Official Statistics

The People and Nature Survey for England: Adult Data Y1Q1 (April - June 2020) (Experimental Statistics)

Updated 24 September 2021

Applies to England

1. Main findings

The People and Nature Survey for England, led by Natural England, is one of the main sources of data on how people experience and think about the environment. The first full data-set containing results for all survey questions collected between April and June 2020 is available alongside this report.

To accompany the release of the data-set, Natural England has conducted analysis of some of the survey questions. To enable timely release of the data, not all of the questions have been fully analysed and we welcome collaboration, sharing of analysis, and feedback from users of the data via the User Hub.

  • During April to June some adults in England were getting outside more often than usual with 40% of adults reporting that they had spent more time outside since the coronavirus restrictions began and 31% were exercising more in outdoor spaces. Over these three months, 58% of the adult population had visited a natural space in last 14 days (although there was month-to-month variation with visits increasing as lockdown restrictions eased - as shown in the monthly releases).
  • In comparison, some adults were not getting outside very often (if at all) with one in three (35%) not visiting a natural space in the last 14 days and one in five adults (21%) not having visited in the last month. The number of people visiting natural spaces this spring is lower than would be expected considering long-term trends identified by the MENE survey.
  • Socio-economic status is related to access to natural spaces – you are less likely to have visited a natural space in last 14 days if you are living in an area of high deprivation, have a low income, have a low level of education, or are not working.
  • Older people, people from minority ethnic groups, those with a long-term illness or condition, and those without children are less likely to have visited a natural space in the last 14 days.
  • There are also regional differences, with 64% of adults who live in the North East visiting in last 14 days (highest) compared to 52% who live in the West Midlands (lowest).
  • There is some evidence that COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in access to natural space. When we compare respondents’ own estimates of how often they visit natural spaces on average over 12 months and how often they actually visited this spring, we find larger differences for low income groups, for those with lower levels of education, and for those living in the most deprived areas.
  • Between April and June, of those who had not visited a natural space in the last 14 days, “staying at home to stop coronavirus spreading / Government restrictions” was the most cited reason (67% of responses). Key worries and concerns for those not getting outside were: contracting or spreading coronavirus, anti-social behaviour, and lack of facilities.
  • In total, 85% of adults reported that being in nature makes them happy and this was consistent across different population groups. Those who had visited a natural space in the last 7 days reported being happier than those who hadn’t.
  • The main reasons people visited natural spaces were for fresh air, physical and mental health, and to connect with wildlife/nature.
  • With so many people not getting out into public natural spaces during COVID-19, private gardens were, for some, their main access to nature. However, nearly three times as many (16%) adults living in poverty don’t have access to any shared or private outdoor space, compared to only 6% of adults living in households with an income above £50,000 a year.
  • Environmental issues were ranked as the third most important issue facing the United Kingdom during April to June, behind ‘health / NHS/ Coronavirus’ and the economy, but above ‘EU/Europe’ and unemployment. The large majority of adults in England (86%) reported that protection of the environment is important to them.
  • Plastic pollution, climate change, and ‘the decline or extinction of animal and plant life’ were the 3 environmental issues of the most concern to English adults. Nearly three quarters (73%) were concerned about the consequences of a loss of variety of plant and animal life in England.
  • Over April to June, the majority of the public reported some environmental behaviour change. Over two thirds (69%) of adults reduced the amount they drove or travelled by car this spring and 38% reduced their food waste.

2. Other pages in this release

The People and Nature Survey for England, led by Natural England, is one of the main sources of data and statistics on how people experience and think about the environment. It began collecting data via an online panel (adults aged 16 years and older) in April 2020, and runs continuously, in line with Government Statistical Service guidance on data collection during the COVID-19 crisis. The People and Nature Survey tells us about how COVID-19 is impacting people’s experience of natural spaces, how this is associated with physical and mental health, as well as how people’s attitudes to nature and behaviours are changing at this time. Data and insights from the People and Nature Survey will provide important evidence to support COVID-19 response and recovery.

