Some 69% of Danes would like their children to spend more time in nature, with more than half (58%) believing they themselves spent more time outside when they were children, a new study has found.
According to the study, which was conducted for the Danish Nature Conservation Association (Danmarks Naturfredningsforening) by Epinion, close to two fifths (38%) of children spend no more than two hours in nature during a typical week, while a similar number (40%) spend at least four hours in nature.
At the same time, 75% of children spend at least four hours in front of a screen during a typical week, with just 11% having no more than two hours of screen time each week.
More than a third of Danish parents (35%) said that they find it difficult to get their children away from screens and into nature, however more than half (53%) said that a ‘lack of time’ is the main barrier that prevents most families from spending more time in nature.
‘Positive signs’
“It is positive that so many parents want nature to take up more of their children’s everyday lives,” commented Maria Reumert Gjerding, president, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening.
“On the other hand, it is also an expression of the fact that unfortunately there is a large group of children who do not get out there enough, and we need to change that. After all, it is so important that all children have a good and safe relationship with nature and get to spend time outside – not least when we know that nature can really make a positive difference to both well-being and health.”
Shared responsibility
Parents would also like to see more shared responsibility when it comes to getting children to experience nature more often, with 79% of believing schools and daycare centres also have a responsibility to get children outdoors, and 58% wanting schools/daycare to do more nature-based activities.
The survey of 1,015 parents was conducted in June of this year, and published to coincide with Denmark’s Nature Week, which runs from 1 to 7 September. Some 144,000 children are registered to take part in nature-based activities during the week. Read more here.
