The results show that a record 3.12 billion visits were made to the natural environment in England between March 2014 and February 2015, up from 2.93 billion visits made during the previous year. The survey also revealed that 59% (25million) of the population made at least one visit to the natural environment per week, again up from 42% from the previous year.
Dog walking was the most popular reason given for engaging with the natural environment, with 48% of visits to the outdoors being for this purpose. A further 45% said they visited the outdoors for health and exercise, while around 29% said they ventured outdoors to relax and unwind.
More than 8 out of 10 people also agreed that being outdoors contributed to their health and wellbeing by making them feel ‘calm and relaxed’ or ‘refreshed and revitalised’. It was also revealed that 97% also either strongly agreed or agreed that they enjoyed being in the great outdoors.
These results come days after the Sport and Recreation Alliance, alongside Outdoor England, called for a national outdoor recreation strategy to reflect both the popularity of the outdoors amongst members of the public and as a way of improving people’s health.
The latest MENE results can be found here.
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To mark the Alliance’s 90th anniversary, we are launching the Community Sport and Recreation Awards: Youth Edition 2025, which will celebrate the next generation of young leaders from across the sector.
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As 2024 concludes and as we look ahead to 2025, the Alliance has published a message to members and partners.
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