The experimental statistics in this publication are based on a survey of 6,249 adult respondents conducted online continuously between 1st April and 30th June 2020 (inclusive). Throughout this bulletin, “this period” and “spring” refers to this period.

The People and Nature Survey was developed with stakeholders and covers a range of issues across 165 questions (including screening questions). The full questionnaire is available and we have prioritised early release of the full quarterly data-set to enable wide use of the data. The full data-set for spring 2020 has been published alongside this report.

An accompanying technical report with methodological details is also available.

To accompany the data-set we have conducted new analysis for key survey questions reflecting a wide range of issues, with analysis priorities informed by stakeholder feedback and previous findings from the MENE survey. These are descriptive statistics (we have not controlled for other variables) and have been published alongside this report.

Statements regarding how we collect data for, analyse, and report on specific sub-groups within the population are provided on the methods and limitations page.

We welcome collaboration, sharing of analysis, and feedback from users of the data via the User Hub.

For enquiries regarding commissioning bespoke analysis please contact people_and_nature@naturalengland.org.uk.

Monthly releases for a sub-set of indicators for April to July 2020 are available (including temporal trends).

The People and Nature Survey builds on and replaces the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey that ran from 2009 to 2019 and was designated as a National Statistic. While the People and Nature Survey has similar objectives to MENE, the move to an online panel method for data collection is a noteworthy change in methodology (MENE used face-to-face methods).

Further information about the People and Nature Survey for England (including information on methods, strengths and limitations, and Experimental Statistics status) can be found on our GOV.UK collection page.

Data for this survey were collected between 1st April and 30th June 2020. Results from this survey therefore cover a period where coronavirus restrictions were changing and some restrictions remained. The latest advice on accessing green spaces safely has been summurized. Current policy decisions in relation to coronavirus have been tracked by The Health Foundation.

Natural spaces are defined in this survey as green and blue spaces in towns and cities (e.g. parks, canals); the countryside (e.g. farmland, woodland, hills and rivers); the coast (e.g. beaches, cliffs) and activities in the open sea; visits of any duration (including short trips to the park, dog walking etc.). They do not include: gardens; outside spaces visited as part of someone’s employment; spaces outside the UK.

Additional questions are asked about private gardens.

Subsequent reporting of quarterly data will be able to determine changes and trends in the types of natural space used and equality of access to those spaces as the COVID-19 restrictions change over time.

3. Experimental statistics

All initial releases from the People and Nature survey will be released as Experimental Statistics. This status highlights to users that these Official Statistics are in the National Statistics testing phase and that Natural England is still working on further developing the methodologies used in their production whilst ensuring adherence to the Code of Practice for Statistics.

There may be differences between the results presented here and the finalised results presented in future releases. In particular, we are developing a new weighting approach for this survey and in the interim are using the weighting approach from the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) survey. The MENE survey was a long running survey with similar coverage and content to People and Nature but differs in that it was conducted face-to-face as opposed to through an online panel method.

4. Visits to natural spaces during spring 2020

Between April and June 2020, over half (58%) of the adult population of England had visited a natural space in the last 14 days, but over a third (35%) had not visited at all (7% didn’t know or preferred not to say). To explore how this changed over the three months visit the June monthly release report.

Forty percent of adults had spent more time than usual outside since coronavirus restrictions were introduced. Half of these respondents (47%) wished to continue spending more time outside, women were more likely to want to continue doing so than men. Thirty one percent of adults said they had exercised more in the outdoors since the pandemic and around a third of these said that they would like to continue doing so (34%).

When asked about the last 7 days, nearly half (48%) of adults had made a visit to a natural space. Although not directly comparable, the MENE survey found that the percentage of people making a visit in the last 7 days increased gradually from 49% in 2009-10 to 55% in 2018-19. The People and Nature Survey suggests, that despite 40% of adults stating that they were spending more time than usual outside, spring 2020 has not followed this upward trend.

