This publication is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Output. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example new administrative data sources.
The results contained in this release reflect some of the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 situation. For further information see Background Notes.
In this survey, we defined the outdoors and natural spaces in Ireland as 'green' outdoor spaces in cities and towns (e.g. parks and urban green spaces), and in the countryside (e.g. mountains, forests or farmlands). It also included 'blue' outdoor spaces such as lakes, rivers and the open sea. Private and shared outdoor spaces such as gardens, patios, yards, balconies etc. were excluded from this section as they had a dedicated part in the survey.
When asked how frequently they had spent time outdoors in natural spaces for recreational purposes in the past six months, 40% of respondents replied daily while 37% said weekly. See Table 3.1.a. For further details, refer to the first publication 'Pulse Survey April-May 2022 - Our Lives Outdoors: Snapshot of Results'.
Female respondents were more likely to say that they spent more time outdoors daily (40%) than weekly (34%) for recreational purposes over the past six months, while males participants equally mentioned daily (40%) and weekly (40%). See Table 3.1.b.
| Gender | Less than once a month / I haven't been outdoors over the past 6 months | Once a month | Several times a month | Weekly | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 6 | 6 | 15 | 34 | 40 |
| Male | 3 | 4 | 13 | 40 | 40 |
Over the past six months, about half of the respondents aged 55 and above spent time outdoors for recreational purposes on a daily basis compared with 32% of those aged under 44. These participants were more likely to spent time outdoors on a weekly basis at nearly 45% in each age group under 44. See Figure 3.2 and Table 3.1.b.
| Gender | Less than once a month / I haven't been outdoors over the past 6 months | Once a month | Several times a month | Weekly | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 43 | 32 |
| 35 to 44 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 45 | 32 |
| 45 to 54 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 34 | 41 |
| 55 to 69 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 31 | 49 |
| 70 and above | 5 | 3 | 13 | 26 | 52 |
Participants in retirement (54%), those who were unemployed (45%) or engaged in home duties (41%) were more likely to say they spent time outdoors on a daily basis for recreational purposes over the past six months, while more than 40% of students or pupils (43%) and respondents in employment (42%) said they spent time outdoors on a weekly basis. See Table 3.1.b.
Respondents who did not have children in their household were more likely to spend time outdoors daily (43%) for recreational purposes over the past six months, compared with 32% of those who had children in their household. Participants with children were more likely to spend time outdoors on a weekly basis (43%). See Figure 3.3 and Table 3.1.b.
| Gender | Less than once a month / I haven't been outdoors over the past 6 months | Once a month | Several times a month | Weekly | Daily |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children in the household | 4 | 4 | 16 | 43 | 32 |
| No children in the household | 5 | 5 | 13 | 34 | 43 |
Respondents who had access to a garden were more likely to spend time outdoors daily for recreational purposes over the past six months (41%), compared with 32% of those who did not have access to a garden. Participants with no garden were more likely to say they spent time outdoors on a weekly basis (40%). See Table 3.1.c.
The three main reasons to spend time outdoors for recreational purposes, over the past six months, were: 'For mental health and well-being' (76%), 'For physical health and exercise' (75%), and 'To get fresh air' (73%). See Table 3.2.a. For further details, refer to the first publication 'Pulse Survey April-May 2022 - Our Lives Outdoors: Snapshot of Results'.
Over the past six months, 43% of female participants spent time outdoors to meet with other people, compared with 34% of males. See Table 3.2.b.
Eight in ten of respondents aged under 55 said they went outdoors during the past six months for mental health and well-being compared with 64% of those aged 70 and over. Participants in the age groups 18 to 44 were the most likely to spend time outdoors to take a break (66%), while those aged 70 and above were the least likely (27%). Younger respondents aged 18 to 34 were more likely to mention they spent time outdoors to meet with other people (49%) compared with 34% of those aged 45 and above. See Figure 3.4 and Table 3.2.b.
| Gender | For mental health and well-being | For physical health and exercise | To get fresh air | To take a break (e.g. from home, from work etc.) | To meet other people (e.g. friends, family etc.) | To look after children / other family members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 82 | 69 | 76 | 66 | 49 | 10 |
| 35 to 44 | 80 | 75 | 76 | 66 | 38 | 33 |
| 45 to 54 | 79 | 79 | 73 | 60 | 34 | 13 |
| 55 to 69 | 71 | 75 | 69 | 46 | 34 | 9 |
| 70 and above | 64 | 79 | 66 | 27 | 34 | 7 |
Over the past six months, students or pupils (65%), respondents in employment (64%) and those engaged in home duties (59%) were more likely to say they spent time outdoors to take a break, compared with 43% of those who were unemployed and 27% of participants in retirement.
Almost 60% of students or pupils said they spent time outdoors, over the past six months, to meet with other people compared with 33% of those in retirement, 31% of those unemployed and 28% of those unable to work due to longstanding health problems. One in three (31%) respondents engaged in home duties mentioned spending time outdoors to look after children/other family members. See Figure 3.5 and Table 3.2.b.
| Gender | For mental health and well-being | For physical health and exercise | To get fresh air | To take a break (e.g. from home, from work etc.) | To meet other people (e.g. friends, family etc.) | To look after children / other family members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working for payment | 79 | 77 | 74 | 64 | 40 | 17 |
| Unemployed | 79 | 64 | 67 | 43 | 31 | 10 |
| Retired | 66 | 80 | 68 | 27 | 33 | 6 |
| Student or pupil | 76 | 63 | 75 | 65 | 58 | 6 |
| Engaged in home duties | 76 | 72 | 76 | 59 | 38 | 31 |
| Unable to work due to longstanding health problems | 71 | 53 | 68 | 44 | 28 | 6 |
Over the past six months, 78% of participants living in urban areas and 77% of those in small towns or villages spent time outdoors for mental health and well-being compared with 72% of those living in rural areas. Respondents living in urban areas were more likely to spend time outdoors to meet with other people (44%) over the past six months, while those in rural areas were the least likely (32%). See Figure 3.6 and Table 3.2.c.
| Gender | For mental health and well-being | For physical health and exercise | To get fresh air | To take a break (e.g. from home, from work etc.) | To meet other people (e.g. friends, family etc.) | To look after children / other family members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban area (e.g. city or county town) | 78 | 75 | 74 | 57 | 44 | 14 |
| Small town or village | 77 | 73 | 75 | 58 | 36 | 15 |
| Rural area (in the countryside) | 72 | 75 | 69 | 52 | 32 | 14 |
Over the past six months, 65% of participants who had children in their household went outdoors to take a break, compared with 52% of those without children. Just under four in ten (38%) respondents with children said they spent time outdoors to look after children/other family members, compared with only 5% of those who did not have children. See Figure 3.7 and Table 3.2.c.
| Presence of children in the HH | For mental health and well-being | For physical health and exercise | To get fresh air | To take a break (e.g. from home, from work etc.) | To meet other people (e.g. friends, family etc.) | To look after children / other family members |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children in the household | 78 | 74 | 75 | 65 | 38 | 38 |
| No children in the household | 75 | 75 | 72 | 52 | 39 | 5 |
About seven in ten (68%) participants who did not have access to a garden said they went outdoors to take a break over the past six months, compared with 55% of those who had access to a garden. Respondents with access to a garden were the least likely to spend time outdoors to meet with other people (38%), while those who did not have a garden were the most likely at 47%. See Table 3.2.c.
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