Relaxation offered by nearby natural environments differs by socioeconomic status

Source abstract

Natural outdoor environments, which include greenspaces and blue spaces, are places with the potential to support stress reduction. However, the most effective qualities for supporting stress reduction remain to be identified. Moreover, these qualities may vary among individuals. This study aims to investigate, within the context of nearby urban outdoor environments, the associations between the relaxation rating of a selected environment, its perceived environmental qualities, and one’s socioeconomic status. This study focuses on environmental perceptions as they encourage or prevent place usage which may consequently influence health outcomes. Participants from urban areas of three medium-sized municipalities in the Netherlands completed a map-based questionnaire. They identified outdoor places near their homes that they perceived as relaxing and answered follow-up questions about the extent to which specific environmental qualities described each place. Participants with a lower socioeconomic status were oversampled. The majority of participants selected greenspaces or blue spaces. The qualities of intrigue, naturalness, peacefulness, and safety were significant predictors of relaxation rating. These qualities did not differ based on socioeconomic status. However, low socioeconomic status participants rated their selected places as significantly less relaxing. Additionally, participants with low household income rated their selected places as significantly less biodiverse, clean, open, peaceful, safe, and well-maintained than those with high income. Based on these results, this study points towards a perceived environmental relaxation gap. These findings highlight the need to improve the aforementioned qualities of local natural environments in low-income areas, supporting stress reduction.