Heritage Outreach, Fossils, Dinosaurs and Sites: How Locals’ Perception Changes After 10 Years of Actions in Historic Urban Villages (Cuenca, Spain)

Abstract

AbstractCuenca, a small city with a rich historical and palaeontological heritage, is the ideal location to explore how the scientific knowledge of its inhabitants has changed over the years. In 2010 and 2019, two surveys were conducted on the streets of Cuenca to characterise their scientific profiles and how they perceive heritage outreach initiatives in palaeontology (i.e. visits and non-formal education in museums, research dissemination and mass media). For the present study, 320 responses were analysed through multivariate techniques (multiple correspondence analysis or MCA), using simple binary states and multiple nominal states. The results showed a significant disparity in the age demographic category: on the one hand, young people (< 18 years old) retained more scientific information linked to educational activities than older people in 2010; on the other hand, older Cuenca natives (> 55 and 35–55 years old) were the most informed and influenced by outreach and media in 2019, some of them even forming a particular group of palaeontology and dinosaur enthusiasts, herein named ‘paleo-geeks’. In general, it was found that the majority of answers were congruent within the same year and corresponded with the sociocultural changes that Cuenca had experienced, from a rural to a more urban and diverse culture. Lastly, it was concluded that heritage outreach initiatives do influence the scientific profiles of Cuenca’s inhabitants.