Half of UK adults say they spend less than three hours a week outside in nature

Most people have joyful memories of playing outside as children – and now wildlife charities are urging people to ‘rewild their inner child’ Damian Carrington Environment editor Mon 25 May 2026 07.00 CEST Prefer the Guardian on Google

Climbing trees, squelching in mud, paddling in ponds or making dens in the woods – people’s memories of playing outside as children are often vivid and, a new poll has found, overwhelmingly positive, even those who remember falling in cowpats.

Almost 90% of UK adults had rosy memories of the excitement and the feeling of freedom that outdoor play had brought them, the survey found. However, almost half of adults now spend less than three hours a week in natural settings such as gardens, parks, fields or woods, according to the survey. For one in 10 it is less than one hour.

The poll of 2,000 people carried out for the Wildlife Trusts found that this contrasted sharply with childhood, when almost two-thirds of people said they had spent more than half their free time outside.