Respondents could select up to two options. Total exceeds 100%.)
42%
To spend time together as a group/family
26%
For fun/entertainment for group members/children
23%
To see a specific exhibit, program, or show
17%
For an educational experience for group members/children
12%
Something to do while visiting the area
11%
For fun/entertainment for myself For an educational experience for myself
8%
To relax or relieve stress
7%
To support the Science Center
Of those who selected “To see a specific exhibit, program, or show,” they most commonly indicated that they came to see the special exhibition (POMPEII: THE EXHIBITION) (60%), an OMNIMAX® film (19%), or the free exhibit galleries/activities (11%).
5%
MOTIVATIONS DIFFERED BY GROUP TYPE People visiting in groups that included children appeared to be primarily motivated by others in their group, most commonly citing spending time together as a group/ family (49%), fun/entertainment for others in their group (34%), and educational experience for others in their group (23%).
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Those visiting in adult-only groups were strongly motivated by specific offerings with close to half (47%) citing a specific exhibit, program, or show. Beyond that, 27% selected spending time with others in their group, 19% selected “fun/entertainment for myself,” and 17% chose the option, “an educational experience for myself.”
What do guests do during their visit? AREAS VISITED Most guests spent time in the free galleries. The ExploreStore gift shop, food court near the main lobby, and POMEII: THE EXHIBITION were the most heavily visited revenue producing areas.
(Multiple responses possible. Total exceeds 100%.)
90%
Free Galleries/Activities
32%
ExploreStore Gift Shop
FREE GALLERIES AND ACTIVITY AREAS VISITED Exit survey respondents identified which galleries they spent time in during their visit. As it often is, Earth Science, home to the Science Center’s iconic animatronic T.rex, was the most heavily visited, followed by Experience Energy, GameXPloration, and Structures.
Food Court (near main lobby)
25%
*POMPEII: THE EXHIBITION Special Exhibition
25%
(Multiple responses possible. Total exceeds 100%.)
The Loft (2nd floor snack shop)
23%
Earth Science
72%
OMNIMAX Film
21%
Experience Energy
62%
Planetarium Star Show
20%
GameXPloration
61%
Planetarium Gift Shop
18%
Structures
58%
Inside the Vault
57%
®
Discovery Room
13%
Life Science Lab—Atrium
55%
Pulseworks/360/VR Flight Simulators
11%
Dig Site
54%
Paid Educational Program (e.g. Preschool Science Series)
3%
Mission: Mars
51%
^Ate at the GROW Grill (food service area in GROW)
1%
Dream It. Build It.
49%
Makerspace
47%
As the World Turns
44%
Liftoff
36%
GROW
35%
Math Cart
35%
Seeing is Believing^
23%
Presentations at the Energy Stage
19%
Life Science Lab—Classroom^
7%
Doctor Who display^
10%
Percentages shown for all items are based on the full year. *The special exhibition, POMPEII: THE EXHIBITION, was open May 16 – September 15, 2025. ^The GROW Grill was open during the summer, Friday-Sunday only, weather permitting.
HOW LONG DO VISITORS STAY AT THE SCIENCE CENTER? In 2025, visitors’ median length of stay was 2 hours, 17 minutes.
34%
35% 18%
4% Less than 1 hour
1 hr – 1 hr, 59 min
2 hr – 2 hr, 59 min
3 hr – 3 hr, 59 min
8% 4 hours – 4 hr, 59 min
2%
^ Percentages shown for all items are based on the full year, but some areas were not available for the full year. The Doctor Who display closed March 17, 2025. Seeing is Believing opened April 4, 2025. Life Science Lab—Classroom was closed to the public May 15–August 13, 2025, while it was being used for summer camp.
