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.
The first publication released on 30 May 2022 showed that the majority of respondents (55%) spent more time outdoors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 28% spent the same amount of time outdoors, and 17% spent less time outdoors. See Table 4.1.a. For further details, refer to the first publication 'Pulse Survey April-May 2022 - Our Lives Outdoors: Snapshot of Results'.
Almost 65% of the young participants aged 18 to 34, and more than 50% of those in the age groups between 35 and 69 said they spent more time outdoors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020), compared with 38% of participants aged 70 and above. Just under 40% of respondents aged 70 and above also said they spent the same amount of time outdoors than prior to the pandemic. See Figure 4.1 and Table 4.1.b.
| Gender | Spent less time outdoors | Spent the same amount of time outdors now as prior to the COVID-19 pandemic | Spent more time outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 16 | 20 | 64 |
| 35 to 44 | 15 | 26 | 58 |
| 45 to 54 | 15 | 31 | 54 |
| 55 to 69 | 15 | 33 | 52 |
| 70 and above | 23 | 38 | 38 |
Participants who were unemployed (63%), students or pupils (61%), in employment (59%), or engaged in home duties (54%) were the most likely to say they spent more time outdoors since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, while those unable to work due to longstanding health problems (42%) or in retirement (40%) were the least likely. Just under four in ten (37%) of retired participants reported spending the same amount of time outdoors than prior to the pandemic. See Figure 4.2 and Table 4.1.b.
| Gender | Spent less time outdoors | Spent the same amount of time outdors now as prior to the COVID-19 pandemic | Spent more time outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working for payment | 14 | 27 | 59 |
| Unemployed | 18 | 19 | 63 |
| Retired | 23 | 37 | 40 |
| Student or pupil | 16 | 23 | 61 |
| Engaged in home duties | 16 | 30 | 54 |
| Unable to work due to longstanding health problems | 26 | 32 | 42 |
This section focusses only on respondents who said they spent more time outdoors since COVID-19. Of these, 78% said that they spent more time in natural spaces, 71% realised that being in natural spaces was important to their well-being, and 63% spent more time socialising in outdoor settings. See Table 4.2.a. For further details, refer to the first publication 'Pulse Survey April-May 2022 - Our Lives Outdoors: Snapshot of Results'.
Just under seven in ten female participants (67%) said they were spending more time socialising in outdoor settings since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with six in ten males (59%). See Table 4.2.b.
Young respondents aged 18 to 34 were the most likely to say they spent more time outdoors to socialise in outdoor settings since the start of the pandemic (76%), while participants in the age groups above 55 were the least likely at less than 50%. Almost 70% of respondents aged 35 to 44 and 63% of participants between 18 to 34 mentioned that they discovered new natural spaces since the beginning of COVID-19, compared to 39% aged 55 and over. See Figure 4.3 and Table 4.2.b.
| Age | Spent more time in natural spaces | Realised that being in natural spaces is important to your well-being | Spent more time socialising in an outdoor setting (e.g. restaurants / bars with outdoor seating) | Discovered new natural spaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 83 | 72 | 76 | 63 |
| 35 to 44 | 81 | 66 | 69 | 69 |
| 45 to 54 | 81 | 77 | 61 | 55 |
| 55 to 69 | 69 | 70 | 48 | 39 |
| 70 and above | 67 | 67 | 47 | 39 |
Just over six in ten (65%) participants in retirement said they spent more time in natural spaces since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with eight in ten respondents who were unable to work due to longstanding health problems (82%), unemployed (81%), students or pupils (81%), engaged in home duties (80%), or in employment (79%).
Students were twice as likely to say they spent more time socialising in outdoor settings at 85% compared with those unemployed (43%) and those in retirement (40%). Participants in employment (61%) and those unable to work due to longstanding health problems (60%) were the most likely to mention that they discovered new natural spaces since COVID-19, while retired participants were the least likely (32%). Figure 4.4 and Table 4.2.b.
| Age | Spent more time in natural spaces | Realised that being in natural spaces is important to your well-being | Spent more time socialising in an outdoor setting (e.g. restaurants / bars with outdoor seating) | Discovered new natural spaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working for payment | 79 | 72 | 67 | 61 |
| Unemployed | 81 | 68 | 43 | 47 |
| Retired | 65 | 68 | 40 | 32 |
| Student or pupil | 81 | 70 | 85 | 56 |
| Engaged in home duties | 80 | 67 | 69 | 56 |
| Unable to work due to longstanding health problems | 82 | 74 | 53 | 60 |
Almost seven in ten respondents (67%) living in urban areas said they spent more time socialising in outdoor settings since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with six in ten of participants living in small towns or villages (59%), or in rural areas (58%). Participants in urban areas were the most likely to say they discovered new natural spaces since COVID-19 (59%), while those in rural areas were the least likely (50%). See Figure 4.5 and Table 4.2.c.
| Age | Spent more time in natural spaces | Realised that being in natural spaces is important to your well-being | Spent more time socialising in an outdoor setting (e.g. restaurants / bars with outdoor seating) | Discovered new natural spaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban area (e.g. city or county town) | 79 | 71 | 67 | 59 |
| Small town or village | 79 | 71 | 59 | 55 |
| Rural area (in the countryside) | 76 | 70 | 58 | 50 |
Participants without access to a garden were more likely to have discovered new natural spaces since the start of the pandemic at 67%, compared with 55% of those with access to a garden. See Table 4.2.c.
