Multidimensional scaling of spectators' motivations to attend a film festival

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to examine spectators' motivations to attend a film festival in the context of demographic characteristics. For this purpose, data were collected utilizing a self-administered questionnaire from the 742 audience members who attended the film screenings during the 18th International Eskisehir Film Festival. A structured survey instrument was used for the data collection utilizing multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis to examine the differences and similarities of the demographic variables in terms of motivations. Findings suggested that International Eskisehir Film Festival participants were mostly young, single, high school graduates and visited the festival with their friends. Motivational factors were grouped under four dimensions, namely novelty, socialization, escape, and togetherness. While motivations of young female participants were found to be high, relatively older, and married people only showed a high motivation for togetherness. The results provide useful information to those responsible for cultural policies and the management of similar events.