Environment
Access to natural environment
Access to natural environments can buffer stress [4], and visits to public conservation areas can improve mental health and wellbeing [5]. This indicator is based on the Canterbury Wellbeing Survey’s ‘access to the natural environment’ question, that broadly defines the natural environment as “rivers, lakes, beaches, wildlife, areas, parks, and walking tracks” [25].
This indicator presents the proportion of those 18 years and over satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment.
The figure shows that more than eighty percent of greater Christchurch respondents expressed satisfaction with their ease of access to the natural environment, from 2017 to 2022 (81.3% in 2022).
The figure shows in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022 a statistically significantly lower proportion of Pacific/Asian/Indian respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment, compared with European respondents (and compared with Māori respondents in 2017). Between 2017 and 2022 the proportion of Pacific/Asian/Indian respondents satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment increased notably (64.0%in 2017 to 73.8% in 2022).
The figure also shows that a statistically significantly lower proportion of Māori respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment in 2022, compared with European respondents (73.8% and 82.6% respectively).
The figure shows that a majority of respondents, across all age groups, reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment, in greater Christchurch, from 2017 to 2022. The 2022 result indicates that the youngest age group and the oldest age group are both less satisfied with their access to the natural environment than the other age groups (75+yrs 69.9%; 18-24yrs 74.2% vs. 50-64yrs 86.4%). The differences between the oldest age group (least satisfied) and all other age groups (except the 18-24 years group) are statistically significant.
The figure shows some statistically significant differences between income groups in the proportion of respondents who indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment, from 2017 to 2022. There is a clear pattern of increasing satisfaction with increasing income. In 2022, 86.6 percent of respondents in the $100,000+ annual household income group were satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment compared with 66.5 percent of respondents in the <$30,000 income group. The difference between the <$30,000 income group and all other income groups was statistically significant at all time points.
The figure shows a substantial and statistically significant difference in the proportion of respondents with and without a long- term health condition or disability (irrespective of age group), who indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment between 2017 and 2022. In 2022, 84.7% of those without a long-term health condition or disability were satisfied or very satisfied; compared with 75.2% of those aged under 65 years with a long-term health condition or disability and 59% of those aged 65 years and over with a long-term health condition or disability.
A higher proportion of the younger (under 65 years) age group with a long-term health condition or disability was satisfied or very satisfied with their ease of access to the natural environment, compared with the older group, at all timepoints. This difference was statistically significant in 2018, 2019, and 2022.
Data Sources
Source: Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury - formerly Canterbury District Health Board.
Survey/data set: Canterbury Wellbeing Survey to 2022. Access publicly available data from Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health website www.cph.co.nz/your-health/wellbeing-survey/
Source data frequency: Annually.