Scottish Climate Survey: main findings
Main findings from Scottish Climate Survey.
Part of
Nature and the built environment
This chapter explores public awareness of the biodiversity crisis in Scotland and their interaction with nature – how often people in Scotland spend time in green and blue spaces and to what extent they see benefits in doing so. Finally, it presents findings on public participation in decisions around how public spaces are used in their local area, including their willingness to be involved in decision making, barriers to participation and ways they have been involved in the past.
Key findings:
- over three quarters of respondents (77%) said they knew little or nothing about Scotland’s biodiversity crisis, while around two in ten (19%) reported knowing at least a fair amount about this
- six in ten (62%) had spent time in local green or blue spaces at least once a week in the past month
- a large majority agreed that spending time in local green or blue spaces had benefits for their mental and physical health (both 86%), while over half (54%) felt it made them feel more connected to their community
- disabled people, those living in Scotland’s most deprived areas, tenants and non-graduates were all less likely than average to have spent time in local green or blue spaces over the previous month
- just over one in five (22%) respondents said they had been involved in decision making about the use of local public spaces in the past year
- the main perceived barriers to involvement in decision making included lack of awareness about the existence of opportunities to get involved, needing more information about such opportunities and lack of time
Knowledge about Scotland’s biodiversity crisis
More than three quarters (77%) of respondents said they knew little or nothing about the biodiversity crisis in Scotland. Graduates and those who felt they knew at least a fair amount about climate change also tended to report higher levels of knowledge about Scotland’s biodiversity crisis - 27% and 28% of respondents in each group respectively said that they knew at least a fair amount about this topic, compared to 19% overall. Other groups were more likely to report knowing at least a fair amount about Scotland’s biodiversity crisis included those living in rural (25%) (particularly, in remote rural – 32%) areas and homeowners (21%). In contrast, residents of urban areas (17%) and tenants (14%) were less likely to know as much about the issue (Figure 9.1).
Figure 9.1: Knowledge about Scotland’s biodiversity crisis
Q. Before today, how much, if anything, would you say you knew about the biodiversity crisis in Scotland?
Base: All respondents online (2,953)
Frequency of spending time in green and blue spaces
As shown in Figure 9.2, almost two thirds (62%) of respondents reported spending time in green or blue spaces at least once a week in the past month. This compares with 57% in the most recent published results from the Scottish Household Survey (2023)[1]. One in five (20%) reported they spent time in a local green or blue space every day. Just under a third of respondents (31%) did so less than once a week, including 12% who said they did not spend any time at all in green or blue spaces.
Figure 9.2: Frequency of spending time in green or blue spaces
Q. In the last month, how often, if at all, did you spend time in a local green or blue space, even if just to pass through it?
Base: All respondents (4,058)
Those living in rural areas tend to spend time in green and blue spaces more often than those in urban areas – 73% of rural residents reported they had visited green or blue spaces at least once a week over the past month, compared to 60% of urban residents. Respondents aged 70 and over also reported visiting green and blue space less frequently than average, with 55% saying they visited at least weekly in the past month. This pattern is similar to that found in the most recent Scottish Household Survey results.
Disabled people, those living in the most deprived areas (SIMD 1 and 2), tenants and non-graduates were among the groups least likely to spend time in green and blue spaces. These sub-group patterns are consistent with previous Scottish Government research[2] highlighting inequalities in access to coastal space in Scotland. Respondents living in Scotland’s most deprived areas were almost two and a half times more likely not to have spent time in green and blue spaces in the past month, compared to those in the least deprived areas (19% vs 8%).
Respondents with a higher household income of £52,000 and above (92%) and graduates (91%) were also more likely to say they have accessed green/blue space at least once in the past month than those from households with incomes of less than £26,000 (75%) and non-graduates (77%) were.
Perceived benefits of spending time in green or blue space
Among those who spent time in green or blue spaces at least once a month, the overwhelming majority agreed that this had benefits for both their mental and physical health (both 86%)[3]. Over half (54%)[4] also agreed that it makes them feel more connected to their community (Figure 9.3).
Figure 9.3: Perceived benefits of spending time in green or blue spaces
Q. Spending time in local green or blue spaces…
Base: All who have spent time in a local green or blue space in the last month: Physical (3,451), Mental (3,346), Connected (3,435)
These findings are in line with previous research[5] conducted by Ipsos for the Scottish Government in 2023 which found mental and physical health and socialising with friends and family to be the key benefits associated with and reasons for visiting blue space. Although spending time in nature was associated with positive health outcomes consistently across all subgroups, graduates (92% - physical health; 93% - mental health), respondents living in the least deprived areas (91% on both) and those on higher incomes (90% on both) – the groups that tend to visit green or blue spaces most frequently – were more likely to agree that spending time in nature improves their mental and physical health.
The same groups – graduates, those living in the least deprived areas of Scotland and higher-income households – were also more likely than average to say that spending time in nature makes them more connected to their community. Minority ethnic respondents, women, those aged under 55 and those who knew at least a fair bit about climate change were also more likely to agree with the statement than respondents overall (Figure 9.4).