5 hours or longer
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GUEST SATISFACTION How do visitors rate their Science Center experience? A key metric for understanding visitors’ satisfaction is the Overall Experience Rating (OER), which is included on the COVES Exit Survey, providing for comparison with other institutions that participate in COVES.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE RATING (OER) The Overall Experience Rating (OER), which measures satisfaction with the visit experience, was developed and tested by the Smithsonian Institution. The OER asks respondents to rate their visit as “Poor,” “Fair,” “Good,” “Excellent,” or “Outstanding.” By providing an option that exceeds “Excellent,” the OER scale allows for greater differentiation about visit satisfaction than other measures. Guests are also invited to provide a comment to explain their rating.
“PLEASE RATE YOUR OVERALL EXPERIENCE FOR THIS VISIT”
Less than Excellent
Excellent or Outstanding SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER, 2025
Excellent
“Every exhibit was well maintained. Staff were incredibly kind and helpful. Thank you for helping care about continuing education and making it so accessible.” Science Center Visitor June 2025
“We loved the planetarium and OMNIMAX. All the interactive exhibits were great as well.” Science Center Visitor April 2025
Outstanding
0.5% Fair Good
6%
39%
55%
10%
42%
47%
0.1% Poor, 1% Fair Good
Excellent
Outstanding COVES AGGREGATE, 2025
“There are so many exhibits to visit, so much to learn in STEM, and all free. It is a wonderful benefit to St. Louis, particularly young kids.” Science Center Visitor February 2025
In 2025, 94% of respondents rated their Science Center experience as “Excellent” or “Outstanding,” suggesting a very high level of satisfaction with their visit. The Science Center’s OER ratings compare favorably to the OER ratings across the aggregate of the over 30 science museums participating in COVES.
“Nice variety of things to do. Accessible and fun for multiple ages.” Science Center Visitor October 2025
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PUBLIC PERCEPTION How do locals perceive the Science Center’s entertainment-education mix? In past studies, respondents frequently described the Science Center as both “fun” and “educational.” To explore this further, we recently revisited a question we first asked nearly 20 years ago, which examines the balance between these two attributes.
REVISITING THE QUESTION IN 2025 In 2025, as part of our annual Awareness & Perceptions study, we posed similar questions to survey respondents made up of residents from across the St. Louis metro area, most of whom received the survey through a third party and therefore were not necessarily on the Science Center’s contact list. Respondents in 2025 felt the Science Center is currently just slightly on the “education” side of the midpoint between entertainment and education – very similar to the future goal offered in 2007. Additionally, the 2025 respondents, on average, indicated that where they felt the Science Center sits on that spectrum today is also the right place for the future. In the world of informal science education, where finding the right balance between “fun” and “educational” is key to engaging people, the Science Center seems to be hitting the sweet spot for our audiences.
Where do you feel the Science Center is CURRENTLY (in 2007) on this spectrum? (Mean = 5.5 out of 10)
Where should the Science Center strive to be in the FUTURE? (Mean = 6.2 out of 10)
50%
40%
Percent of Respondents
In 2007, respondents felt that, on average, the Science Center was right in the middle of this spectrum and should aim to move slightly towards the education end, while still maintaining a strong balance between the to two extremes.
2007 PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE SCIENCE CENTER’S ENTERTAINMENT – EDUCATION MIX
30%
20%
10%
0%
More heavily ENTERTAINMENT than education
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
More heavily EDUCATION than entertainment
2025 PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE SCIENCE CENTER’S ENTERTAINMENT – EDUCATION MIX Where do you feel the Science Center is CURRENTLY (in 2025) on this spectrum? (Mean = 6.0 out of 10)
Where should the Science Center strive to be in the FUTURE? (Mean = 6.1 out of 10)
50%
40%
Percent of Respondents
A QUESTION FROM A 2007 STUDY In 2007, as part of a larger study, we invited survey respondents from the Science Center’s email list to tell us where they thought the Science Center sat on a spectrum going from Entertainment (1) to Education (10). They were also asked to indicate where on the spectrum they felt the Science Center should strive to be in the following 5-10 years.
