New research by More in Common shows Britons care deeply for nature and their green spaces, and that politicians may be missing a political opportunity in not more actively investing in improving the parks and green spaces Britons love so much.

This research, based on a survey of over 3,000 Britons and focus group conversations in the likely key electoral battlegrounds of the next General Election, finds that a national mission to restore and improve the quality of Britain’s parks and green spaces could play an important role in increasing confidence in the government’s ability to improve Britons’ lives and communities – the collapse of which is driving Labour’s drop in support.

The British public increasingly feel as though this government will not deliver for them. This loss of faith is driving voters away…

But this research shows that improving and maintaining quality green space is a key way for the government to show Britons it can deliver improvements to their lives and communities. When asked for their favourite thing or biggest source of pride about where they live, Britons overwhelmingly say the green space, parks and nature.

“So I personally don't drive so I quite like having it [green space] on my doorstep and because I work from home as well… that gets me out and about so you can get a bit of fresh air when, I call it cabin fever, when you're working from home all the time”.

Jonny, works in IT and lives in Wakefield

Mental health is the number one benefit

This research finds that two-fifths of Britons say the mental health benefits of green spaces are the most important benefit to them, this rises to almost 6 in 10 (57 per cent) of people who live with mental health conditions. In focus group conversations, Britons spoke of how the pandemic had made them appreciate the mental wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature and green space.

Nature and green spaces as a unifier

This love and appreciation of nature, parks and green spaces unites Britons across the political divide. With British politics becoming increasingly zero-sum, green spaces are unique in being seen to benefit everyone in a community equally – 61 per cent of Britons say everyone benefits equally from the green spaces in their area.

When green spaces are developed and improved, the public think that everyone, including themselves will benefit, however the inverse of this is that when they are not maintained, or fall into disrepair, everyone in the local community is seen to lose (36 per cent).

But there are real concerns about barriers stopping Britons fully enjoying their green spaces

While the majority of Britons find it easy to access green spaces, they hold serious concerns about the impact anti-social behaviour, a lack of safety and a lack of maintenance of green spaces is having on their enjoyment of them. In focus group conversations, participants connected this with a breakdown of their communities’ social fabrics.

The report also sets out a deep gender divide between men and women over how safe they feel in green spaces when it is dark.

Overall, it is clear that anti-social behaviour and a lack of perceived safety in green spaces are having on detrimental effect on Britons’ enjoyment of green spaces and so if the government is to grasp the opportunity that green spaces can play in building pride in place, then alongside better maintenance of green spaces, tackling safety concerns must be a priority.

Seizing the political opportunity of green spaces in a time of low trust in politicians

The lack of trust between Britons and their government is palpable. This research has shown that Britons clearly care about their green spaces, and that their protection and improvement offers a tangible way through which the government can begin to restore public confidence in their ability to make things better.

On the other hand, their continued degradation further feeds into narratives of decline and community breakdown.

Indeed, a series of statistical maxdiff experiments shows that improving the quality and maintenance of Britain’s parks and green spaces offers one of the most effective routes to doing this – with Britons saying it would provide them with more confidence in the government’s ability to improve their lives and local communities than cutting legal migration numbers would. 

For questions about this research please contact the report authors Chris Annous: Chris@moreincommon.com and Andrew Fowler: Andrew@moreincommon.com