Results of the “Heritage is Our Brand” survey published
A national survey conducted as part of the “Heritage is our brand” project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the EU Policy Forum and DMO Albania, has revealed that young Albanians are interested in and committed to intangible cultural heritage, yet face gaps in knowledge and access. The survey, which included over 1,000 young people (specifically 1,015) from all 12 regions of the country, aged 16 to 33, assessed their knowledge, perceptions, and commitment to preserving cultural traditions, including songs, dances, dialects, and crafts.
According to the results, 95% of them reflect commitment and interest in preserving and promoting this heritage. Some young people do not clearly distinguish between the definitions of intangible and tangible heritage, highlighting the need for broader education. Some respondents incorrectly identified archaeological sites as intangible heritage, indicating some confusion between the tangible and intangible domains.
Only 58.7% of respondents correctly identified all categories of intangible cultural heritage, while 41.3% provided incorrect definitions, indicating a need for broader awareness.
Most young people seek deeper integration of heritage into school curricula, but only a few of them participate in cultural activities within schools. Family and local events remain the primary sources of traditional transmission. The use of social media to highlight and learn about intangible heritage is growing, although platforms dedicated to this area are still little known.
The data shows that the vast majority of young people surveyed currently reside in Albania (92.3%), while 7.7% live abroad.
The majority of respondents live in Tirana with 57.9%, while the Southern region accounts for 24.3%, and the Northern region represents only 17.8%.
The results also show that songs, dances and dialects are the most popular forms, while handicrafts remain less well-known.
“Traditional songs and dances were chosen by 63.6% of respondents. This is followed by language or dialects (57.7%) and fairy tales and legends (50.9%). In comparison, less than half of respondents recognized rituals and customs (47.4%) and festivals and commemorative days (44.7%) as forms of intangible heritage, while handicraft knowledge was recognized by only 26.6%,” the questionnaire states.
Based on the findings, the report recommends increasing institutional efforts to integrate heritage into both formal and informal education, as well as strengthening the role of communities and youth organizations.
This study comes at a time when Albania is advancing towards integration into the European Union, emphasizing the importance of preserving intangible cultural heritage as a national and international asset.
Read the full results here
