The line graph illustrates the proportions of people who visited a museum at least once a year in four age groups between 1980 and 2010.
Overall, the youngest group experienced a fluctuating trend, with its figure rising before returning to its initial level, while the two middle age groups followed broadly similar patterns. By contrast, the oldest group saw an overall decline, despite consistently recording the highest figures, whereas the youngest group had the lowest throughout.
In 1980, approximately 38% of people in the 25-to-34 group visited a museum at least once a year. This figure then fell to around 30% in 1990, before recovering to approximately 40% in 1995, where it remained until 2005, followed by a slight decline to about 37% in 2010. A similar pattern was observed among those aged 35 to 49, albeit at generally lower levels. Starting at roughly 37%, the proportion decreased to just under 30% in 1990, before rising to around 37% in 1995 and remaining relatively stable until 2000. It then declined to approximately 35% by the end of the period.
Starting at just 20% in 1980, the youngest age group saw a steady increase over the following decade, reaching 26% in 1990. The figure then settled at approximately 25% for the next 15 years, before dropping to around 21% in 2010. A contrasting pattern can be observed in the oldest group, whose proportion was highest among the four age groups throughout the period. After peaking at just under 50% in 1985, the figure decline almost continually, ending the period at approximately 41%.