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Bad weather and lack of public transport among barriers keeping people from nature last Summer
WHILE MANY PEOPLE took time to enjoy the great outdoors last Summer, bad weather and a lack of reliable public transport were the biggest barriers to spending time in nature.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) today published its findings on how the Irish public spent last summer.
Some 3,916 were surveyed on how they spent time in nature during June, July, and August last year.
Only 3% of those surveyed didn't spend any time in nature last summer, but close to a quarter cited bad weather as a barrier to being in nature.
Where we go and why
Of the over-whelming majority who spend time in nature last summer, 60% did so for physical health and exercise, 59% did so to get some fresh air, while 55% took to the great outdoors to benefit their mental health.
Close to 90% of people reported feeling happier after spending time in nature, with 82% reporting tha they felt less stressed or anxious.
CSO infographic on how people spent last summer
CSO
CSO
Meanwhile, some 86% of those surveyed went to an urban greenspace at least once last summer, while close to half (47%) visited more than once a week.
Elsewhere, 80% visited a beach or wetlands at least once, with 17% made a trip to such locations more than once a week.
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Meanwhile, 70% made a visit to a forest at least once last summer and 11% did so more than once a week, and 66% made at least one trip to a river or canal, with 16% visiting more than once a week.
Same-day and overnight visits
And when looking at same-day visits to nature, walking was the most popular activity (80%), followed by appreciating the scenery (40%), and eating or drinking out (28%).
When it comes to overnight trips, more than half (55%) of those surveyed took at least one overnight trip within Ireland last Summer, with 28% doing so mainly to spend time in nature.
Based on the survey data, the CSO said a total of 6.1 million nights spent away from home in Ireland could be attributed to trips where one of the main purposes was to spend time in nature.
The seaside was the most popular destination for these overnight trips (64%), followed by forests and woodlands.
Barriers to being in nature
Meanwhile, bad weather was reported as a barrier to spending time in nature by 24% of people surveyed, 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%.
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 years 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 years.
People living in rural areas meanwhile were more likely to cite a lack of safe footpaths as a barrier to spending more time in nature (21%) compared to those in urban areas (8%).
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