The nature of a pandemic: Testing the relationship between access to nature, nature relatedness, wellbeing and belonging in nature using polynomial regression with response surface analysis

Past research has found that spending time in nature fosters increased wellbeing across both physical and mental health (Brymer et al., 2014; Hartig et al., 2011), and many theories suggest that participation in nature is something that carries similar benefits for all people (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of outdoor recreation and leisure increased significantly given that it offered a space for interaction, community, and enjoyment with decreased risk of transmission. Amidst COVID-19, nature offers wellbeing that could help individuals cope with the added anxiety, isolation and uncertainty amongst the pandemic. However, it is likely that not all individuals had similar access to this benefit, but little research has explored if this is the case. This study examines wellbeing outcomes and one's sense of belonging to a natural place as they relate to one's nature relatedness and access to nature. We hypothesized that the highest wellbeing benefit would be associated with those who had both high access to nature and high nature relatedness scores, and lowest for those without access to nature. Survey data from 558 participants was used to test these hypotheses. We implemented two polynomial regressions with response surface analysis to examine the congruent and discrepant effects of nature relatedness and access to nature on both wellbeing and belonging in nature. Findings suggest that those with the most access to nature and higher nature relatedness experience higher rates of wellbeing and a stronger sense of belonging to natural spaces.