Studies investigating the relationship between childhood experiences with nature and adult connectedness to nature have focused primarily on adults engaged in environmental careers/activism. This design limits generalizability of the findings to the general public. Additionally, most of the previous studies used a qualitative rather than a quantitative design and did not examine the relative importance of sociodemographic factors. The current study expands the previous research by examining the association between the frequency of childhood play in green spaces and the frequency of nature-based activities among a broad sample of adults. The current study also used quantitative methods and examined the possible influence of sociodemographic factors.
Over 1000 adults living in an urban area in and around Tokyo completed a web-based questionnaire focusing on how often they played in natural areas as children and the frequency of their current involvement in nature-related recreational activities. The questionnaire also collected sociodemographic information about the respondents. People completing the survey were similar in most characteristics to those participating in other nationwide surveys. Adults completing the survey were between the age of 20 and 69, and represented an equal distribution of gender and age categories (young adults, middle age, etc.). The survey asked respondents to indicate the frequency of childhood play in four types of green space: parks, forests, farmlands, and rivers/ oceans. Respondents were also asked to indicate how often they currently engage in the following nature activities: bird watching, fishing, insect catching, gardening and hiking. They were also asked to share information about the frequency of their domestic and international nature-based tourism during the preceding two years.
Approximately two-thirds of the respondents played in parks frequently in their childhood. Many of them (36–40%) also reported playing in forests, farmlands and rivers/oceans on a frequent basis. Adults who played frequently in green spaces as children reported greater frequency of nature-based activities as adults. This association remained strong even after controlling for age, gender and income.
Other research as shown that people's involvement in nature-based recreational activities can be used to measure their interest in natural environments. This current research, then, suggests that providing experiences for children to play in urban green spaces would be one way to promote appreciation and conservation of the natural world.
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