Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an increased connection to nature (CNS) would be associated with improved quality of life (QOL), present and future, and stress.

A questionnaire was given to 196 students enrolled in a required health course, and then analyzed through several chi-square tests. The questionnaire included Mayer and Frantz’s Connectedness to Nature Survey, the Cantril Self-Anchoring Scale, and a list of thirteen items that may have caused subjects “a significant amount of stress” in the past thirty days.

             No correlation was found between CNS and present or future QOL. Academics was the most reported stressor of the college students, with 87.8% (N=172) of participants citing it as a source of stress. Students with a high CNS were 10% less likely to report it.

            Interestingly, daily and college related finances showed the opposite relationship. Students with a high CNS score were 15% more likely to say they experienced stress related to daily finances and paying for college.

It is possible that because many college students often find themselves spending their time working indoors, (studying, part-time jobs) they are unable to make time for outdoor pursuits. Secondly, because experiences that allow us to become closer to nature often require money (time off work, camping equipment, travel expenses), students are not yet in a financial place to afford these expenses.