The Importance of Knowing Our Ancestors in Shaping Identity
Do you know where you come from? A recent survey shows that an overwhelming majority of people (85%) are interested in their family's past. Yet, for many, that knowledge fades quickly. While over half of us know about our grandparents, only about one in ten can recount the lives of ancestors from four or five generations ago.What's more, the desire to be remembered is powerful. Over two-thirds of people feel it's important for future generations to know their family’s history and, crucially, to learn about their own personal lives as well. Your story is a vital part of their history—a legacy waiting to be written.
Knowing our ancestors plays a fundamental role in the formation and deeper experience of our identity. This is reflected in such basic cultural norms and traditions as the inheritance of surnames, the preservation of family heirlooms, and burial customs—practices that are nearly universal across different cultures. With advances in technology, the gateway to exploring our family past has opened wider than ever before.
Our research partner, Opinio Institute lda. recently conducted a country-wide representative survey in Hungary with a sample of 1300 respondents to asses how important people feel to know their family’s story, how much they do know about their ancestors, and how they personally perserve their own memories for future generations.
You can read their original publication about the results here in hungarian: https://europion.hu/felmenok/
Below we translated this article.
The overwhelming majority of Hungarians are interested in their family tree, and every tenth person reports knowing significant events in the lives of their ancestors up to 4–5 generations back. Many people discuss these topics with family members, and a significant number also enjoy browsing through old documents and photographs.
More than eight out of ten (85%) Hungarian respondents stated they are interested in learning about their family's history and the lives of their ancestors. This is a particularly high percentage and demonstrates that, despite globalization and rapid technological development pushing us toward the future, our curiosity and openness toward discovering our roots and past have not vanished—indeed, they may even have intensified.
The researchers found no significant differences in general interest based on age or gender. However, older individuals and women showed a somewhat stronger openness to learning about family history than younger people and men (very interested – women: 49%, age 60+: 51% vs. very interested – men: 35%, age 16–59: 34–41%). Chart I
Chart I - Interest
Almost two-thirds of respondents (69%) know the key events in their parents’ lives. Slightly fewer, but still a significant number (57%), are familiar with details about their grandparents. When it comes to great-grandparents, only 32% possess detailed knowledge. And just over one in ten Hungarians know about the lives of their ancestors going back four to five generations.
Beyond the fifth generation, the majority of Hungarians (65%) don’t even know the names of their relatives. Chart II
Chart II – Depth of knowledge
Only about 3–4% of people say they are not at all interested in their family history. While one-third of Hungarians are interested in the lives of their ancestors, they rarely talk about it with others. Meanwhile, 24% of respondents say they are proud of their families and enjoy sharing stories. Similar proportions exist among those who know something about their ancestry but are not particularly engaged, and those who have limited information but would like to know more.
Once again, women and people over 60—those generally more interested in the topic—were slightly more likely to proudly share stories about their families than men and younger individuals (proud and happy to share – women: 26%, age 60+: 33% vs. men: 21%, age 16–59: 17–23%).
The research also shows that this interest is paired with a sense of importance. Two-thirds of the population believe it's important for their children and grandchildren to know their family's history (76%) and to learn something about them personally as well (74%). Only 3% said they don’t find this important, while another 9% said they do not intend to have children. Chart III
Even more respondents (84%) believe it’s important to learn about the lives of their parents and grandparents. Chart VI-V
As with other results, gender and age differences are also present here. Women and those over 60 place greater importance on passing on the stories of both their own lives and their families’ lives to future generations than men. The knowledge of parents’ and grandparents’ lives is more valued by women than by men. Chart III-V
Chart III - The importance of passing on family history
Chart IV - The importance of passing on oneself’s own life story
Chart V - The importance of knowing the lives of parents and grandparents
Digitizing family photos and documents (51%), as well as understanding one’s place of origin and roots (50%), are considered important by every second Hungarian when it comes to preserving family history. Passing on family traditions and customs is seen as essential by nearly half (41%) of the population to ensure the legacy of their micro-communities isn't lost. Again, women place more value on this than men (women: 45% vs. men: 36%).
While many people also use modern tools to collect information about their family (online searches: 23%, DNA tests: 5%), storytelling and verbal transmission remain the primary sources of knowledge (talking to family members: 65%). Visual and written sources like official documents and photos are also commonly used (50%).
We tend to preserve our own memories in visual formats as well: 65% of Hungarians create photo albums, and 41% document their lives through videos. Artistic creation as a visual form of self-expression, however, is used for memory preservation by only 7% of people. Less than one in ten keep a diary.
Taking photos and videos—at a casual, everyday level—is easily accessible to most people with a smartphone in their pocket. It only takes a few clicks. In contrast, writing or creating art requires time and deeper engagement.
A relatively high proportion (16%) stated they do not record the events of their lives in any form. Chart VI
Chart VI – Ways of gathering information, and preferred medium for preserving onself’s own memories
Here at Clio we are also utilizing the latest technology. However, we strongly believe that giving you only names, geographical locations and numbers won’t do the job. We want you to have something more meaningful and personal than that.
Clio captures your stories / the stories of your beloved ones, that preserve your / their unique way of being, and which can be passed on through generations in a form of a personal memoir.
And now we are offering this for you free of charge. Why? Because we need to make sure that what we built is serving you well. For that, we are still testing some aspects of the service.
Be amongst the lucky few who can have their written memoir without paying a single penny and subscribe as an early applicant here.