MENE data

Visits Timeseries

Visits Previous Year

Visits Previous Year Demographic

Barriers

Distance Transport

Motivations

Outcomes

Visits General

Visits to general places in the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 - weighted 000's

		Frequency	Percent
General Place	In the countryside	97,165	51.0
	In a town or city	47,883	25.1
	In a seaside resort or town	29,640	15.6
	Other seaside coastline	15,799	8.3
	Total	190,487	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 1,431.

Weighted results show there were an estimated 190 million visits taken to the SDNP study area by SDNP study area respondents during the period March 2009 to February 2012.

Visits to general places in the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
General Place	In the countryside	636	44.4
	In a town or city	348	24.3
	In a seaside resort or town	330	23.1
	Other seaside coastline	117	8.2
	Total	1,431	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 1,431.

The unweighted profile is similar, apart from a greater proportion of visits to seaside resorts and towns. The overall sample size however makes the weighted figures reliable to use.

Visits Specific

Visits to specific places in the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 - weighted 000's

		Frequency	Percent
Specific Place	Woodland	35,572	18.7
	Park in a town or city	28,447	14.9
	Beach	24,966	13.1
	Playing field	20,333	10.7
	Paths, cycleways or bridleways	20,188	10.6
	Open space in the countryside	17,769	9.3
	Farmland	12,473	6.5
	Country Park	11,161	5.9
	Rivers or streams	10,368	5.4
	Coastline	9,169	4.8
	Open space in a town	9,157	4.8
	Village	8,937	4.7
	Playground	5,502	2.9
	Mountain, hill or moorland	3,502	1.8
	Allotment	199	0.1

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. Sum of totals is more than 100% as visits could have included more than one type of place. N = 1,431.

Weighted results should be used with caution given the low sample sizes associated with some of the places in the table (see unweighted results below).

Visits to specific places in the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 – unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Specific Place	Park in a town or city	223	15.6
	Beach	223	15.6
	Woodland	181	12.6
	Playing field	132	9.2
	Paths, cycleways or bridleways	129	9.0
	Open space in the countryside	111	7.8
	Country Park	104	7.3
	Coastline	101	7.1
	Rivers or streams	79	5.5
	Village	69	4.8
	Open space in a town	67	4.7
	Farmland	63	4.4
	Playground	61	4.3
	Mountain, hill or moorland	22	1.5
	Allotment	3	.2

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. Sum of totals is more than 100% as visits could have included more than one type of place. N = 1,431.

Beaches figure prominently in the results - perhaps unsurprising given the prevalence of coastline in the study ares..

Visits Activities

Activities undertaken during visits to the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 - weighted 000's

		Frequency	Percent
Activity	Walking without a dog	24,011	36.1
	Walking with a dog	19,216	28.9
	Playing with children	7,405	11.1
	Eating or drinking out	5,208	7.8
	Visiting an attraction	3,793	5.7
	Running	2,754	4.1
	Informal games and sport	2,739	4.1
	Beach activites	2,444	3.7
	Picnicking	1,646	2.5
	Road cycling	1,606	2.4
	Enjoying scenery	1,602	2.4
	Watching wildlife	1,531	2.3
	Off road cycling	1,118	1.7
	Swimming	809	1.2
	Horse riding	618	0.9
	Fishing	363	0.5
	Water sports	253	0.4
	Field sports	144	0.2
	Off road driving	121	0.2

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. Sum of totals is more than 100% as visits could have included more than one type of activity. N = 1,431.

Again low underlying sample sizes (see below) mean the weighted volumes of visits for all activities undertaken should be treated with caution.

Activities undertaken during visits to the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Activity	Walking without a dog	525	36.7
	Walking with a dog	398	27.8
	Playing with children	168	11.7
	Eating or drinking out	112	7.8
	Visiting an attraction	86	6.0
	Informal games and sport	58	4.1
	Running	51	3.6
	Beach activities	48	3.4
	Enjoying scenery	37	2.6
	Picnicking	34	2.4
	Watching wildlife	34	2.4
	Road cycling	33	2.3
	Off road cycling	21	1.5
	Swimming	18	1.3
	Horse riding	13	.9
	Fishing	8	.6
	Water sports	6	.4
	Field sports	3	.2
	Off road driving	3	.2

Walking, playing with children and eating and drinking out emerged as the top activities, a finding that is consistent with those from the national survey.