As lockdown conditions evolved there were month-to-month changes at a population level as shown in the People and Nature Monthly Indicators. To understand demographic trends, the monthly data has been pooled to better understand who is getting out into nature and why some people report getting out more often than usual and others are staying at home.

4.1 Who isn’t getting outside?

The survey provides evidence that socio-economic factors play a role in who is visiting natural spaces: adults who have a lower income, lower education levels, who are unemployed, and those living in the most deprived areas are likely to be making fewer visits.

Education: Adults with higher educational attainment are more likely to visit a natural space: 66% of adults with a university degree (or above) made a visit in the last 14 days, compared to 57% of adults with any other qualifications (e.g. A Levels, O Levels, GCSEs, BTEC, Diplomas, Trade Apprenticeships), and compared to 37% of adults with no qualifications.

Income: There is a positive relationship between income and visits; as you earn more you are more likely to get outside in nature (Figure 1). For example, 44% of respondents living in households earning £15,000 or less (below the poverty line) visited a natural space in the last 14 days, compared to 70% of respondents living in households earning £50,000 or above[footnote 1].

Figure 1: Proportion of adults in England (weighted percentage) making visits to green and natural spaces versus income. There is a positive relationship between income and visits - those earning more were more likely to have made a visit to a natural space in the last 14 days; and vice versa.

Total annual household income before tax

Figure notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: how many times, if at all, did you make this type of visit to green and natural spaces?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 5,612 respondents.

Employment: Working adults[footnote 2] are more likely to have made a visit to a natural space in the last 14 days (64%) than those not in work (49%). Note that those not in work includes those unemployed, long-term sick/disabled, looking after children/house/other caring responsibilities, and retired.

Index of Multiple Deprivation: Adults living in areas ranked as least deprived (represented as ‘10’ in Figure 2) are more likely to have visited a natural space in the last 14 days compared to those in areas ranked as most deprived (‘1’ in Figure 2). In the least deprived areas in England[footnote 3] 68% of adults had taken a visit to a natural space in the last 14 days, compared to 45% in the most deprived 10% of areas.

Figure 2: Proportion of adults in England (weighted percentage) making visits to green and natural spaces versus deprivation. Adults living in areas ranked as least deprived (represented as ‘10’) are more likely to have visited a natural space in the last 14 days compared to those in areas ranked as most deprived (‘1’).

Index of multiple deprivation decile

Figure notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: how many times, if at all, did you make this type of visit to green and natural spaces?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 4,607 respondents.

When respondents were asked to estimate how often on average, in the last 12 months, they had spent free time outside in natural spaces, 66% of adults living in the most deprived areas estimated that they visited at least once a week on average, compared to 80% of adults living in the least deprived areas. A similar trend was reported in the MENE survey data when respondents were asked to estimate how often on average they spent time in natural spaces over a 12 month period.

There are also other factors which play a role in who visits natural spaces.

Having a long-term illness or condition makes it less likely that people will visit natural spaces.

  • 47% of adults with a long-term (12+ months) illness or condition had taken a visit in last 14 days, compared to 62% without a long-term illness or condition.
  • 29% of those living with long term illness or condition have not visited a natural space in the last month, compared to 18% of those without a long-term illness or condition.

Adults with children living in their household were more likely to visit a natural space.

  • 56% of those without children took a visit to a natural space in the last 14 days, compared to 65% of those with children.
  • 24% of those without children had not visited in last month, compared to 15% of those with children.

Adults from ethnic minority groups were less likely to visit a natural space.

  • 51% of adults from ethnic minority groups took a visit in the last 14 days, compared to 60% of White British adults.
  • There may be differences in visit rates between individual ethnic minority groups, but the sample sizes at this stage are too small to robustly interpret any variation between these groups. We plan to look in more detail in future releases, when we have larger sample sizes. Please refer to our methods and limitations page for more details.

