Over three months in summer 2025, UK Heritage Pulse undertook ‘The Big Think’ — a sector-wide conversation shaped around three critical questions, one each month, and a new post updates on ‘How do we work together…’.
UK Heritage Pulse writes:
Key findings from the July 2025 research, exploring the final Big Question, ‘How do we work together, across the sector and with our communities, to ensure heritage remains relevant in people’s lives?’, show:
- More than nine-in-ten respondents believe sharing data, tools, and skills sector-wide should be the norm
- 90% believe their work is more relevant when co-created with their community
- Seven-in-ten respondents think the heritage sector must actively address inequality and exclusion in how stories are told.
Pulse Monitor
Taking the pulse of the people who care for our shared heritage:
- While the reported stress of panellists has decreased over the summer, fewer plan to stay at their current organisations for the next twelve months or beyond.
- Respondents are more confident facing organisational challenges and increasingly sure of their personal impact.
Survey Report (The Big Think)
In July, a total of 154 UK Heritage Pulse panel members responded to at least one question. This month we concluded The Big Think – a sector-wide conversation shaped around three critical questions, one each month. We asked respondents: How do we work together, across the sector and with our communities, to ensure heritage remains relevant in people’s lives?
As with the previous Big Questions, panel members answered by agreeing or disagreeing with a series of statements or sharing their own reflections. Subsequently, we posed the monthly ‘Pulse Monitor’ questions, which track the individual and organisational resilience of panel members. Respondents also had the opportunity to answer any previous Big Questions they had not yet completed. This was measured along a four-point scale and the full results are here.
Sector-wide collaboration and relevance
We asked panel members a series of thought-provoking yet contrasting statements, asking them which opinion they found more persuasive and the strength of their agreement.
Panel members believe the heritage sector must work more as a single ecosystem
Panel members believe that collaboration extends beyond the sector
Respondents believe that inclusivity and relevance are intertwined
Confidence when facing organisational challenges continues to grow
