Demographic biases in engagement with nature in a tropical Asian city
dc.contributor.author
Richards, Daniel R.
dc.contributor.author
Fung, Tze Kwan
dc.contributor.author
Leong, Rachel A. T.
dc.contributor.author
Sachidhanandam, Uma
dc.contributor.author
Drillet, Zuzana
dc.contributor.author
Edwards, Peter J.
dc.date.accessioned
2020-05-06T07:20:40Z
dc.date.available
2020-05-06T02:49:03Z
dc.date.available
2020-05-06T07:20:40Z
dc.date.issued
2020
dc.identifier.issn
1932-6203
dc.identifier.other
10.1371/journal.pone.0231576
en_US
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/413240
dc.identifier.doi
10.3929/ethz-b-000413240
dc.description.abstract
Urban residents can benefit from spending time in outdoor spaces and engaging with nature-related activities. Such engagement can improve health and well-being, support community cohesion, and improve environmentally-friendly behaviours. However, engagement with nature may not be equal amongst different members of society. We investigated individual variation in engagement with nature in Singapore, a high-density city in tropical Southeast Asia. Through a survey of 1000 residents, we analysed relationships between demographic factors such as age, income, and sex, and the frequency of visitation to different ecosystem types, and the frequency of engagement with different nature-related activities. Parks and neighbourhood open spaces were among the most commonly-visited outdoor spaces, with nature reserves and other natural areas being visited less frequently. Common activities included sitting outdoors, art and photography, and running, while hiking and nature recreation were less frequent. In contrast with previous studies, we found relatively small differences among different groups of the population in their preferred types of outdoor activities. Older people, those with lower incomes, and without degrees were less likely to visit most types of outdoor space and engage with most types of nature-related activities. In the case of nature reserves, the distance from the visitor’s home had a significantly negative influence on the frequency of visitation. These findings demonstrate that the benefits of engagement with nature are not equally enjoyed by all demographic groups, and that some groups lack engagement across the board. Strategies to increase nature engagement in tropical cities could include increasing the local availability and accessibility of different types of outdoor space, and education and public outreach programmes to encourage participation.
en_US
dc.format
application/pdf
en_US
dc.language.iso
en
en_US
dc.publisher
PLOS
dc.rights.uri
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.title
Demographic biases in engagement with nature in a tropical Asian city
en_US
dc.type
Journal Article
dc.rights.license
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
dc.date.published
2020-04-27
ethz.journal.title
PLoS ONE
ethz.journal.volume
15
en_US
ethz.journal.issue
4
en_US
ethz.journal.abbreviated
PLoS ONE
ethz.pages.start
e0231576
en_US
ethz.size
17 p.
en_US
ethz.version.deposit
publishedVersion
en_US
ethz.identifier.scopus
ethz.publication.place
San Francisco, CA
ethz.publication.status
published
en_US
ethz.date.deposited
2020-05-06T02:49:06Z
ethz.source
SCOPUS
ethz.eth
yes
en_US
ethz.availability
Open access
en_US
ethz.rosetta.installDate
2020-05-06T07:20:59Z
ethz.rosetta.lastUpdated
2021-02-15T10:51:56Z
ethz.rosetta.exportRequired
true
ethz.rosetta.versionExported
true
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