Older adults were less likely to visit natural spaces.

  • 51% of adults aged 65+ had taken a visit in the last 14 days, compared to 62% of 16-39 year olds (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Proportion of adults in England (weighted percentage) making visits to green and natural spaces versus age. Older adults are less likely to make a visit to natural spaces than younger people. Fifty one percent of adults aged 65+ had taken a visit in the last 14 days, compared to 62% of 16-39 year olds.

Age group

Figure notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: how many times, if at all, did you make this type of visit to green and natural spaces?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 5,638 respondents.

Different regions have different visit rates

  • In the North East 66% of adults had visited a natural space in the last 14 days - the highest proportion of all the regions. The West Midlands had the lowest proportion of adults visiting a natural space in the last 14 days at 52% (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Proportion of adults in England (weighted percentage) making visits to green and natural spaces versus region. In the South East 64% of adults had visited a natural space in the last 14 days - the highest proportion of all the regions. The West Midlands had the lowest proportion of adults visiting a natural space in the last 14 days at 52%.

Proportion of adults in English regions spending time in nature in a 14 day period (Spring 2020)

Figure notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: how many times, if at all, did you make this type of visit to green and natural spaces?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 5,638 respondents.

4.2 What types of natural spaces did people visit?

Table 1: Proportion of adults in England (weighted percentage) taking visits to different green and natural spaces between April and June 2020.

Types of place visited Percentage Confidence interval (%)
Urban greenspace (such as a park, field or playground) 45.3 1.4
Fields / farmland / countryside 28.4 1.2
Woodland / forest 27.4 1.2
River / lake / canal 24.3 1.2
Beach / other coastline / sea 16.9 1.0
Nature / wildlife reserve 13.6 0.9
Grounds of a historic property or country park 10.6 0.8
Hill / mountain / moorland 8.4 0.7
Allotment or community garden 6.7 0.7
No visits in the last month 26.1 1.1

Table notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: which of the following type(s) of green and natural spaces have you visited during the last month?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 6,033 respondents.
(3) This is a multi-select question so percentages will not total 100%.

4.3 What benefits do people derive from visiting natural spaces?

The People and Nature Survey explores a wide range of potential mental and physical health benefits from spending time in nature. These will be more fully explored in future releases. In spring 2020, 48% of adults who had visited a natural space in the last 7 days had also recorded a high happiness score (a score of between 7 and 10 in answer to the question “How happy were you feeling yesterday?” where 0 is “Not at all” and 10 is “Completely”), whereas only 32% of adults who hadn’t visited in the last 7 days recorded a high happiness score.

4.4 Why do people visit natural spaces?

Respondents who had taken a visit to a natural space within the last 14 days were asked about the main reasons (Table 2).

Table 2: The main reason(s) for spending free time outdoors in the last 14 days (April - June 2020) by proportion of adults in England.

Reason for visit Percentage Confidence interval (%)
To get fresh air 64.3 3.2
For physical health and exercise 63.4 3.2
For mental health and well being 45.0 3.3
To connect to nature / watch wildlife 21.0 2.8
To walk a dog 18.9 2.5
To get a break from TV / other electronic devices 13.5 2.3
To help someone else get outside 4.8 1.6
To look after children / other family members 4.3 1.4
To take a lunch break / break from work 4.3 1.4
For other reasons (specify) 3.9 1.3
To learn something new / challenge myself / explore a new place 2.0 1.0
Because I was advised to spend time outdoors by GP or other health professional 1.8 0.9

Table notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: What was the main reason for taking this visit?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 972 respondents.
(3) Respondents could choose up to three responses so percentages will not total 100%.

A similar question was asked in the MENE survey (“Q12: Which of the following, if any, best describe your reasons for this visit?” and respondents were able to select as many reasons as they liked). Although not directly comparable, it is notable that both ‘health and exercise’ and ‘connection to nature / wildlife watching’ have become relatively more important in 2020.