30%
20%
10%
0%
Entertainment Only
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Education Only
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EXHIBIT EVALUATION
FRONT-END EVALUATION FOR A NEW ST. LOUIS INNOVATION GALLERY
How does evaluation inform the development of new exhibit galleries? In front-end evaluation, we learn about what audiences know, are interested in, or have questions about on a given topic. In the Summer of 2025, we conducted interviews with Science Center visitors to learn what intrigued them about the topic of innovation. The findings from this work are being used to help shape a new gallery that will highlight innovation happening in St. Louis. We used two approaches to gather audience input about innovation: interviews and a card sort activity. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 40 visitor groups, which included 74 participants – 52 adults and 22 children. The interviews focused on respondents’ understanding and perceptions of “innovation,” including what they would expect in a Science Center gallery on the topic. Additionally, we conducted card sort activities with 40 visitors – 25 adults and 15 children – in which respondents were asked to sort cards representing different topics related to innovation based on their familiarity with the topics. Respondents were then asked to identify three topics they wanted to learn more about and one they felt was least interesting.
KEY FINDINGS FROM THE CARD SORT ACTIVITY Visitors were invited to review 12 topics related to innovation, all of which were highlighted in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan, and sort them based on their personal familiarity with each. They were then asked to select three they wanted to learn more about and one they found least interesting. The topics were: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agricultural technology, artificial intelligence, automotive, cybersecurity, financial technology, geospatial technology, health sciences, robotics, software engineering, and transportation. •
Topics most often selected as “most familiar” were Transportation, AI, and Robotics
•
opics most often selected as “least familiar” were T Advanced Manufacturing, Software Engineering, and Geospatial Technology
•
The topics most often selected as the ones respondents wanted to learn more about were Robotics, Health Sciences, Aerospace, and Financial Technology. o Females more frequently chose Health Sciences, AI, and Robotics. o Males more frequently picked Aerospace, FinTech, and Robotics. o Adults more frequently selected Cybersecurity, FinTech, AI, and Health Sciences. o Children more frequently chose Robotics, Aerospace, and Health Sciences.
•
Compared to adults, children expressed greater familiarity with robotics.
•
The topics respondents most often selected as least interesting were: Financial Technology, AI, and Advanced Manufacturing.
12 Child and adult complete the card sort activity.
INNOVATION IS “making something new either that hasn’t been thought of before or something that might already be available but will be the base to improve upon.”
KEY FINDINGS FROM VISITOR INTERVIEWS •
The term “innovation” is unfamiliar to most children under age 13.
•
Teens and adults tend to describe innovation as either: o Invention and new ideas from smart, creative people to address a need, or o Modifying existing things for improvement, efficiency, or to address a need.
•
-Woman, age 25-34
EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT INNOVATIONS: “Cancer research – more types of cancer are more treatable, less severe, and hopefully curable one day.” -Man, age 18-24
People associate innovation with: o Teamwork and collaboration o Experimentation based on a plan o Trial and error o Creativity o New ideas and brainstorming
•
“AI is the one that’s more prevalent. I do not like where it is; it’s super wasteful—the amount of water and energy—the cost-benefit is way off. It’s important but not being regulated.” -Woman, age 25-34
Respondents connected innovation to a wide range of fields, including medicine, agriculture, space exploration, education, transportation, construction, energy, sustainability, and manufacturing.
•
Specific innovations respondents described as being important ranged from the wheel and toilets to GPS, electric cars, and artificial intelligence.
•
Expectations for a Science Center gallery about innovation covered several common themes:
EXPECTATIONS FOR AN INNOVATION GALLERY: “How innovations like fertilizers and seeds can help keep people fed or how solar and green energy can help society. I’d love to see a focus on smaller things and how those small things are really impactful.” -Woman, age 35-44
o History and future of innovation – Highlight examples from different fields of how innovations have changed and improved over time, the impact they have had on society, and what future innovations might look like.
“History of innovation - how people came up with things like irrigation in the Roman Empire, the first planes, etc. How scientists are working on new ideas.” -Woman, age 25-34
oH ands-on activities – Design a space where visitors can make and test their own inventions, contribute to largescale collaborative builds, and try design challenges.
