Do people want to learn from the past?

We commissioned a public attitude survey so we could better understand what people think, if anything, about David Hume, the Scottish Enlightenment and if they were interested in learning from history.

The survey revealed that more than one in two (56%) people in Scotland have not heard of the Scottish Enlightenment or Scotland’s most famous philosopher, David Hume.

The survey, also found that:

• 7 in 10 (72%) people said they were interested in history and wanted to learn more

• 6 in 10 (58%) people said they specifically wanted to know more about the legacy of historic figures.

Less than one in five respondents thought the past was not relevant to how we live our lives today.

Director of the David Hume Institute, Susan Murray, said,

“People in Scotland want to understand more about their past and how it influences their lives today. The question we have asked since the start is why did Hume write the footnote, and what did it cause? We had to find out what influenced Hume to write the footnote and seek answers to questions like “did Hume know any black people?”

“Asking these questions and being open about not knowing the answers, listening and learning has taken us on a fascinating journey. Talking openly about this, including with young people, encouraged deep thinking and learning for all of us.”

We published the data in June 2025. Read the press release here.

You can listen below to more from Susan as she discusses this new research on Scotland’s relationship with the past, and what that might mean for the future.