A new report from Historic England presented at the Wellbeing and Heritage conference at Delapré Abbey, Northampton on 20 March has revealed that the heritage boost to wellbeing is valued of £29bn in the UK each year. 

The research entitled Heritage Capital and Wellbeing: Examining the Relationship Between Heritage Density and Life Satisfaction, was funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) through its Culture and Heritage Capital Programme (CHC) and demonstrates that the presence of nearby historic places benefits residents’ quality of life – in a similar way that green spaces do. This report is one of a series of research projects Historic England is delivering as part of the CHC programme.

Findings from the report demonstrate that: "there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between the density of heritage assets near one’s residence and self-reported life satisfaction. A doubling of the density of heritage assets within a 1km radius is associated with a 0.025 rise in life satisfaction scores. This analysis robustly demonstrates that living in close proximity to historic assets holds a modest yet meaningful link to wellbeing.

The research employs a non-market methodology that explores the relationship between individual life satisfaction using data from the Understanding Society Survey, and levels of heritage density using data from the National List for England (NHLE). Heritage density is measured as the concentration of designated heritage assets within a 1km radius around a population-weighted centroid. Designated heritage is a proxy of the existing cultural heritage of a place. The final sample used in the analysis covers 25,111 individuals across 10,396 Lower Super Output Areas in England from 2017-2019. A cross-sectional regression model is used to examine the statistical relationship between life satisfaction and cultural heritage density. The relationship evidenced is between the existence of cultural heritage and life satisfaction, not between designation and life satisfaction."

Exploring the findings, the report shows: "that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between the density of heritage assets near one’s residence and self-reported life satisfaction. A doubling of the density of heritage assets within a 1km radius is associated with a 0.025 rise in life satisfaction scores. This analysis robustly demonstrates that living in close proximity to historic assets holds a modest yet meaningful link to wellbeing."

The monetary value was determined following the HM Treasury Green Book guidance on wellbeing using the WELLBY approach (Wellbeing-adjusted Life Year) and "is defined as a change in life satisfaction of 1 point on a scale of 0 to 10, affecting one person for one year. The analysis shows that a 1 unit increase in heritage density is associated with an increase in life satisfaction that is equivalent to £15.84. On average across England, individual life satisfaction gains from proximity to heritage are valued at approximately £515. This figure indicates the positive wellbeing value that living near cultural heritage assets provides. At the national level, the overall wellbeing value of residing in close proximity to heritage is estimated to be worth £29 billion per annum in England. These findings can also be disaggregated by Local Authority area and by Constituency to demonstrate the wellbeing benefits of access and proximity to local heritage."

To read the report in its entirety, visit Historic England's website or download here.