1. Mathew White (PhD) Lecturer in Risk & Health
The Great British Outdoors: Health & Well-Being from our Natural Environments
Mathew White (PhD) Lecturer in Risk & Health
British Destination Conference 4th July 2013.

2. Mean Willingness to Pay (per night) – 120 images
A thought experiment
Choosing a hotel room…
All 3 rooms are identical (2-3 star, size, furniture, en-suite) except for the view from the balcony. Price range £40-85. B A C
£60.81
£72.85
£47.96
Mean Willingness to Pay (per night) – 120 images
White, M.P., Smith, A., Humphryes, K., Pahl, S., Snelling, D. & Depledge, M. (2010) Blue space: The importance of water for preference, affect and restorativeness ratings of natural and built scenes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30,

3. How people feel Urban Rural Coastal 120 images controlling for content**
n.s.
*** *

4. Face-to-face interviews with 142,031 individuals (2009-2011).
MENE data
Natural England’s: Monitoring Engagement with the Natural Environment (MENE)
Face-to-face interviews with 142,031 individuals ( ).
56,777 (40%) people made ≥1 nature visit in last 7 days
1) Town or city (parks) = 43%;
2) Countryside = 43%
3) Seaside and coast = 13%
70% of visits were local (<5miles from home)

5. asked about experiences
MENE visit locations
MENE Subset (n = 4,255)
asked about experiences
Stress reduction: To what extent did they feel ‘x’ after the visit:
1) Relaxed
2) Calm
3) Refreshed
4) Revitalised
Controlled for Who (Age, gender, SES) & What (activities, duration, who with, distance travelled etc.)

6. Stress reduction in different natural environments
White, M.P., Pahl, S. Ashbullby, K.J., Herbert, S.& Depledge, M.H. (2013). Feelings of restoration from recent nature visits. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 35,

7. British Household Panel Survey (1991-2008)
Green Space & Mental Health
British Household Panel Survey ( )
(n > 12,000 for 18 years)
Mental Ill-health: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) “Compared to
usual how have you been feeling in the last few weeks”
e.g. “able to cope”, “stressed”. The higher the score, the
higher the mental distress.
Subjective well-being: Life Satisfaction (LS): “How dissatisfied or satisfied are you with your life overall?” with responses ranging
from 1 (Not satisfied at all) to 7 (Completely satisfied).
% of Greenspace: Near their home (4km2)
White, Alcock, Wheeler & Depledge (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? Psychological Science, 24,

8. Green Space & Mental Health
Error bars = 95% confidence intervals
White, Alcock, Wheeler & Depledge (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? Psychological Science, 24,

9. Green Space & Mental Health
Error bars = 95% confidence intervals
White, Alcock, Wheeler & Depledge (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? Psychological Science, 24,

10. British Household Panel Survey (1991-2008)
Blue Space & Mental Health
British Household Panel Survey ( )
(N =12,818, Obs = 87,573)
White, Alcock, Wheeler & Depledge (2013). Coastal proximity & health: Analysis of longitudinal panel data. Health & Place

11. Relative size of the effects
The impact of moving from an LSOA 1SD < M Green cover (48%) to one 1SD >M green cover (81%)
Life Satisfaction (1-7) (N = 10,168; Obs = 56,574)
White, Alcock, Wheeler & Depledge (2013). Would you be happier living in a greener urban area? Psychological Science, 24,

12. Census data – Cumulative impact on health?
(N = 40.8 million) Living near green space is associated with:
- decreased risk of mortality by age 65
Mitchell, R., & Popham, F. (2008). Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities. The Lancet, 372,

13. Living near the coast also seems to be good
Census Data & Proximity to the Sea
Living near the coast also seems to be good
Wheeler, White, Stahl-Timmins & Depledge (2012). Does living near the coast improve health and well-being? Health & Place, 18,

14. 1) What is the optimal dose?
Just some of the remaining questions
1) What is the optimal dose?
2) How long do effects last? (Amanda Hignett, PhD)
3) What about the weather (With Met Office)
Environmental impact? (Lewis Elliot, PhD)
What about children? (Becky Jenkin, PhD)
What about other countries?
7) Comparisons to drugs (e.g. depression)?

15. Thanks very much for your attention!
The Team
ECEHH & Plymouth University Team: Ian Alcock, Debbie Cracknell, Michael Depledge, Karin Tanja-Dijkstra, Lewis Elliot, Josey Field, Amanda Hignett, Rebecca Jenkin, Sabine Pahl, Cassie Phoenix, Jo Ross, Ben Wheeler, Mat White, Kayleigh Wyles.
For further details please contact:
Thanks very much for your attention!

16. Sunny Vs. Rainy The weather** * ns
Blue space most affected but still most preferred
White, M.P., Cracknell, D., Corcoran, A., Jenkinson.G. & Depledge, M.H. (2013). Do preferences for waterscapes persist in inclement weather conditions and extend to sub-aquatic scenes? Landscape Research. DOI: /

17. 6,449 episodes (M = 10.31 per person) 18 main activity types
DRM + (in Nürnberg)
Sample:
625 Germans (61% female, 16-80yrs, 52% employed, 37% married, 33% religious, wide income range)
Episodes:
6,449 episodes (M = per person)
18 main activity types
Positive feelings: (Pleasurable: happy, relaxed, frustrated (rev), sad (rev), nervous (rev), impatient for it to end (rev)).
Positive thoughts: (Rewarding: focussed, engaged, competent, meaningful, helps others, achieves goals)
White, M.P. & Dolan, P. (2009). Psychological Science, 20,

18. DRM+ Rewarding but not fun Fun & rewarding Not fun or rewarding
Volunteering
Pray/ Meditate
Time with Children
Cook
Exercise
Enjoying nature
Socialise
Read/internet TV
Rest/relax
Work
Housework
Listen to music
Commute
Self-care
Sex
Shopping
Relatively Unpleasurable
Relatively Pleasurable (z-scores)
Relatively Unrewarding
Relatively Rewarding (z-scores)
Eat
DRM+
Rewarding but not fun
Fun & rewarding
Not fun or rewarding
Fun but not rewarding