Now and then: Changes in attitudes to playing outside
Natural England’s Childhood and Nature Survey (www.naturalengland.org.uk) involved 7-11 year old children (501) and over 1100 adults to compare now with then. Key findings included - Children spend less time playing in natural places, such as woodlands, countryside and heaths than they did in previous generations. Less than 10% play in such places compared to 40% of adults when they were young.
- Now the most popular place for children to play is in their home, while for adults it was outdoors in local streets. 62 % of children said they played at home indoors more than any other place. 42 % of adults said they played outdoors in local streets more than in any other place.
- The majority of children (over 70%) say they are supervised wherever they play, except only 52% are supervised in the garden and 31% in the streets near their homes. This rises to over 80% in natural places.
- Children would like more freedom to play outside (81%). Nearly half of the children say they are not allowed to play outside unsupervised and nearly a quarter are worried to be out alone.
- Traditional outdoor activities are as popular now as they were in the past with all achieving a mean score of more than 3 out of 5. Building a camp or den and exploring rock pools on the beach were and still are the most popular activities.
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