Current research makes clear that Americans spend the vast majority of their lives indoors. Although being indoors is safe and comfortable, research shows that people experience numerous benefits from spending time outside in nature. The present study seeks to identify the personal, social and environmental factors that influence people’s decisions to spend time in nature or natural/outdoor settings. An original survey was developed and will be distributed to a group of undergraduate students. The survey was designed to measure personal, social and environmental factors that contribute to a person’s choice to spend time outside in nature. The present study hypothesizes that the survey will reveal positive associations between time spent in nature and, more generally outside, and factors such as friend’s time in nature, experience with nature/outdoors, and activity level. Conversely, we also predict that people with negative perceptions of nature (i.e. a fear or disgust of nature) will be found to spend less time outside in nature. Therefore, if this study can help to identify which personal and environmental factors are correlated with a person spending more time in nature then future research will be in a better position to understand how to promote the value of spending time outside. The results of the present study will also be discussed in the context of the research on the physical and psychological benefits of spending time outside as well as a corresponding increased inclination towards making environmentally conscious decisions.
