Participation, Visits and Membership
Part of the Heritage Counts series. 4 minute read.
The Heritage Indicators of the 'Participation, Visits and Membership' theme track key indicators of the public's engagement with the historic environment.
This is done through time-series figures from leading heritage sector organisations and national datasets, including the Participation Survey from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Annual Visitor Attractions Survey produced by BDRC.
The Participation Survey (DCMS)
What is the Participation Survey?
The Participation Survey is a continuous web-based survey of adults aged 16 and over in England. The survey began in October 2021 and superseded the Taking Part Survey, which ended in 2020/21 when the COVID-19 pandemic made face-to-face fieldwork impossible.
The Participation Survey is an Official Statistic that provides representative national estimates of adults' in-person and digital engagement with heritage. The data can't be compared to the Taking Part Survey, and it is too early to analyse trends in this dataset. Nevertheless, the results provide valuable insights into engagement with heritage.
According to the Participation Survey, 67.5% of adults visited a heritage site in 2022/23.
- 31% of adults visited a historic building open to the public (non-religious). This is more than those who have "watched any live sporting events in person" at 22% and/or attended a play, drama, musical, Pantomime, Ballet, Opera (30%) in 2022/23
- 'No reason in particular' was the most common reason adults did not visit heritage sites in 2022/23
Figure PAR 6.1 – The top 3 types of heritage visits (% of total responses), 2022/23
Source: DCMS Participation Survey, 2022/23
Figure PAR 6.2 – The 5 main reasons for not visiting heritage sites (% of responses), 2022/23
Source: DCMS Participation Survey, 2022/23
Engagement with heritage varies by socio-demographic characteristics
- 78.5% of respondents living in the least deprived areas, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), had engaged with heritage in the last year, compared to 50.7% of those living in the most deprived areas
- 59.6% of respondents identify as Asian/Asian British; 65.7% of respondents identify as Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups engaged with heritage
The Taking Part Survey that preceded the Participation Survey showed a changing heritage participation gap by disability, ethnicity and socio-economic characteristics, with:
- 64% of people with limiting illness or disabilities engaging with heritage in 2005/06 compared to 71% in 2019/20
- 51% of adults identify as Black and Ethnic Minority groups engaging with heritage in 2005/06 compared to 57% in 2019/20
- 57% of adults from lower socio-economic groups engaged with heritage in 2005/06 compared to 61% in 2019/20
Although the Participation Survey results cannot be directly compared with those of Taking Part, the Heritage Indicators will continue to monitor the sector's efforts to engage a wider audience.
Figure PAR 6.3 – Percentage of people attending heritage sites by different demographics, 2022/23
Figure note: Use the dropdown menu or left/right arrows to access each graph.
Source: DCMS Participation Survey, 2022/23
Annual Visitor Attractions Survey
What is the Annual Visitor Attractions Survey?
Each year, Historic England and Visit England commission a survey of visitor attractions in England. Because different attractions respond to the survey every year, the results are presented as percentage change relative to a baseline of 100, established in 1989 for corresponding responses. The results are broken down by attraction type and by region since 2000. In 2022, 670 sites responded to the survey, reporting a total of 63.2 million visits.
- All types of historic visitor attractions saw a healthy increase in visitor numbers between 2020 and 2022, except places of worship, which show numbers below the 1989 baseline
Figure PAR 6.4a – Visits to different attraction types between 1989 and 2022
Figure note: Click on the legend to filter or highlight different data sets.
Source: BVA BDRC
Figure PAR 6.4b – Regional changes in visitor numbers between 2000 and 2022
Figure note: Click the legend to filter for regions.
Source: BVA BDRC
Post-COVID recovery
- In 2019, the number of visits to historic attractions peaked: a 56% increase since 1989 nationally
- In 2020, total visitor numbers fell dramatically, with 38% fewer visits to historic attractions compared to the 1989 survey start year. These results evidenced the impact of the pandemic and public health measures
- In 2022, there is evidence of recovery, with the total number of visits now 20% higher than 1989 levels. This represents a significant increase over 2020 but is still below 2019 peak visitor numbers. Historic visitor attractions have yet to recover from the pandemic fully, but progress is underway
- Visits to gardens remain at the highest percentage of visitor numbers, 140% higher than the 1989 baseline, but visits have yet to meet their 2019 figures
- Visitor attractions in the 'places of worship' category are the only category of historic attractions that experienced declining visitor numbers over the past 3 decades compared to their 1989 baseline. Although impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, they have recovered to pre-pandemic levels (80% of the visits recorded in the 1989 baseline)
Regionally, the post-pandemic recovery shows an uneven pattern:
- In 2020, all regions experienced a sharp decline in visitor numbers to heritage attractions
- While most regions did not surpass 2019 visitor numbers in 2022, there was an overall recovery compared to 2020
- 7 out of 9 regions recorded higher visitor numbers in 2022 than the 2000 baseline
Membership of national historic environment organisations
Between 2001 and 2020, membership to large historic environment organisations grew consistently before falling significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when public health restrictions affected the public's ability and readiness to take part in heritage. With restrictions lifted, membership figures have recovered, with English Heritage and the Historic Houses Associations' total memberships exceeding the pre-pandemic totals.
Figure PAR 6.5a – Membership changes at 3 heritage organisations (%), 2007/8 to 2022/23
Source: English Heritage, National Trust, Historic Houses Association
Figure PAR 6.5b – Total membership numbers of 3 heritage organisations, 2007/08 compared with 2022/23
Figure note: Click the legend to highlight different data sets.
Source: English Heritage, National Trust, Historic Houses Association
Dataset
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Participation, Visits and Membership
ODS spreadsheet of the raw data.
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