ONE of the first published studies to examine how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted people’s relationship with nature finds that the people of Vermont have significantly increased the time they spend outdoors.
During a time when their leaders are encouraging them to stay at home and maintain physical distance, many people are returning to nature.
Researchers from the University of Vermont collected data from online surveys taken by over 3,200 Vermonters between May 3 and May 19, 2020 — a time when Governor Phil Scott had placed restrictions on businesses and social gatherings to lessen the impact of Covid-19 on the state.
Stay informed with live updates on the current Covid-19 outbreak and visit our coronavirus hub for more advice on prevention and treatment.
The researchers also asked the respondents how they thought being outside benefited them.
Nearly 60% of the participants experienced improved mental health and well-being after being outdoors, while 29% said they go outside for exercise.
Other things the participants valued about outdoor time included appreciating nature’s beauty (29%) and feeling a connection to something bigger than themselves (22%).
Dr. Rachelle Gould, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, says:
“These data are like a treasure chest of the pandemic moment: a record of how people have been thinking about their relationship with the rest of the world in a time of great upheaval.”
Female respondents, who made up 63% of the participants, reported increased gardening, hiking, relaxing outdoors socially, relaxing alone outdoors, walking, and wildlife watching.
The fact that women reported increased activity across the six most common nature activities caught the researchers’ attention. They question whether women may be experiencing increased professional and household responsibilities during the pandemic and whether that makes them more likely than men to seek time outdoors as a stress reliever.
“More research is needed, but our preliminary analysis suggests that, during the pandemic, women are more likely than men to report increased importance of values that include mental well-being, beauty, exercise, familiarity with landscape, and fun,” says Dr. Gould.
“Our next step is to analyze the qualitative data to explore this result more fully,” she says.
