Survey: U.S. Gen Z Spends 25% Less Time Outdoors Than Gen X, Citing Boredom and Screens
Poll of 2,000 adults finds younger adults and city residents are increasingly disconnected from nature, though screen content can still inspire outdoor activity
A new poll commissioned by British Columbia’s tourism board found that American adults in Generation Z spend about 25% less time outdoors on weekdays than Generation X, with screen time, boredom and reluctance to go outside alone among the main barriers.
The study, conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Super, Natural British Columbia, surveyed 2,000 adults and found the average Gen Z adult reported 49 minutes of outdoor time on a weekday, compared with 65 minutes for Gen X. Nearly a quarter of Gen Zers said most of their outdoor time is spent commuting, and 67% said they could go days without leaving their homes.
Respondents identified weather (25%), not having enough hours in the day (16%), and not liking to be alone (16%) as leading reasons they avoid going outside. The survey also highlighted a generational shift in cultural exposure: social psychologist Dr. Pelin Kesebir, who is working with the tourism board, pointed to research published in Perspectives on Psychological Science showing a steady decline in references to nature in songs, books and films since the 1950s.
"Art, media, and culture both reflect and shape our lived experiences, so the nature deficit in the content we consume signals a broader and concerning disconnect from the natural world," Kesebir said. She added that tools that alter people’s "nature diet" in media could help spur real-world engagement with nature.
Parents reported mixed perceptions about how much time children spend outdoors. The average child in the poll was said to get about 56 minutes outside per day. Half of parents believed their children spend more time outdoors than they did at the same age, yet 25% of parents worried their children spend less time in nature now, and 36% cited screen time as the main barrier.
Geography also played a role: two-thirds of city residents said they could go days without leaving home. Still, the survey found a substantial number of respondents are motivated to seek outdoor experiences after seeing nature on screens: 67% said depictions of the natural world in media directly inspire them to get outside. Social media (36%), YouTube (35%) and television shows (32%) were identified as the most influential platforms.
Participants named specific programs that most encouraged outdoor interest, with Yellowstone cited by 21% of respondents, the Netflix nature series Our Planet by 16%, and the reality show Survivor by 14%. Overall, 46% of those polled felt there is a nature deficit in the media and culture they consume.
Maya Lange of Super, Natural British Columbia said the organization created a free digital tool, The Nature Rating, designed to help people assess how much nature appears in films, books, songs and other content and to encourage a stronger relationship with the outdoors. "The benefits of spending time in nature are widely known, but modern life can make it difficult, with our research showing that we’re becoming more disconnected from nature with each generation," she said.
Experts who study health and environment say regular exposure to green space is associated with physical and mental health benefits, including reduced stress and improved mood, though the poll did not measure health outcomes. The findings add to a growing body of research and media analyses suggesting cultural and technological shifts are altering how often people interact with the natural environment.
The poll’s authors and the tourism board framed The Nature Rating as a first step to reconnect audiences with nature by highlighting it in the content they already consume. The survey did not assess whether users of such tools ultimately increased time outdoors, and researchers cautioned that observational polls capture reported behavior and attitudes rather than measured activity.
Still, the data underline a persistent gap between media exposure and outdoor behavior: while many people say screen depictions of nature inspire them, a sizable portion of younger and urban populations still report limited real-world contact with natural spaces.