Research from Future for Religious Heritage shows 81% of Europeans believe that religious heritage is key for the present and future of their community.
image for illustration: by Peter Badcock
Future for Religious Heritage writes:
….A new opinion poll shows that 81% of European citizens agree that the preservation of Europe’s historic places of worship is important for their community’s present and future. The opinion poll was commissioned by Future for Religious Heritage (FRH), the European network for the protection and promotion of historic places of worship that has been advocating for the appreciation of the cultural, historical and artistic value of religious sites for over a decade.
The poll was conducted by Savanta in October 2023 among 8,000 Europeans in France, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Respondents were also asked about other questions such as the place of religious heritage in their country’s cultural heritage, why it is important for their community and the possibility of extending the use of religious buildings beyond their religious function.
The poll shows that 77% of Europeans agree that religious heritage – the over 500,000 churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious buildings as well as their art, crafts and ceremonies – are integral part of their country’s cultural heritage.
For 86% of Europeans, religious heritage is a highly valued asset for their local community. The top two reasons were that these places are a key part of their local identity (50%) and an attractive element of their cultural landscape (36%).
