Planetariums have a long history of providing astronomy education to a diverse range of visitors. The astronomy educators (planetarians) are key players and central to understanding various aspects of visitor/student satisfaction, motivation for astronomy and learning. It is thus important to get an overview of who they are and how they operate. Schultz and Slater (2020) conducted a survey to answer this question, but their work was geographically limited. In this project we conducted a global survey with the aim to provide a detailed overview of diverse profiles of the planetarium operators, the content they present, the ways in which they interact with the audience and how they grow in their profession.
An extensive online survey was developed, checked for validity and distributed through various national and international networks. The survey was also translated into twelve languages to make it accessible to individuals who may not be confident in English. A mixed-methods approach to the analysis allowed for the exploration of the various layers and correlations between different constructs in the survey, which included educational background, the amount and role of interactions during presentations, astronomy content, professional growth, and many others. This talk will provide an overview of the results from this Global Planetarian Demographic Survey which reached over 300 planetarians representing 46 countries (every continent except for Antarctica).