Visits Timeseries

Visits to the South Downs National Park area by quarter: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency
Quarter beginning	Mar-09	163
	Jun-09	124
	Sep-09	98
	Dec-09	100
	Mar-10	150
	Jun-10	112
	Sep-10	130
	Dec-10	106
	Mar-11	133
	Jun-11	116
	Sep-11	102
	Dec-11	97
	Total	1,431

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 1,431.

Quarterly sample sizes mean it is difficult to detect with any certainty, any definitive effect on the numbers visiting the park after the changes at the latter end of 2009.

Visits Previous Year

General propenstiy to visit the natural environment over the previous year - SDNP residents: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Visits	More than once per day	17	2.1
	Every day	94	11.9
	Several times a week	275	34.7
	Once a week	179	22.6
	Once or twice a month	117	14.8
	Once every 2-3 months	35	4.4
	Once or twice	43	5.4
	Never	32	4.0
	Total	792	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N = 792.

General propenstiy to visit over the previous year - South Downs National Park residents: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Visits	Frequent	565	71.3
	Infrequent	195	24.6
	Non-participants	32	4.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. Categories formed as follows: "Frequent" = visit at least once per week; "Infrequent" = visit once or twice a month, once every 2-3 months, or once or twice; "Never" = no visits. N = 792.

Almost three quarters of SDNP respondents claimed to have visited the natural environment at least once a week, but four percent claimed not to have taken visits over the previous year at all.

Visits Previous Year Demographic

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by gender: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Gender	Male	Count	255	97	15	367
	Male	% within Gender	69.5	26.4	4.1	100.0
	Female	Count	310	98	17	425
	Female	% within Gender	72.9	23.1	4.0	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within Gender	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

No differences between the gender profile for general propensity to visit the natural environment amongst SDNP respondents.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by age: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Age	16-24	Count	82	18	1	101
	16-24	% within Age	81.2	17.8	1.0	100.0
	25-34	Count	79	25	2	106
	25-34	% within Age	74.5	23.6	1.9	100.0
	35-44	Count	107	20	0	127
	35-44	% within Age	84.3	15.7	.0	100.0
	45-54	Count	76	31	3	110
	45-54	% within Age	69.1	28.2	2.7	100.0
	55-64	Count	84	35	4	123
	55-64	% within Age	68.3	28.5	3.3	100.0
	65+	Count	137	66	22	225
	65+	% within Age	60.9	29.3	9.8	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within Age	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

Younger age groups more likely to be frequent visitors; older age groups more likely to be non-participants. Beware of very low sample sizes in some of the cells however.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by Social Grade: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Social Grade	AB	Count	170	35	8	213
	AB	% within SEG	79.8	16.4	3.8	100.0
	C1	Count	175	60	3	238
	C1	% within SEG	73.5	25.2	1.3	100.0
	C2	Count	115	45	5	165
	C2	% within SEG	69.7	27.3	3.0	100.0
	DE	Count	105	55	16	176
	DE	% within SEG	59.7	31.3	9.1	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within SEG	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

Relationship between Social Grade and general tendency to visit the natural environment is evident. Again low sample sizes especially in the non-participant category hamper analysis.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by working status: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Working status	Full time	Count	213	82	3	298
	Full time	% within WORKING STATUS	71.5	27.5	1.0	100.0
	Part time	Count	77	15	4	96
	Part time	% within WORKING STATUS	80.2	15.6	4.2	100.0
	Retired	Count	164	72	22	258
	Retired	% within WORKING STATUS	63.6	27.9	8.5	100.0
	In Education	Count	40	7	0	47
	In Education	% within WORKING STATUS	85.1	14.9	.0	100.0
	Not working	Count	71	19	3	93
	Not working	% within WORKING STATUS	76.3	20.4	3.2	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within WORKING STATUS	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by disability: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Disability	Yes	Count	79	57	14	150
	Yes	% within DISABILITY	52.7	38.0	9.3	100.0
	No	Count	486	138	18	642
	No	% within DISABILITY	75.7	21.5	2.8	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within DISABILITY	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

Relationship between disability status and general tendency to visit the natural environment is evident. Again low sample sizes especially in the non-participant category hamper analysis.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by presence of children in the household: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Children in household	Any	Count	168	33	2	203
	Any	% within CHILDREN IN H/HOLD	82.8	16.3	1.0	100.0
	None	Count	397	162	30	589
	None	% within CHILDREN IN H/HOLD	67.4	27.5	5.1	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within CHILDREN IN H/HOLD	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

