Cadw launches survey to determine value of Welsh castles

Heritage body Cadw is asking the public to put a value on Welsh castles, including how much they would be willing to pay to preserve them.

The survey focuses on Wales’ four “major” castles (Conwy, Caernarfon, Raglan and Caerphilly) as part of research into their social and cultural value.

Visitors are being asked to reflect on how the castles contribute to identity, wellbeing, and quality of life, before considering a hypothetical scenario involving an annual donation to support their upkeep.

Cadw launched the research survey on 1 April, managed by MHM and delivered in partnership with AMION Consulting.

Although Wales has 427 castles, Cadw currently manages 44 of these. The survey is only open to individuals who have visited one of the four “major” castles in the last three years.

The heritage organisation is carrying out a separate survey for people who have not visited the four castles, as well as another covering the non-Cadw castles.

After gathering responses on how much people value the castles from a visitor perspective, AMION will use the findings to calculate the value of other castles in Cadw’s portfolio.

Cadw explains: “We are interested in understanding the benefits people gain from visiting these castles and how important they are to individuals living in Wales.”

Responses will help inform research on the castle’s “social and wellbeing value”, though it is not yet known how the findings will be used to shape future visitor experiences.

Cadw stresses that “there are no right or wrong answers”, and all respondents to the ten-minute survey will have the option to enter into a prize-draw to win a Cadw membership.

Following questions such as ‘Which of the following castles are in Wales? Conwy, Edinburgh, or Windsor’, respondents are then asked to rank how much they agree or disagree with statements such as ‘Visiting castles in Wales makes me feel connected to Wales’s history and identity’, and ‘Welsh castles improve my quality of life.’ 

Part of the survey also includes information on the history of the castles, before asking respondents to ‘imagine a fictitious scenario’ wherein residents in Wales would be asked to make a voluntary donation each year to a trust charged with maintaining the castles.

If they answer yes, respondents are then asked how much they would contribute, and ‘How certain are you that you would actually pay this amount each year?’

Although the survey is anonymous, respondents need to input their postcode, as well as their email address to be entered into the prize draw.

The Cadw Castles Survey is available here.