4.5 What barriers stop people from visiting natural spaces?

Of those adults who hadn’t visited a natural space in the last 14 days the survey asked about why this was.

The main barrier to spending free time outdoors was ”Staying at home to stop coronavirus spreading / Government restrictions” (67% of responses). It is worth noting that while there were variable restrictions throughout spring 2020 people were advised to get out once a day for health and wellbeing reasons.

When combined, being too busy (at work, home, or with family commitments) accounted for 15% of responses and poor health/wellbeing (physical health or illness and poor mental health and wellbeing) accounted for 15% of responses.

Adults not spending time outside in the last 14 days were also asked about their worries and concerns (Table 3).

Table 3: The main worries / concerns for not spending free time outdoors in the last 14 days (April - June 2020) by proportion of adults in England.

Concerns / worries Percentage Confidence interval (%)
Contracting or spreading coronavirus 51.9 2.1
Anti-social behaviour 20.4 1.7
Lack of facilities (toilets, benches, baby changing etc) 18.6 1.7
Other people that may be there 16.7 1.6
Visiting after dark 15.7 1.6
Fear of crime (including physical and/or verbal abuse, theft, damage to car etc) 13.2 1.5
Being on my own / isolated 9.5 1.3
Poorly maintained sites 8.0 1.1
Fear of dogs 6.6 1.0
Poor lighting / lack of street lighting 6.3 1.0
Fear of encountering prejudice from other people 4.7 0.9
Getting lost 4.1 0.8
Hurting myself 3.4 0.7
Traffic 3.4 0.7
No concerns or worries 22.1 1.7

Table notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: Thinking about visiting green and natural spaces, are you concerned or worried by:
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 2,359 respondents.
(3) This is a multi-select question so percentages will not total 100%.

“Contracting or spreading coronavirus” was the top concern (52%), especially for older people (e.g. 59% of 65+ compared to 42% of 16-24 year olds). There was no indication of a difference in levels of concern between White British and ethnic minority groups (50% vs 52%).

Worry or concern about anti-social behaviour was the second highest (20%), followed by “lack of facilities” (19%), “other people who may be there” (17%), and “visiting after dark” (16%).

When asked about reasons preventing respondents from spending time outside since coronavirus restrictions were introduced, over a third (39%) of respondents (who had not visited a natural space in the last 14 days) said that they were concerned about over-crowding and not being able to keep their distance from people. Just over a third (34%) of respondents were worried about breaking current coronavirus restrictions. A fifth (20%) would not be able to use the facilities they need.

Over a quarter (26%) of respondents who had not visited a natural space in the last 14 days were not leaving home at all.

People and Nature Survey data from April to June indicates that COVID-19 has exacerbated existing trends in inequality of access to natural space. Concern or worry about contracting or spreading COVID-19[footnote 4] was the main barrier to people visiting natural spaces over this spring (see section above). When estimates of how often respondents visit natural spaces on average over 12 months were compared with how often they reported actually visiting this spring, the results showed a larger difference for low income groups than for high income groups. For example, 65% of those in households with the lowest income reported that they visit a natural space at least once a week on average but over this spring only 35% of those respondents made a visit in the last 7 days (a 30 percentage point difference). Whereas, 81% of those earning £50,000 or more reported that they visit a natural space at least once a week on average and 58% made a visit within the last 7 days (a 23 percentage point difference) (Table 4).

This holds for education level as well: 59% of those with no qualifications reported that they visit a natural space at least once a week on average over 12 months, but 28% made a visit in the last 7 days this spring (a 31 percentage point difference). Whereas, 80% of adults with a degree (or above) report that they visit a natural space at least once a week on average over 12 months, and 55% made a visit in the last 7 days this spring (a 25 percentage point difference).

