The effect of COVID-19 on parks and greenspace use during the first three months of the pandemic – a survey study

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered the risks associated with public space. Because the virus is socially communicable, members of the general public may avoid public space. Yet, public spaces such as parks and greenspace provide stress restoration benefits that are important during times of crisis. In this study, we reviewed data from a survey asking citizens of a region in Southwestern Ontario how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their use patterns of parks and greenspaces by comparing visitation frequency three-months into the pandemic against the same time last year. Additionally, we used ordinal regression modelling to investigate whether different demographic and contextual variables interact with pandemic use patterns. Results from our analyses indicated a significant decrease in park and greenspace use three months into the pandemic, despite no governmental restrictions preventing them from doing so. Change in frequency of park and greenspace visitation was significantly predicted by gender, reason for visitation, number of people in household, and income. Regarding these effects, it is speculated that the perception of COVID-19 transmission risk overrides the perceived stress restoration benefits of parks and greenspace. Future research implications are discussed.