Summer Solstice Visitor Research

Research Problem

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and holds a special significance to many. Stonehenge’s spiritual significance meant that approximately 12,000 people viewed the Summer Solstice there in 2016. English Heritage wished to understand the profile, motivations and visit experience opinions of visitors to the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge in order to inform communications and operational arrangements for future years.

Approach

Face-to-face on-site and CAPI interviews were taken with a representative sample of visitors to the Solstice event. These ran on site through the night from 8pm until 8am the following morning.

Outcomes

The research allowed English Heritage to get a better understanding of the needs of visitors. This allows them to plan better informed communications at more relevant times for future years. Another key set of findings was visitor satisfaction with facility provision on-site and how this could be improved in the future.