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Indicator: NCH-23 Surveys of community awareness of heritage places and objects and their conservation

Data

A market research survey carried out in 2004 for the Department of the Environment and heritage found that overall, more than half of the Australian general public (54%) is interested in "finding out more about Australian heritage".

• One-in-five (21%) Australians are "extremely interested" in finding out more.
  • Thirty-one percent (31%) are neither interested nor uninterested.
  • Fifteen percent (15%) are uninterested, including seven percent (7%) who are "extremely uninterested".
• Interest in "natural" places, events and stories is highest amongst the general public in comparison with "cultural" and "Indigenous" places, events and stories, with 67% reporting interest in finding out more.
  • More than one-in-four (28%) of Australians are "extremely interested" in finding out more about natural places, events and stories.
  • Twenty-two percent (22%) are neither interested nor uninterested.
  • Ten percent (10%) are uninterested, including five percent (5%) who are "extremely uninterested".
• In comparison, 55% of the general public are interested in finding out more about cultural places, events and stories.
  • One-in-five (19%) Australians are "extremely interested" in finding out more about cultural places, events and stories.
  • Thirty percent (30%) are neither interested nor uninterested.
  • Fourteen percent (14%) are uninterested, including eight percent (8%) who are "extremely uninterested".
• Half of the Australian general public (50%) are interested in finding out more about Indigenous places, stories and events.
  • One-in-five (19%) Australians are "extremely interested" in finding out more about Indigenous places, events and stories.
  • Twenty-eight percent (28%) are neither interested nor uninterested.
  • One-in-five (22%) of the Australian general public are uninterested, including 12% who are "extremely uninterested".
• Approximately 13% of the general public indicate they are currently involved in heritage activities, defined as being active in protecting or conserving natural, Indigenous or cultural places in Australia.

Source: Colmar Brunton Social Research, Market research: Distinctively Australian, prepared for the Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2004

• Distinctively Australian, Market Research, Quantitative Findings (Word - 72 KB) 

What the data mean

While overall more than half of the Australian general public is interested in "finding out more about Australian heritage", approximately one fifth are not interested at all. The general public would appear to be more interested in finding out about events and stories associated with "natural" places, followed by cultural and Indigenous places.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

Natural and Cultural Heritage - Community awareness of heritage - Community awareness of heritage places and items and their conservation 

Surveys of interest in heritage are the only tool currently available for assessing public awareness of heritage issues, places and items.