This report presents the findings from a nationally representative survey of over 10,000 UK adults. It supported the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) with strategic planning for the 2019-2024 period.
The importance of heritage
The two most popular reasons why heritage matters to people are that:
- it helps them to learn from the past (62%)
- it preserves important things (61%)
The most engaged groups
The groups that are the most engaged in heritage are older people, ABC1s, those from a white ethnic background and women.
Notably, 45% of those aged 65 and over say heritage matters to a large/very large extent in comparison to just 14% of 16-24 year olds.
The most important aspects of heritage
The aspects of heritage with the highest levels of support are:
- museums/libraries/archives (83%)
- historic buildings/monuments (82%)
- land/natural heritage (81%)
Issues for heritage to address:
- environmental sustainability
- economic growth
- community development
- social inclusion