Wellbeing Case Studies 'Places of Joy': The Role of Heritage After Lockdown
This collaboration between University of Southampton, University of Cambridge and University of Surrey, supported by Historic England and The Heritage Alliance investigated how heritage appears as a joyful space at a time of national crisis. It aimed to understand understand the specific characteristics of heritage sites that contribute to wellbeing and resilience.
Context
As lockdown was gradually released in Summer and Autumn 2020, people used heritage locations as places of reunion, sociality and escape, but also potentially to satisfy deeper psychological and socio-cultural needs.
A collaboration between researchers at University of Southampton, University of Cambridge and University of Surrey, and supported by Historic England and The Heritage Alliance 'Places of Joy: The Role of Heritage After Lockdown' investigated whether and why heritage appears as a joyful space at a time of national crisis, and thus to understand the specific characteristics of heritage sites that contribute to wellbeing and resilience.
What the research covered
The research uses this unique period following the release of the initial lockdown, when access to heritage was regained after a period of deprivation, to explore the potentials of heritage by examining:
- What motivates people to visit heritage spaces after lockdown? What needs do access to heritage spaces satisfy?
- The role of heritage in wellbeing and how heritage might be used to develop future resilience? If heritage is fulfilling needs developed during lockdown, what are the qualities of heritage spaces that may enhance wellbeing and what could be the role of heritage in wellbeing going forward, including developing resilience should there be further spikes in COVID-19?
- Whether visits to heritage locations at a time of heightened emotion are creating new forms of emotional resonance and perceptions of heritage. What impacts have these visits had on people and how does this affect their attitudes and visits to heritage sites going forward?
The research was co-designed with the heritage sector in England and was carried out at a series of different kinds of heritage sites, including both free and pay-to-enter. It took a longitudinal approach, tracing responses to heritage from June–October 2020.
The research used this unique period following the release of the initial lockdown, when access to heritage was regained after a period of deprivation, to explore the potentials of heritage by examining what motivates people to visit heritage spaces after lockdown, what is the role of heritage in wellbeing and how heritage might be used to develop future resilience.
Results
- The results show that single visits to heritage sites have clear subjective wellbeing effects in increasing happiness and reducing anxiety.
- The research demonstrates that heritage sites fulfil a broad range of uses and important societal functions far beyond aesthetic appreciation, learning about history, or visiting collections and exhibitions. This insight offers heritage providers opportunities to reach new audiences who might otherwise assume that visits to sites are not for them.