Considering the Index of Multiple Deprivation scores: 65% of those in the most deprived areas reported that they visit a natural space at least once a week on average over 12 months, but 35% made a visit in the last 7 days this spring (a 30 percentage point difference). Whereas, 81% of adults living in the least deprived areas reported that they visit a natural space at least once a week on average over 12 months, and 60% made a visit in the last 7 days this spring (a 21 percentage point difference).

Table 4: Difference in average frequency of visits over the last 12 months compared to actual visits for spring 2020 for proportions of adults in England.

Group Average time spent in natural spaces over 12 months: at least once a week Time actually spent in natural spaces spring 2020: a visit in the last 7 days Percentage point difference
Lowest income 65% 35% 30
Highest income 81% 58% 23
No qualifications 59% 28% 31
Degree or above 80% 55% 25
Most deprived areas 65% 35% 30
Least deprived areas 81% 60% 21

Table notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: In the last 12 months, how often, on average have you spent free time outside in green and natural spaces?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).

This suggests that the visit habits of people on lower incomes, with lower levels of education, and living in more deprived areas have been disrupted in a negative way by COVID-19.

During the same period, other groups have reported their habits being disrupted in a positive way e.g. that they are getting outside more. For example, 45% of adults living in households earning above £50,000 a year reported spending more time outside since coronavirus, compared to 29% of adults living in poverty.

5. Are people feeling connected to Nature during COVID-19?

  • 85% of adults report that being in nature makes them happy and this is consistent across the population.
  • 74% of adults have taken more time to notice and engage with everyday nature (e.g. listening to birdsong, noticing butterflies). Those living in poverty are less likely to be noticing nature more (65%) compared to those not in poverty (74%). More women (77%) than men (69%) are noticing nature more. There is also a regional difference, with 78% of people in both the South West and North East noticing nature more compared to 71% of those in the North West.
  • 63% of adults ‘feel part of nature’. Those with a degree or higher qualification are more likely to feel part of nature (68%) than those without (56%). Adults living below the poverty line are less likely to feel part of nature (57%) than those in higher income brackets (e.g. 67% of those in households with an income of £30,000–39,999).

6. What has the role of gardens been during COVID-19?

With so many people not getting out into public natural spaces during COVID-19, private gardens were, for some, their main access to nature. But who has access to a private garden?

  • Seventy five percent of the total adult population have access to a private garden, 25% do not.
  • This figure drops to 61% of adults from ethnic minority groups (compared to 77% of White British adults).
  • Sixty six percent of adults living in poverty have access to a private garden, compared to 77% of adults with an income of £50,000 or above.
  • Eight percent of adults don’t have access to any shared or private outdoor space. Twice as many adults from ethnic minority groups don’t have access to any shared or private outdoor space, compared to White British adults (14% vs 7%). However, because 8% of total respondents reported no access (relatively small respondent pool), any differences between population groups should be interpreted with caution.

6.1 What have people been doing in their garden?

  • Forty two percent of adults with a garden spent time in it every day between April and June, 91% once a week or more.
  • Older people (65+) were more likely to spend time in their garden every day (53%) compared to younger adults (16-24, 32%).

6.2 Other benefits of spending time in the garden

  • Of those adults who have access to a garden, 88% believe it is important or very important to them.
  • Eighty seven percent of women with a garden believe that spending time in it is good for their mental health, compared to 78% of men.
  • Seventy one percent of respondents with a garden felt closer to nature through spending time in it, with more women (75%) agreeing with this statement than men (66%).

7. Have people’s environmental behaviours altered during COVID-19?

During spring 2020, 69% of adults have reduced the amount they drive or travel by car. A higher proportion of older people have reduced car travel compared to younger adults (e.g. 82% of 65+ and 59% of 25-39 year olds). There are also regional differences, with a higher proportion of adults living in the South West and South East reducing car travel (76%), compared to those living in Greater London (58%), although car ownership in London is lower than for these other areas and lower than the average for the UK[footnote 5].

Thirty eight percent of adults have reduced the amount of food they throw away. Those with children are more likely than those without children to have reduced food waste (47% with children vs 35% of those without).

