Different groups in society look at nature in different ways. Young people and people with a foreign background prefer a well-tended form of nature rather than wild habitats.

Young people perceive nature differently

Young people and people with a foreign background take a different view of nature than the average Dutch policy maker. Young people find nature less appealing than older people. They do not have much interest in wilder fen meadow habitats, heaths and wetlands. They also have less affinity with the countryside and are less bothered about its future. Nevertheless, they are concerned about the loss of species and habitats, particularly the natural or green world in the immediate neighbourhood.

Young people enjoy passing the time in urban parks (photo: Fransje Langers)

Dutch citizens of foreign descent also find the countryside less attractive than the average person. They prefer an actively managed and maintained form of nature to wilder habitats. The most attractive landscape to them is the city park. More than 50% of people with a foreign background do not know which wildlife habitats and other green areas there are in the area.

Back to Nature Balance 2006     Urbanisation of the countryside