The presence of children in ht household generally increases the likelihood that visits will be taken frequently.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by household size: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Household size	1	Count	112	51	9	172
	1	% within HOUSEHOLD SIZE	65.1	29.7	5.2	100.0
	2	Count	201	82	14	297
	2	% within HOUSEHOLD SIZE	67.7	27.6	4.7	100.0
	3	Count	112	24	5	141
	3	% within HOUSEHOLD SIZE	79.4	17.0	3.5	100.0
	4	Count	95	25	2	122
	4	% within HOUSEHOLD SIZE	77.9	20.5	1.6	100.0
	5+	Count	45	13	2	60
	5+	% within HOUSEHOLD SIZE	75.0	21.7	3.3	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within HOUSEHOLD SIZE	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by Index of Multiple Deprivation: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
IMD	Bottom 10%	Count	11	3	0	14
	Bottom 10%	% within IMD	78.6	21.4	.0	100.0
	Mid 11% to 89%	Count	407	152	25	584
	Mid 11% to 89%	% within IMD	69.7	26.0	4.3	100.0
	NA	Count	2	0	0	2
	NA	% within IMD	100.0	.0	.0	100.0
	Top 10%	Count	145	40	7	192
	Top 10%	% within IMD	75.5	20.8	3.6	100.0
Total		Count	565	195	32	792
Total		% within IMD	71.3	24.6	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

Impossible to draw any firm conclusions since there are so few respondents from the bottom 10% IMD areas of the country in the sample.

General frequency of visits to the natural environment by ethnicity: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Frequency			Total
			Frequent	Infrequent	Non-participants	Total
Ethnicity	White	Count	547	190	30	767
	White	% within White	71.3	24.8	3.9	100.0
	BME	Count	17	5	2	24
	BME	% within BME	70.8	20.8	8.3	100.0
Total		Count	564	195	32	791
Total		% within ethnicity	71.3	24.7	4.0	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. N=792.

Impossible to draw any firm conclusions since there are so few respondents from BME groups represented in the sample.

Barriers

SDNP resident's reasons for not visiting the general natural environment more often: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Barriers	Poor health	27	24.5
	Old age	24	21.8
	Physical disability	22	20.0
	Too busy at work	22	20.0
	Too busy at home	15	13.6
	No particular reason	10	9.1
	Not interested	8	7.3
	Other caring responsibility	8	7.3
	Prefer other leisure activities	6	5.5
	Bad/poor weather	3	2.7
	Have young children	3	2.7
	Other caring responsibility	3	2.7
	No access to a car	3	2.7
	Don't like going on my own	2	1.8
	Too expensive	2	1.8
	Pregnant	1	.9
	Not something for me	1	.9

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area. Sum of totals is more than 100% as answers could have included more than one type of barrier. Question asked of respondents whose general propensity to visit the natural environment during the previous year was once or twice a month or less often. N = 110.

Results generally consistent with those from the national survey. However, low sample sizes render analysis by demographic sub-groups unsound.

Distance Transport

Distance travelled during visits to the SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Distance	Less than 1 mile	465	32.5
	1 or 2 miles	441	30.8
	3 to 5 miles	242	16.9
	6 to 10 miles	151	10.6
	11 to 20 miles	78	5.5
	21 to 40 miles	43	3.0
	41 to 60 miles	10	.7
	61 to 80 miles	1	.1
	Total	1,431	100.0

Over three quarters of visits taken by SDNP respondents to locations in the SDNP study area are within five miles of the start point not unexpected.

Transport types used during visits to the SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Valid	Car/van	486	34.0
	Train	16	1.1
	Public bus or coach	41	2.9
	Coach trip/private coach	2	.1
	Motorcycle/ scooter	3	.2
	Bicycle/ mountain bike	63	4.4
	On foot/ walking	808	56.5
	Wheelchair/mobility scooter	4	.3
	On horseback	2	.1
	Taxi	1	.1
	Other	5	.3
	Total	1,431	100.0

The prevalence of walking as the main means of transport is not surprising given the close-to-home profile of visits seen in the table above.

