Norwegian Outdoor Happiness: Residential Outdoor Spaces and Active Leisure Time Contributions to Subjective Well-being at the National Population Level at the Start of and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Raul Grau-Ruiz (), Helga Synnevåg Løvoll () and Gunvor Marie Dyrdal ()
Additional contact information
Raul Grau-Ruiz: Volda University College
Helga Synnevåg Løvoll: Volda University College
Gunvor Marie Dyrdal: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2024, vol. 25, issue 1, No 20, 23 pages

Abstract: Abstract Accumulating research shows that residential nature reliably promotes residents’ subjective well-being (SWB) in complex ways. The present study investigates how self-reported proximity to different outdoor spaces relate to SWB in Norway. The effects of having proximity to recreation and hiking areas and the frequency of moderate-to-vigorous intensity leisure-time physical activity (MVLTPA) were estimated for five SWB measures (satisfaction with life, positive, and negative affect, mental well-being, and meaning in life). The study also estimated how outdoor spaces promote MVLTPA, and which of these relationships changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two Norwegian samples (collected in 2020 and 2021; N = 34,904) were explored using multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression analyses. Residential outdoor spaces predicted higher SWB across measures and MVLTPA frequency. Importantly, an inverted U-shaped relationship between MVLTPA and all SWB measures was found, with a tipping point coinciding with weekly MVLTPA. Last, during the pandemic, outdoor spaces became stronger predictors: hiking areas for mental well-being and meaning in life; and recreation areas for MVLTPA (p

Keywords: Subjective well-being; Outdoor spaces; Leisure-time physical activity; COVID-19 pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-024-00732-z Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:25:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10902-024-00732-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... fe/journal/10902/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s10902-024-00732-z

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Happiness Studies is currently edited by Antonella Delle Fave

More articles in Journal of Happiness Studies from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().