Gen Z put off visiting historic houses by transport challenges and cost

Transport issues and costs are major barriers for young people who want to access historic houses, according to new report. 

Keeping History Alive: Understanding the Barriers to Gen Z Engagement with Heritage was published by Historic Houses, an association that supports independently owned historic houses, castles and gardens across the UK. Gen Z covers those born between 1997 and 2012.

The report is based on an online questionnaire and focus groups with young people that explored attitudes to heritage sites including pricing, transport, social media engagement and the use of collections. 

The research showed that the top barrier to accessing heritage sites was getting there, with 73% identifying this as a factor, including the associated costs. High entry fees a major barrier, with 58% citing this as their reason for not visiting.

Of those surveyed, 47% said that they were willing to pay up to £10 for entry, with 27% willing to pay up to £15.

The report said: “Many of our respondents felt that even though they’re a demographic without much disposable income, not enough is done by heritage sites to attract them through ticket price reductions.

“Respondents highlighted that if they are paying a higher entry fee, they want to feel like they’re getting value for money — i.e. a full day out. Several suggested that a well-marketed ‘young’ (16-25) or ‘student’ concession would be something that would actively encourage them to visit.”

The research showed that Gen Z prefers to disconnect and have a technology-free interaction with heritage sites. An overwhelming majority of participants said they disliked digital interpretation, citing a desire to turn off from technology while visiting.

The report also found that special events and workshops are excellent ways to encourage visits.

Many participants also felt that historic house websites were primarily aimed at administrative and practical information, with little or no information to sell or market the property and its history to potential visitors. The report said that “investing in a better website experience would be a simple way to improve visibility and accessibility”.

The research also asked about “contested histories” at historic houses. The report said: “There was a widespread belief that heritage sites should directly engage with their links to histories of empire and broader global histories, not least because there are interesting and important stories to tell. There was little sense of moral judgement of the past, but simply the ask that historic houses spend time researching these aspects of their history (if applicable) and present them to visitors accordingly.”

Beyond colonial history, participants also cited interest in seeing gender, LGBTQ+and class histories issues being portrayed at historic houses.