13 June 2012

Cultural heritage in the eyes of the young

Science Night Salzburg

The survey was conducted by Salzburg Research in the framework of the Science Night on 27 April 2012. 39 persons participated in the survey. The participants were in the age range of 15 to 18 years, with an almost equal participation of females and males. In terms of educational background most attended an upper secondary school (22) or university (9).

The survey asked students and teenagers in Salzburg about their perception of cultural heritage and produced some suprising results. In reply to the question of what they spontaneously associated with cultural heritage in Salzburg most respondents mentioned built heritage. The Dome of Salzburg (and churches in general), the Fortress Hohensalzburg and the historical city centre were mentioned the most. Surprisingly, however, the city centre’s UNESCO World Heritage status (which it was awarded in 1996) was hardly ever mentioned. When asked about their understanding of the concept of cultural heritage participants tended to give surprisingly comprehensive definitions. For instance, many participants highlighted the immaterial aspect of cultural heritage, i.e. traditions and customs or even languages. There was also a common understanding that cultural heritage is something that we need to preserve and pass on to future generations.

Finally, participants also had a broad understanding of how they wanted to be informed or learn about cultural heritage. While many cited new media and technologies (e.g. social media), many others mentioned traditional means of communication, such as going to museums, following tour guides or reading books.

Download main findings