“Create your own things.” -Boy, age 12
oL ocal connections – Highlight local companies’ innovations as well as innovations that are uniquely St. Louis, such as the design of the Gateway Arch and food innovations such as toasted ravioli.
CARD SORT TOPICS SELECTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT (RESPONDENTS SELECTED 3 TOPICS. TOTALS EXCEED 100%.) Adults (n=25)
Robotics
Biomedical Health Services/Health Sciences
Aerospace
Financial Technology
Artificial Inteligence
Geospatial Technology
Agricultural Technology
Automotive
Software Engineering
12%
7%
12%
20%
16%
20%
16%
20%
7%
24%
20% Cybersecurity
28%
40% 7%
20%
32%
36%
27%
28%
40% 28%
20%
40%
67%
Children (n=15)
Manufacturing/ Transporation Advanced & Logistics/ Manufacturing Transportation
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PROGRAM EVALUATION
PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK ABOUT SCIENCE CENTER UP LATE
What did we learn from attendees to a new adult program? In July and October of 2025, the Science Center hosted the first two events in a new adults-only seres called Science Center Up Late. After each event, attendees were invited to complete a feedback survey. A total of 334 attendees provided feedback, including their interest in attending more events, ways to improve the experience, and general demographic information. Overall, attendees reported positive experiences, indicated a high inclination to return, and described the event as a unique Science Center experience. RATING THE EXPERIENCE Respondents overwhelmingly said their Up Late experience was “Excellent” or “Outstanding.” The Overall Experience Rating (OER) for July’s Experience Sound event was very positive, with 63% of respondents indicating they had an “Excellent” or “Outstanding” experience. The October Up Late, themed around Spooky Science, was even more impressive, with 77% rating the experience as “Excellent” or “Outstanding” and no “Poor” ratings. Less than Excellent
Respondents were invited to provide comments to explain their OER rating. Of the 95 comments related to “Poor,” “Fair,” or “Good” ratings, 41% of them were positive including the events having good vibes and enjoying the interactive activities. The 214 comments associated with “Excellent” or “Outstanding” ratings showed positive reactions to every element of the Up Late experience. Highlights for all attendees included: • The adults-only nature of the 21+ only event
Excellent or Outstanding
• The number and variety of things to do Fair
• The fun atmosphere
JULY - EXPERIENCE SOUND
3% Poor
Good
11%
Excellent
24%
37%
• That it was across the entire facility
Outstanding
• Wishing for longer events
25%
• Wanting more Up Late events 6%
17% Good
Fair
44% Excellent
Outstanding OCTOBER - SPOOKY SCIENCE
INTEREST IN RETURNING A majority of respondents from both July and October were “Extremely Interested” in attending the next Up Late event. Over 90% of respondents from both events were at least “Somewhat Interested” in attending the next Up Late event. These levels of interest indicate a strong foundation for repeat event attendance.
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• Highlighting staff-led and hands-on activities
33%
54%
INTEREST IN ATTENDING THE NEXT UP LATE EVENT
24% 15% 5% Extremely Interested
Interested
Somewhat Interested
Somewhat Uninterested
3% Uninterested
1% Extremely Uninterested
ABOUT THE ATTENDEES The Up Late audience was unique and differed in several notable ways from the Science Center’s typical general public: • A majority of Up Late attendees (85%) do not have children under 18 in their households. • A larger portion of Up Late attendees (15% higher than the general public) identify as LGBTQ+. • Up Late attendees tended to be both younger and older than typical adult, general public visitors. Across both events, 45% were between 21-34 years old, and at the October event in particular, 36% were 45 years old and older. ENCOURAGING ATTENDANCE Through its unique offering of adult-only programming, Science Center Up Late was able to reach new audiences including both firsttime visitors and those who have not visited the Science Center in a long time. The changes in recent attendance, within the timeframe of the last Up Late, indicate that these events can drive return attendance of those who are otherwise less likely to be Science Center visitors.
