Examining the biophilia hypothesis through assessing children's preferences for outdoor environments and perception of nature in Beijing, China

As urbanization continues and urban landscapes evolve, children growing up in cities today are increasingly disconnected from the natural world, which can impact their well-being and quality of life. This, in turn, can threaten the possibility of a more sustainable future because a growing body of evidence suggests that childhood experiences with nature can predispose them to pro-environmental behaviours in their adult lives. This article reports on a study that explored the child-nature relationship in the context of Beijing, China, using a photo Q-sort method combined with semi-focused interviews. The study involves a sample of children ( n = 54) between the ages of 8 and 12 years living in central districts of Beijing, to explore their preferences and perceptions of nature of various environments depicted in a set of 33 stimuli photographs. The data from the photo Q-sort were subjected to principal component analysis, which identified five underlying factors related to preference and two related to naturalness, reflecting how the child respondents perceived the environments depicted in the photographs. The five components for preference were labelled “aesthetics,” “affordances,” “naturalness,” “messiness” and “challenges”, while perception of nature resulted in two factors that included more objective attributes (naturalness versus artificiality) and affective responses (harmonious versus disharmonious). Most children's loadings on the preference and perception of nature factors were intercorrelated, seemingly supporting the Biophilia Hypothesis. However, children who loaded on an “affordances” factor preferred environments they perceived as allowing them to engage in various play activities, regardless of the presence of natural elements. The findings have implications for urban planning, landscape design, and educational policy and practice that seek to conform with children's preferences and conceptions of nature in the city.