Socioeconomic factors influenced the frequency of green space visits before and during the COVID pandemicOne of the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is a change in access and use of green areas. The aim of this study was to identify the influence of the socioeconomic attributes of citizens and environmental contexts of their residential areas on the access and use of green spaces in Japan.
An online survey was used to collect data for the study. The survey asked participants to provide (a) demographic information (gender, age, annual household income, number of children in the household) (b) environmental contexts (zip code, urban/rural area), and (c) status of access and use of green areas during the pandemic. One question asked specifically if the frequency of visits to green areas was higher compared with the same period in the previous year (prior to the pandemic). The online survey period was after the official COVID-19 emergency in Japan. The total number of respondents was 1244, with slightly more males than females. Age or respondents ranged from 20 to over 60, with more respondents in the older versus younger groups.
Respondents from higher household incomes tended to visit green areas more than other respondents. Respondents whose households had one or more children also tended to visit green areas more compared to respondents without any children. Females tended to visit green areas more than males. Parks were visited by relatively younger respondents who lived in urban areas, while agricultural lands and gardens were visited by the older respondents who lived in rural areas or areas in between. Income level was not a major factor influencing motivation and action to visit the three individual types of green areas (parks, agricultural land, and gardens).
Overall results showed that socioeconomic factors influenced the frequency of visiting green areas, with household income being the major factor. Certain environmental factors (including the land use patterns in residential areas) also influenced the use of specific types of green areas. These results highlight the need to ”facilitate visits to green areas by reflecting the socioeconomic attributes of residents and their households, including income, number of children, gender, and age.” Special attention should be given to low-income residents who tend to have less access to green space.
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