Abstract
In modern society, the opportunity to experience nature is separate from everyday life, requiring time and effort. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on freedom of activity and communication around the world have become a crisis, causing a nature deficit by accelerating the process of separation from nature. At the same time, the pandemic has increased people’s motivation to return to nature, providing an opportunity to seek experiences and health recovery in nature. The authors conducted an international cross-sectional study in five Asian countries, investigating changes in the perception of recreational activities and health restoration in the natural environment, one of the many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on human society. An online survey, completed by 524 respondents, has confirmed the efficacy of the SEM model, which includes COVID-19 stress, increased indoor activity, a preference for the natural environment, and the perception of health recovery. Although the five countries had different response values for each theme, the stress caused by restricted activities and communication during the pandemic was linked to a preference for natural experiences and the motivation to visit natural environments in all five countries, ultimately affecting perceptions of health recovery in nature. This study has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic, a disaster afflicting all human civilization, has changed people’s perceptions by enhancing their preference for natural recreational activities and health. It has accelerated people’s return to nature and fostered a positive perception of nature’s ability to promote good health.
Highlights
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic nearly 100 years after the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic, which infected 500 million people worldwide and claimed an estimated50 million lives [1]
By verifying the research model, we found that the increased stress and concentration associated with indoor activities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive effect on the preference for the natural environment and ecological landscape
In light of the results of previous research, this study argues that forests and natural environments serve as a strategy for survival and health recovery, alleviating the psychological shock caused by COVID-19 restrictions on communication and freedom
Summary
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic nearly 100 years after the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic, which infected 500 million people worldwide and claimed an estimated50 million lives [1]. In July 2020, just after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1020 American adults took part in an online survey of outdoor recreation Most respondents found it difficult to accept the risk of infection associated with recreational activities during the pandemic; their perspective led to an overall decrease in outdoor recreational activities and an increase in indoor activities [8]. This finding is relevant to the situation in which all national and state parks have been closed since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Restaurants, gyms, parks, community centers, and other public places for social activity and recreation have been closed worldwide; patterns of work, school, and leisure activity have changed significantly [1]
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