Fifteen percent of adults have reduced the amount of meat they eat. There are some regional differences, with 19% of adults living in Greater London eating less meat, compared to 13% of adults in the South West.

8. Have people’s environmental attitudes altered during COVID-19?

Environmental issues were ranked as the third most important issue facing the United Kingdom between April and June, ranking above issues such as unemployment, the EU/Europe, the cost of living, and immigration (Table 5).

Younger adults were more likely than older people to rank environmental issues within the top three most important (e.g. 29% of 16-24 year olds vs 20% of 65+).

Table 5: The most important issues facing the United Kingdom at the moment by proportion of adults in England.

Issues Percentage Confidence interval (%)
Health / NHS / Coronavirus 71.2 2.7
Economy 36.6 2.9
The environment / climate change 20.4 2.4
Unemployment 17.0 2.3
EU / Europe 14.3 2.2
Government debt 14.3 2.1
Rising prices / inflation / cost of living 13.8 2.1
Crime 13.3 2.1
Lack of faith in politics / politicians / government 12.6 1.9
Immigration 12.4 2.0
Inequality / poverty 12.1 1.9
The education system / schools 11.0 1.9
Housing 8.2 1.7
Defence / terrorism 6.2 1.4
Taxation 2.7 1.0
Pensions 2.7 1.0

Table notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: What do you think are the most important issues facing the United Kingdom at the moment?
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 1,181 respondents.
(3) Respondents could choose up to three responses so percentages will not total 100%.
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Eighty six percent of respondents said that protecting the environment was important to them personally and 85% are concerned about damage to the natural environment. Seventy six percent believe there will be less variety of animal and plant life in the next 50 years and 73% are concerned about the consequences of a loss of variety of life in England.

Eighty seven percent agreed that “The businesses or individuals who create pollution or cause environmental damage should be responsible for repairing the damage they cause”.

Respondents were also asked about the four environmental issues they are most concerned about with all adults in England reported concern about at least one (Table 6).

Table 6: Environmental issues of most concern by proportion of adults in England.

Concerns Percentage
Plastic pollution 53.2
Climate change 45.0
Decline or extinction of animal and plant life 38.3
Pollution of the sea 37.6
Building on green and natural spaces 37.5
Air pollution 35.6
Growing amount of waste 35.8
Pollution of rivers, lakes and ground water 24.5
Frequent droughts or floods 18.7
Shortage of drinking water 12.6
Agricultural pollution (use of pesticides, fertilisers, soil degradation) 10.8
Noise pollution 8.9
Other (specify) 2.1
None of these 0.0

Table notes Source: The People and Nature Survey: Below is a list of environmental issues. Please pick the four issues that you are most concerned about
(1) Data collected in the period April 1st to June 30th (inclusive).
(2) The sample for this question was 1,181 respondents.
(3) Respondents could choose up to three responses so percentages will not total 100%.

9. Citing this release and accompanying data

If you refer to this release or any of its findings please use the following citation details:

Natural England, 2020, The People and Nature Survey for England: Key findings for the period April to June 2020 (Experimental Statistics). https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-people-and-nature-survey-for-england-adult-data-y1q1-april-june-2020-experimental-statistics

We’d appreciate if any reference on social media included the #PeopleandNature hashtag and the @NEChiefSci link.

If you utilise the accompanying dataset for your own analysis, please use the following citation.

Natural England, 2020, People and Nature Survey Dataset for April to June 2020. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-people-and-nature-survey-for-england-adult-data-y1q1-april-june-2020-experimental-statistics ISBN: 978-1-78354-675-6

Should you wish to explore co-authorship of any publications please contact people_and_nature@naturalengland.org.uk

10. Methodological note

Information about the survey’s methodology is available on the methods and limitations page. Further details can be found in the associated technical report.

11. Strengths and limitations

Information about the survey’s strengths and limitations is available on the methods and limitations page. Further details can be found in the associated technical report.