The first publication released on 30 May 2022 showed that three in ten (29%) respondents reported taking up new outdoor activities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. See Table 4.3.a. For further details, refer to the first publication 'Pulse Survey April-May 2022 - Our Lives Outdoors: Snapshot of Results'.
About four in ten respondents aged 18 to 34 said they took up new outdoor activities since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (41%), compared with 13% of those aged 70 and above. See Figure 4.6 and Table 4.3.b.
Students or pupils (39%) and those in employment (34%) were the most likely to start new outdoor activities since COVID-19, while participants in retirement were the least likely (14%). See Table 4.3.b.
| Age | No | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 59 | 41 |
| 35 to 44 | 67 | 33 |
| 45 to 54 | 73 | 27 |
| 55 to 69 | 79 | 21 |
| 70 and above | 87 | 13 |
The rest of this section concentrates only on those who took up new outdoors activities since COVID-19. The first publication released on 30 May 2022 showed that almost half (46%) reported taking up more than one new activity. Among the activities proposed in this survey, the most popular to be taken up were hill walking (26%), hiking (24%), running (24%), cycling (22%), and sea swimming (21%). See Table 4.4.a. For further details, refer to the first publication 'Pulse Survey April-May 2022 - Our Lives Outdoors: Snapshot of Results'.
The main new activity for respondents who took up new outdoor activities was hill walking for males (30%) and sea swimming for females (25%). See Table 4.4.b.
Young participants aged 18 to 34 were nearly three times more likely to take up more than one outdoor activity (58%) since the start of the pandemic, compared with those aged 70 and over (21%). The main outdoor activity started by those in the age groups 45 and over was hill walking at almost 30%, while 36% of those aged 18 to 34 and 26% of those aged 35 to 44 took up running. See Figure 4.7 and Table 4.4.b.
| Age | Hill walking | Hiking | Running | Cycling | Sea swimming | More than one new outdoor activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 23 | 25 | 58 |
| 35 to 44 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 45 |
| 45 to 54 | 30 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 44 |
| 55 to 69 | 28 | 19 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 29 |
| 70 and above | 27 | 11 | 1 | 19 | 13 | 21 |
Almost 60% of students or pupils and about 50% of respondents in employment took up more than one new outdoor activity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with 15% of those in retirement. Students or pupils mainly started running (47%), sea swimming (38%) or hiking (33%), while those in employment mostly took up hill walking (27%), hiking (25%), running (25%) or sea swimming (24%).
Hill walking was the main new outdoor activity mentioned by those who were retired (21%), unemployed (32%), or engaged in home duties (24%), while participants who were unable to work due to longstanding health problems mostly started hiking (22%). See Figure 4.8 and Table 4.4.b.
| PES | Hill walking | Hiking | Running | Cycling | Sea swimming | More than one new outdoor activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working for payment | 27 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 49 |
| Unemployed | 32 | 27 | 3 | 27 | 22 | 37 |
| Retired | 21 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 15 |
| Student or pupil | 18 | 33 | 47 | 20 | 38 | 58 |
| Engaged in home duties | 24 | 23 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 43 |
| Unable to work due to longstanding health problems | 13 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 30 |
Participants living in the Dublin region were most likely to take up running (31%) since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, while those living in the Midlands started hill walking (44%) or hiking (38%).
Participants in the Mid-East region mainly took up cycling (27%) or hill walking (26%) while 33% of those in the Mid-West started hill walking since the start of the pandemic.
Respondents living in the South-East region mostly took up hill walking (31%), hiking (34%), or sea swimming (29%). Those in the South-West region mainly started hill walking (23%), hiking (20%), or cycling (20%).
Sea swimming (27%) and hill walking (26%) were taken up by respondents in the West, while participants in the Border region started sea swimming (34%), running (31%), hiking (30%) or hill walking (28%). See Table 4.4.b.
Respondents living in urban areas were more likely to say they took up running (28%) than participants living in small towns or villages (17%) or rural areas (19%) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants living in rural areas (34%) or in small towns or villages (30%) were more likely to mention they started hill walking than those in urban areas (20%). See Figure 4.9 and Table 4.4.c.
| Age | Hill walking | Hiking | Running | Cycling | Sea swimming | More than one new outdoor activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban area (e.g. city or county town) | 20 | 24 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 46 |
| Small town or village | 30 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 42 |
| Rural area (in the countryside) | 34 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 16 | 50 |
About a quarter of respondents with children in their household mostly took up cycling (26%) or running (24%) since the start of the pandemic. Those with no children in their household started hill walking (28%) or hiking (27%). See Table 4.4.c.
Participants who did not have access to a garden were more likely to say they took up running (35%) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with 23% of those who had a garden. Respondents with access to a garden mainly said they started hill walking (26%). See Table 4.4.c.
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