Most Recent Previous Visit
July Attendees
October Attendees
Change
Within the past 3–6 months
35%
54%
+19%
6 months–1 year
9%
9%
0%
1 year–10+ years
44%
32%
-12%
Never visited
12%
5%
-7%
“I LOVED EXPERIENCING THE SCIENCE CENTER IN A WHOLE NEW WAY. I loved that the event was science leaning but also partnering with local organizations to educate the public about all the cool things our city has to offer!” Up Late: Experience Sound Attendee
BIG TAKEAWAYS Trends between July and October indicate the success of Up Late is reflected not just in ticket sales, but also in inclusion, and striking a balance between education and entertainment. Respondents’ requests for improvement are calls for more Up Late events, and more of what is already being offered (e.g. more stage shows). The data from Up Late indicate that these events reach audiences who do not typically visit the Science Center and encourage them to return for the next event. 15
PROGRAM EVALUATION
PARENT FEEDBACK ABOUT SUMMER STEM EXPLORERS CAMP
What do parents tell us about their children’s experiences at summer camp? The Summer STEM Explorers Camp offers hands-on experiences for campers aged 5-9 on a variety of themes. Parent surveys provided input into what aspects of the curriculum, logistics, and overall camp experience worked well and where there are opportunities for improvement.
82%
Over the course of seven weeks in June and July, 372 campers enrolled in camps on topics such as Dinosaur Discoveries, STEM Sensations, Scientists at Play, and Maker Mania. At the end of each month, parents received invitations to complete online surveys about the camps in which their children were enrolled. Some questions invited parents to seek out their children’s input. In total, 270 invitations were sent and 57 responses were received for a response rate of 21%.
of parents and their campers rated their experience as
“Excellent” or “Outstanding”
SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS • The camps were very well-received and 84% of respondents were “very likely” or “likely” to enroll their children again next year. • Parents appreciated the staff, the daily communications, and how much their children enjoyed the camp experience. • Campers were engaged with the content and were excited to share what they learned. • Several parents emphasized the importance of receiving logistical information in a written format in addition to the video provided with registration; others indicated they would like to receive more photos.
“The camp was well organized and filled with fun activities. My kiddos were excited to go each morning and full of conversation at pickup each day, reporting what they did all day. The camp staff was very friendly and helpful. It was a great, positive experience!” Parent of July 2025 campers
HOW STRONGLY DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH EACH STATEMENT BELOW? Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Somewhat Disagree
Somewhat Agree
Agree
Strongly Agree
Mean Rating (out of 6)
2%
My child was excited to attend camp each day
4% 7%
32%
56%
5.3
2%
14%
My child learned new things at camp
35%
49%
5.3
2%
I felt like this camp is a unique experience for my child
11%
30%
57%
5.4
16%
23%
59%
5.4
2%
I felt like the camp(s) were a productive experience for my child 16
THANK YOU! Through all of our evaluation studies, we collected over 2,350 points of data from our audiences in 2025! Thank you to everyone who completed an exit survey, responded to an online survey request, or participated in an interview or focus group. We hope you gained some new insight with this look into our visitor studies work from 2025. These data help us better understand Science Center audiences, how they experience the Science Center, what they think about it, and what they want to see and do here in the future. Having this information helps ensure that the guest perspective informs our work as we continually seek to update and improve Science Center offerings.
Visitor completing the card sort activity for the St. Louis Innovation Gallery Front-End Evaluation
Thank you to the visitors who engage with exhibits in the galleries and special exhibitions, explore outer space in Planetarium Shows, watch films in the OMNIMAX® Theater, and join us for events. We hope your experiences have strengthened your connection to STEM content. Thank you to everyone who participates in Science Center programs both within our walls and out in the community. We appreciate being able to connect with you directly. Finally, thank you to all our supporters. You make it possible for us to fulfill our mission to inspire everyone to be curious and engaged in science.
Screen shot of the welcome screen for the feedback survey about Science Center Up Late
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