People's preference for natural versus built environments is well documented in the literature. Most of the related research, however, focuses on adults. Children's environmental preferences are less well understood. This study sought to determine if children's environmental preferences match those of adults and if their environmental preferences are stable or change over time. This study also sought to determine what factors might relate to individual differences and the development of environmental preferences in children and whether their environmental preferences relate to any observed cognitive/social/emotional benefits of nature.
Over 200 children (age 4-11) participated in this study by ranking pictures of urban and natural environments based on their individual preferences. Their parents or guardians, in addition to completing the same ranking exercise, also completed the Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire, an assessment tool focusing on children's emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/ inattention, peer relationship problems, and pro-social behaviors. The parents/guardians also provided standard demographic information about their child and family and about their child's play and play environments at home and at school or daycare. This information, along with data from the National Land Cover Database, was used to calculate the amount of natural features in the environments where the children lived and played. While more than 90 of the children were from Chicago and other parts of Illinois, the rest were from other states and other English-speaking countries.
Results of the children's ranking exercise showed that they had “robust urban preferences, counter to adult preferences.” Yet, while the children selected urban-themed images much more frequently than the adults, children on the older end of the 4-11 age group selected nature-themed pictures more often than younger children. In fact, as children got older, their environmental preferences tended to be more similar to their parents'. This research also showed that nature near children's homes or schools was not related to their preferences and did not predict preference for nature. Additionally, findings showed “a significant correlation between having greater nearby nature in children's home and school environments and reduced child inattentiveness and hyperactivity.” The fact that these effects were not related to children's environmental preference indicates that children need not prefer natural environments to experience the benefits from exposure to natural environments.
This research suggests that nature preference is learned through experience rather than being the result of evolutionary history. It calls into question the idea that nature preference is innate or genetically programmed. Exposing children to natural experiences early in life may thus play a critical role in helping them develop an appreciation for nature later in life.
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