Feeling Connected after Experiencing Digital Nature: A Survey Study

Josca van Houwelingen-Snippe, Thomas J. L. van Rompay and Somaya Ben Allouch
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Josca van Houwelingen-Snippe: Communication Science, University of Twente, De Zul 10, 7522 NJ Enschede, The Netherlands
Thomas J. L. van Rompay: Communication Science, University of Twente, De Zul 10, 7522 NJ Enschede, The Netherlands
Somaya Ben Allouch: Digital Life Research Group, University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam, Wibautstraat 2, 1091 GM Amsterdam, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-16

Abstract: Digital nature can provide a substitute for real nature for those who have limited access to green space, or are confined to their homes, for example during the worldwide COVID-19 lockdown. In a large-scale online survey, respondents ( N = 1203) watched videos of digital nature, varying in terms of type of nature (wild versus tended nature) and spaciousness. Results show a significant increase of feelings of connectedness to the community after watching digital nature. Furthermore, tended nature scenes elicited more social aspirations than wild nature scenes. A multiple regression model further shows that living further away from nature was a significant predictor for loneliness scores, while number of nature interactions during a week was not. Results of this study confirm the importance of nature interaction for mental and social wellbeing for the general population and stress the potential of digital nature as a complementary strategy. These findings are of particular relevance to those who lack access to nature due to old age and related mobility constraints or a lockdown.

Keywords: digital nature; survey; loneliness; connectedness; social aspirations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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