Transport types used during visits to the SDNP area by distance travelled: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

			Distance								Total
			Less than 1 mile	1 or 2 miles	3 to 5 miles	6 to 10 miles	11 to 20 miles	(30.5) 21 to 40 miles	41 to 60 miles	61 to 80 miles	Total
Transport	Car/van	Count	33	109	123	112	64	37	7	1	486
	Car/van	% within Transport	6.8	22.4	25.3	23.0	13.2	7.6	1.4	.2	100.0
	Train (includes tube/underground)	Count	0	0	1	6	4	3	2	0	16
	Train (includes tube/underground)	% within Transport	.0	.0	6.3	37.5	25.0	18.8	12.5	.0	100.0
	Public bus or coach (scheduled service)	Count	0	16	10	10	3	2	0	0	41
	Public bus or coach (scheduled service)	% within Transport	.0	39.0	24.4	24.4	7.3	4.9	.0	.0	100.0
	Bicycle/ mountain bike	Count	6	22	21	9	4	0	1	0	63
	Bicycle/ mountain bike	% within Transport	9.5	34.9	33.3	14.3	6.3	.0	1.6	.0	100.0
	On foot/ walking	Count	424	289	83	10	2	0	0	0	808
	On foot/ walking	% within Transport	52.5	35.8	10.3	1.2	.2	.0	.0	.0	100.0
Total		Count	465	441	242	151	78	43	10	1	1431
Total		% within Transport	.3	.3	.2	.1	.1	.0	.0	.0	1.0

Motivations

Visits to specific places in the South Downs National Park area: MENE 2009-2012 - unweighted

		Frequency	Percent
Motivations	Health or excercise	108	35.9
	Relax and unwind	94	31.2
	Fresh air or to enjoy pleasent weather	80	26.6
	Walk a dog	80	26.6
	Enjoy scenery	68	22.6
	Entertain children	51	16.9
	Spend time with family	49	16.3
	Spend time with friends	41	13.6
	Be somewhere I like	41	13.6
	Peace and quiet	40	13.3
	Watch wildlife	30	10.0
	Challenege myself	17	5.6
	Other	10	3.3
	To learn something new	5	1.7

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. Sum of totals is more than 100% as visits could have included more than one type of motivation.

Visiting for reasons of well-being features prominently in the motivations for visit-taking. Dog walking as a motivation is around half that which appears in the national survey (usually around half of all visits are motivated by the need to exercise a dog).

Outcomes

Outcomes of visits taken to SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

I enjoyed it		Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent
Response	Strongly agree	55	48.2	48.2
	Agree	58	50.9	99.1
	Neither agree nor disagree	1	.9	100.0
	Total	114	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 114

Outcomes of visits taken to SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

It made me feel calm and relaxed		Frequency	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Response	Strongly agree	36	31.6	31.6
	Agree	68	59.6	91.2
	Neither agree nor disagree	7	6.1	97.4
	Disagree	2	1.8	99.1
	Strongly disagree	1	.9	100.0
	Total	114	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 114

Outcomes of visits taken to SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

It made me feel refreshed and revitalised		Frequency	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Response	Strongly agree	32	28.1	28.1
	Agree	68	59.6	87.7
	Neither agree nor disagree	8	7.0	94.7
	Disagree	5	4.4	99.1
	Strongly disagree	1	.9	100.0
	Total	114	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 114

Outcomes of visits taken to SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

I took time to appreciate my surroundings		Frequency	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Response	Strongly agree	40	35.1	35.1
	Agree	64	56.1	91.2
	Neither agree nor disagree	3	2.6	93.9
	Disagree	7	6.1	100.0
	Total	114	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 114

Outcomes of visits taken to SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

I learned something new about the natural world		Frequency	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Response	Strongly agree	9	7.9	7.9
	Agree	36	31.6	39.5
	Neither agree nor disagree	26	22.8	62.3
	Disagree	38	33.3	95.6
	Strongly disagree	5	4.4	100.0
	Total	114	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 114

Outcomes of visits taken to SDNP area: MENE 2009-12 - unweighted

I felt close to nature		Frequency	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Response	Strongly agree	25	21.9	21.9
	Agree	59	51.8	73.7
	Neither agree nor disagree	18	15.8	89.5
	Disagree	12	10.5	100.0
	Total	114	100.0

Note: only includes respondents from the SDNP study area who took visits to the SDNP study area. N = 114