Youth awareness of the historic environment: perception, values and attitudes in Iskilip

Historic environments play a crucial role in shaping youth awareness of cultural heritage by mediating how individuals perceive, interpret, and value the past within everyday life. This study examines youth awareness of the historic environment of Iskilip by focusing on the interrelated dimensions of perception, value attribution, and attitudes toward heritage conservation. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research combines metaphor analysis with descriptive assessments of heritage values and attitudes. Data were collected through a four-part questionnaire administered to students enrolled in associate degree programmes at Hitit University Iskilip Vocational School during the 2024–2025 academic year (n = 148). Metaphors elicited through open-ended prompts were analysed to capture perceptual and symbolic interpretations, while value and attitude statements were examined descriptively. The findings reveal a clear distinction between abstract understandings of cultural heritage and place-based perceptions of Iskilip. While cultural heritage is primarily conceptualised through symbolic references to identity and collective memory, perceptions of Iskilip are shaped by material presence, spatial familiarity, and lived experience. Value attribution and attitudes toward conservation develop in relation to these perceptual foundations, with greater emphasis on elements embedded in everyday spatial practices. The study demonstrates that youth awareness of historic environments is a relational and experiential process grounded in everyday encounters with place, highlighting place-based dimensions that extend beyond monument-centred contexts.