12. Glossary

Natural spaces are defined in this survey as green and blue spaces in towns and cities (e.g. parks, canals); the countryside (e.g. farmland, woodland, hills and rivers); the coast (e.g. beaches, cliffs) and activities in the open sea; visits of any duration (including short trips to the park, dog walking etc.). They do not include: gardens; outside spaces visited as part of someone’s employment; spaces outside the UK.

Nature connectedness: a measurable psychological construct that describes a person’s relationship with the natural world. It includes aspects related to a person’s affective (emotional) and cognitive relationship to nature and their sense of place in nature. The 6 Nature Connection Index scale items are:

  • I always find beauty in nature
  • I always treat nature with respect
  • Being in nature makes me very happy
  • Spending time in nature is very important to me
  • I find being in nature really amazing
  • I feel part of nature

Percentage point: A percentage point is the difference between percentages. A value of 10% falling by 1 percentage point becomes 9% (10% has 10 percentage points). A fall of 1% would result in a value of 9.9%. Definition from https://style.ons.gov.uk/house-style/percentages/

Poverty line/living in poverty: Based on guidance from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) we have calculated relative poverty (relative low income - households which have less than 60% of contemporary median income before housing costs) as £14,803 for this financial year. The lowest income bracket reported on for the People and Nature Survey is £0-14,999 and this is a good approximation of income below the relative poverty line.

13. Contact

Natural England welcomes feedback on these monthly indicators, questions and suggestions for analysis for future releases. Please contact the team by email: people_and_nature@naturalengland.org.uk

If you would like to receive further information on the survey, including data releases, publications and survey changes, then visit our User Hub and sign up to the mailing list at the bottom of the page (best viewed in Google Chrome). After signing up, if you do not receive a confirmation email please check your ‘Junk’ or ‘Spam’ folder.

The Senior Responsible Officer for this publication is Dr Rose O’Neill.

14. Pre-release access

Pre-release access was not sought for this release

Coronavirus – guidance on accessing green spaces safely: Latest government guidance on using green spaces and protecting yourself and others.

Natural England operational update: Coronavirus Information on how Natural England is facing the challenges posed by Coronavirus.

People and Nature questionnaire: Includes link to People and Nature Survey questions.

People and Nature Survey information: Further information on the People and Nature Survey for England.

People and Nature Technical Report: The technical report provides details of the development of the People and Nature Survey and the methods used – this includes: survey development, sampling, fieldwork and weighting.

People and Nature User Hub: This page provides information about the People and Nature survey and a number of resources which are available for you to access and use.

Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment: Further information on the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE) Survey (predecessor to the People and Nature Survey).

Office for National Statistics ‘Coronavirus and the social impacts on Great Britain Statistical bulletins’: Series of survey reports by the Office for National Statistics on the social impacts of coronavirus in Great Britain.

Office for National Statistics analysis of access to greenspace during coronavirus: Office for National Statistics report on access to greenspace, including gardens, during coronavirus (uses MENE data).

A summary report on nature connectedness among adults and children in England: Includes analyses of relationships with wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours (uses MENE data).

Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer public places - urban centres and green spaces: Guidance for the owners and operators of urban centres and green spaces to help social distancing.

The Countryside Code: Statutory guidance on respecting, protecting and enjoying the outdoors.

  1. Sample sizes for the higher income brackets are small, so we have grouped those earning £50,000 or above together. 

  2. This period includes time when the Government’s COVID-19 furlough scheme was in operation. The survey did not ask about whether respondents were on furlough. 

  3. ‘Small areas’ = Lower Super Output Areas 

  4. This was one response option 

  5. 55% of households in London have at least one car compared to 85% in the South West, 84% in the South East, and 78% of households in the UK overall (2018/19) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts99-travel-by-region-and-area-type-of-residence#driving-licence-and-car-ownership Accessed 17.09.20