4.5 million unable to access nature at all, despite demand for ‘green prescriptions’

An estimated 4.5 million adults across the UK are unable to access nature at all, according to new research from Censuswide commissioned by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Those from lower income households are more than three times as likely to say they're unable to access nature at all (13%) compared with those from higher income households (4%).

Despite the barriers, 80% say that time in nature has aided their general health and wellbeing to some degree over the past year. And 76% of UK adults say they would be open to being prescribed nature by a healthcare professional, as part of a wider treatment plan.

How access to nature improves mental health

For Jordan, a young dad from Gateshead, the benefits changed the course of his life.

Jordan struggled with OCD and severe anxiety that made everyday life difficult. Leaving the house, socialising, and holding down work all became a challenge. Things only began to change when he joined North East Young Dads and Lads and was referred to Birds, Bees, Bikes & Trees, an environmental project supported by The National Lottery Community Fund.

"It was around the time of my first child being born, I was referred to the project as my OCD and anxiety was making everyday life difficult and holding down work all became a challenge," says Jordan.

"But the project gave me a reason to get outside and reconnect with people again, and it really has changed the course of my life. I'm now a trained beekeeper, employed by the charity, and I have plans for a project to put beekeeping on the school curriculum."

Evidence of nature's impact on health and wellbeing

GPs referred 1.3 million people to social prescribing in a single year, according to the most recent national analysis by researchers at UCL. Further research suggests that regular access to green space reduces GP visits by 28% and could save the health service up to £2 billion a year.

Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce people's anxiety and improve their happiness and life satisfaction, according to the findings from a landmark, two-year cross-government study published by the National Academy of Social Green Prescribing.

The National Lottery Community Fund backs projects that connect people with nature in the places that need it most, like Birds, Bees, Bikes & Trees on the banks of the Tyne, Sporting Nature across Northern Ireland, Hamiltonhill Claypits in Glasgow, or Wye Adapt reconnecting communities with the River Wye in Wales.

Sarah Jordan, Green Space for Health Director at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, says, "We know from a growing body of evidence that nature can have a measurable impact on health and wellbeing.

However, what I see time and again through my work, is that the people who face the greatest barriers to accessing green spaces are often those who experience the greatest benefits when those barriers are removed.

This new research adds to that evidence base and reinforces why continued investment in bringing nature closer to all communities is so important.

As one of the country's largest and most trusted institutions, the health system has a vital role to play in ensuring everyone has equitable access to nature and the health benefits it can provide."

Liz Watchorn, Head of Funding at The National Lottery Community Fund, says: "Your health should not depend on your postcode or your pay packet, but for too many people, it does.

We've invested over £24 million in the last two years alone into projects that help people improve their health by bringing them closer to nature, and we want to do more.

Communities know best what they need and how to make change happen, so if you've got an idea, we want to hear it."

Next steps

If you are part of a community group or organisation, find out what environmental funding is available in your area.

Notes to Editor

Research about access to nature

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 4000 nationally representative UK respondents, aged 18+.

The data was collected between 28.08.2026 - 03.09.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

Respondents were asked, 'On average, how often are you able to access nature (i.e. like a forest or woodland, large park, lake or river, beach or coastline)?'. 8.2% selected "N/A - I'm not personally able to access any nature/never. Applied to the ONS 2024 mid-year estimate of the UK population aged 18 and over (55,022,253), this is equivalent to 4,525,580 adults.

The difference between lower- and higher-income households is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (p < .05)

The findings reinforce previous government research in England showing considerable public appetite for green social prescribing.

The polling supports wider evidence from Natural England, which finds that people living in more deprived areas in England are more likely to report not having local green spaces within easy walking distance.

What is green social prescribing

The NHS defines 'green social prescribing' as the practice of supporting people to engage in nature-based interventions and activities to improve their mental and physical health. