The Nature of Americans: Disconnection and Recommendations for Reconnection

The relationship of Americans and nature is changing. Adults and children alike spend evermore time indoors, participation in activities like hunting and fishing is stagnant or declining, and shifts in social expectations treat engagement with nature as a mere amenity. These trends pose a nationwide problem, since overwhelming evidence shows the physical, psychological, and social wellbeing of humans depends on contact with nature. To monitor these trends and to reveal how to restore this relationship, social scientists conducted an unprecedented study of 11,817 adults, children, and parents across the United States in 2015–16.