Figure 9.4: Subgroup differences on whether spending time in green/blue spaces makes respondents feel more connected to their community
Spending time in local green or blue spaces makes me feel more connected to my community (% agree)
Base: All who have spent time in a local green or blue space in the last month: Connected (3,435)
Involvement in decision making about local public spaces
Levels of actual and desired involvement in decision making about local public spaces were very similar to levels of actual and desired involvement in decision making about local transport issues (see Chapter 6). Around one in six respondents (17%) said that they were willing to give up some of their time to be involved in decision making about how public spaces are used in their local area. A further 29% said that although they would like to have a say in these decisions, spending time on this was not a priority for them. Over four in ten (44%) said they were happy for such decisions to be made without being personally involved themselves (Figure 9.5).
Figure 9.5: Willingness to be involved in decision making about local public spaces
Q. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
Base: All respondents (4,043)
As shown in Figure 9.6, those more willing to give up their time to be involved in decision making about local public spaces included graduates, those who knew at least a fair amount about climate change and respondents aged under 55.
Figure 9.6: Willingness to give up time to be involved in decision making about public spaces – differences by subgroup
% willing to give up time to be involved in making decisions about public spaces
Base: All respondents (4,043)
Just over one in five respondents (22%) said they had been involved in decisions about public spaces in their local area in the past 12 months. The most common way of doing so was participating online, either by responding to an online public consultation about how public spaces are used or contributing to an online/ social media discussion on the topic (mentioned by 13% and 9% respectively). Fewer reported having attended a public meeting or event (6%) or contacted their local councillor, MSP or MP (5%) about how local public spaces are used (Figure 9.7).
Figure 9.7: Involvement in decision making about local public spaces in the last 12 months
Q. Have you personally done any of the following in the past 12 months?
Base: All respondents (4,048)
Graduates were more likely than non-graduates to have been involved in decision making about local public spaces in the past year - 30% reported they had participated in at least one of the ways listed, compared to 18% of non-graduates). They were twice as likely as those without a degree to have responded to an online public consultation about public spaces (20%, compared to 9%) or attended a public meeting or event (8%, compared to 4%), while 13% of graduates reported they had contributed to online discussions on this topic compared to 8% of those without a degree.
Those aged under 55 were more likely than older respondents to have been involved in decisions about public spaces online, whether through contributing to online public consultations (15%, compared to 9% of those aged over 55) or online discussions on the topic (11%, compared to 7% of those aged over 55).
Those living in rural areas were twice as likely as urban residents to have attended a public meeting or event about how local public spaces are used (10%, compared to 5% of those living in urban areas).
While just one per cent of respondents had taken part in a demonstration, picket or march about how public spaces are used in the past year, minority ethnic respondents were more likely than White respondents to say they had done this (6%, compared to 1%).
The main perceived barrier to involvement in decisions about local public spaces was lack of awareness about existing opportunities to have their say, mentioned by 38% of respondents. Almost a quarter (22%) felt that they needed more information about opportunities to be able to participate. Lack of time (19%) or interest (13%) were also mentioned as barriers to getting involved, while 12% said that there is nothing that stops them from having their say (Figure 9.8).
Figure 9.8: Barriers to involvement in decision making about public spaces
Q. What, if anything, stops you from having your say in decisions about how public spaces are used in your local area?
Base: All respondents online (2,953)
Young people aged 16-34 were more likely than older age groups, to say that they lacked awareness of or information about opportunities to have their say. However, it should be noted that this group were also more likely than average to say they were not interested in being involved in decision making about public spaces (18% of young people, compared to 13% overall).
Women were more likely than men to say they were not aware of opportunities to be involved in decision making about local public spaces (42%, compared to 34% of men) while men were almost twice as likely than women to say they were not interested in being involved (17%, compared to 9%).
Graduates were more likely than those without a degree to report they had been involved in decision making about local public space use in the past year. However, they were also more likely than non-graduates to report that they were not aware of opportunities to have their say (44%, compared to 35% of non-graduates) or that they needed more information about ways to have their say (26%, compared to 21% of non-graduates) as barriers to involvement.
Minority ethnic respondents were more likely than White respondents to report they were not aware of opportunities to have their say (50%, compared to 37%). They were also twice as likely as White respondents to say that existing opportunities were not set up in a way that was accessible to them (14%, compared to 7%).
[1] Scottish Government, 2023: https://www.gov.scot/publications/environment-statistics-from-the-scottish-household-survey-2023/
[2] Scottish Government, 2023: https://www.gov.scot/publications/inequalities-access-blue-coastal-space-scotland-research-report/pages/5/
[3] 69% of all respondents
[4] 43% of all respondents
[5] Ibid: https://www.gov.scot/publications/inequalities-access-blue-coastal-space-scotland-research-report/pages/6/
Contact
Email: emily.creamer@gov.scot