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Bad weather was reported as a barrier to spending time in nature by 24% of people, while 20% indicated that a lack of reliable public transport was a barrier. The next highest barrier reported was a lack of safe footpaths, at 12% (See Figure 6.1, Table 6.1).
Younger people were far more likely to report bad weather as a barrier to spending time in nature, with 40% of those aged 16-29 citing bad weather as a barrier, compared with 8% of those aged 60-69. Younger people were also far more likely to report a lack of reliable public transport as a barrier, at 36%, compared with 11% of those aged 60-69. People living in rural areas were more likely to cite a lack of safe footpaths as a barrier to spending more time in nature (21%) than those in urban areas (8%) (See Table 6.1).
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| I do not feel there are any barriers to spending time in green and natural spaces | 50 |
| The weather is too bad | 24 |
| Public transport is not available or reliable | 20 |
| The footpaths near me are not safe to travel on/there are no footpaths near me | 12 |
| I prefer to spend my time in indoor settings | 7 |
| I do not feel safe in green and natural spaces near where I live | 6 |
| The green and natural spaces near me are privately owned and I cannot enter them | 6 |
| I find it difficult to spend time in green and natural spaces | 6 |
| The green and natural spaces near me are not clean due to litter or bad air or water quality | 5 |
| There are no green and natural spaces near where I live | 4 |
| It is too expensive to visit green and natural spaces | 3 |
| Green and natural spaces are too crowded | 2 |
In general, people agreed that their local green and natural spaces were within walking distance (74%), of a high enough standard to want to spend time in (72%), good places for children to play (68%), and places that encourage physical health and exercise (74%) (See Figure 6.2, Table 6.2, Table 6.3, Table 6.4, Table 6.5).
When asked if local green and natural spaces were within walking distance, those aged 16-29 had the lowest proportion of people in agreement, at 66%, while around 78% of those aged 50 and over agreed. People living in the Eastern and Midland region were more likely to agree (78%) than those in the other regions. Urban dwellers in general were more likely to agree, at 80%, than people living in rural areas, at 62% (See Table 6.2).
Older people were more likely to agree that their local green and natural spaces were of a high enough standard to want to spend time in, at 83% of those 70 and over and 80% of those aged 60-69. People living in the Northern and Western region were more likely to agree (76%) than those living in other regions, while rural dwellers were more likely to agree (76%) than people living in urban areas (70%) (See Table 6.3).
When asked if local green and natural spaces were good places for children to play, those aged 70 and over were most likely to agree (74%), and while 69% of urban dwellers agreed, just 65% of those living in rural areas agreed (See Table 6.4).
People in the 16-29 age group were least likely to agree that local green and natural spaces are places that encourage physical health and exercise, at 66%, while those aged 60 and over were most likely to agree (79%) (See Table 6.5).
| My local green spaces are | Not sure/don't know/prefer not to say | Strongly disagree | Disagree | Neither agree nor disagree | Agree | Strongly agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within walking distance | 0 | 4 | 15 | 6 | 39 | 35 |
| High enough standard to want to spend time in | 2 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 48 | 24 |
| Good places for children to play | 6 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 46 | 22 |
| Places that encourage physical health and activity | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 48 | 26 |
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