David Dawson
Senior ICT Adviser
Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries
Fifth Floor, 19-29 Woburn Place London WC1H 0LU 
email: [log in to unmask]  tel: 020 7273 8757 (direct line)
www.resource.gov.uk                             www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Mike Heyworth [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent:	Tuesday, September 26, 2000 12:40 PM
> To:	[log in to unmask]
> Subject:	MORI poll reveals overwhelming support for the historic
> environme nt
> 
> 
> English Heritage news release (26/9/00):
> 
> MORI POLL REVEALS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT
> 
> Almost everyone feels that the historic environment plays an
> important role in the life of the country. Above all people think
> that the historic environment is vital to educate children and
> adults about England's past. The great majority of people
> believe that public funds should be used to preserve historic
> buildings. 
> 
> Three-quarters agree that it is important to preserve the best
> modern buildings as well as the old. 51% of the population
> visited a historic attraction last year compared with 50%
> visiting the cinema and 17% attending a football match. More
> than half say they are as interested in learning about other
> people's cultures as their own. 
> 
> These are some of the findings of a MORI survey Attitudes to
> the Heritage published today (Tuesday 26th September)
> which reveals for the first time what "heritage" means to all
> sectors of society. 
> 
> It includes the first ever national survey of the attitudes of
> black and Asian communities to England's heritage and will be
> used by English Heritage to define the action needed, from
> the Government and heritage bodies amongst others, to make
> the historic environment more relevant and accessible to more
> people, and to identify priorities for future policies to preserve
> and enhance these valuable and vulnerable assets. 
> 
> The research was commissioned by English Heritage as part of
> a comprehensive review of government policies for the historic
> environment. This report, which English Heritage has been
> asked to lead on behalf of the entire historic environment
> sector, will be presented to the Government at the end of
> November. 
> 
> The review covers every aspect of the historic environment
> from castles, monuments, stately homes and archaeological
> sites to the inner cities, market towns and rural villages in
> which we live, the buildings in which we work, our parks and
> gardens and countryside. 
> 
> The review provides an unprecedented opportunity to focus
> on attitudes toward heritage policy, to stimulate national
> debate about the importance of the environment to quality of
> life and, as a result, to create an integrated approach to
> managing the historic environment for the next century. 
> 
> Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said: "We are
> delighted by the overwhelming support for the historic
> environment that this research reveals. There is a strong
> feeling, perhaps a moral obligation people feel, that heritage
> should be preserved to be passed on to future generations. 
> 
> "Most encouraging was to discover that, above all, people
> think the heritage is important to education. 96% see it as a
> means of providing both children and adults with an
> understanding of their history and identity. This has serious
> implications for the way England's history and geography are
> taught in the national curriculum and for the access and
> information provided by ourselves and other heritage bodies -
> not just about nationally important attractions but also about
> our everyday built environment. 
> 
> "The challenge for us in drawing up the Historic Environment
> Review is to reflect this overwhelming support and interest in
> visionary and practical proposals for future policy." 
> 
> Key points to emerge from the MORI survey are: 
> 
> 98% think the heritage is important to educate children
> about the past and that all schoolchildren should be
> given the opportunity to find out about England's
> heritage; 
> 96% think the heritage is important to educate adults
> about the past; 
> 95% think heritage is important for providing places to
> visit and thing to see and do, for encouraging tourists
> to visit, (93%), and for creating jobs and boosting the
> economy, (88%); 
> 88% agree that it is right that there should be public
> funding to preserve the heritage; 
> 76% disagree that we already preserve too much; 
> 76% agree that their lives are enriched by the heritage;
> and 
> 46% think that Black and 45% think that Asian heritage
> is not adequately represented. 
> 
> For some people, particularly from ethnic minority groups,
> England's country houses and ancient monuments mean little.
> They want more to be done to make England's historic
> environment accessible to them through information, more
> inclusive interpretation and education. It emerged from the
> poll that everyone has a very personal view of what
> represents their heritage, and that most people value both
> nationally important attractions and key elements of their own
> localities. 
> 
> Only 2% said they had no interest in the heritage whatsoever.
> The 14% who had not visited any historic sites in the last
> year cited lack of time and interest and feeling unwelcome.
> The research pointed up a need to raise awareness of the role
> of local streets and buildings as well as nationally important
> buildings and monuments in creating a high quality
> environment and promoting economic and social regeneration
> in towns and cities and in the countryside. 
> 
> The poll indicates that the nation's assumed traditional dislike
> of modern architecture no longer exists. Most people
> disagreed with the statement that anything after 1950 does
> not count as heritage and felt it important to preserve modern
> buildings for future generations. Support for modern
> architecture has undergone an astonishing 10 percentage
> points rise to 76% since an English Heritage/MORI poll on this
> subject three years ago. 
> 
> Today's poll shows that 51% of the population have made
> special trips to historic palaces, houses, gardens, castles and
> monuments in the last year. The figure rises to 58% if
> museums are included. 
> 
> Professor Robert Worcester, Chairman of MORI, said: "While
> the nation cares passionately for its heritage, 'the heritage'
> as it is currently perceived seems to lack relevance to a
> significant minority of the public, particularly those in ethnic
> minority groups. It also faces keen competition from other
> leisure interests which have multiplied as a result of the
> beneficence of the Lottery. I am delighted that the Report on
> the Historic Environment to be published in November will
> advocate ways in which the heritage can become more
> relevant, more useful, more accessible and provide a good
> quality experience for all." 
> 
> The research was conducted in May-June 2000 and involved
> four distinct approaches: 
> 
> * omnibus survey research among residents in England; 
> * a face to face quantitative survey of residents in
> England; 
> * a series of three focus groups, among specifically
> invited audiences drawn from ethnic minority groups; 
> * analysis of data contained in MORI's Socioconsult
> Monitor. 


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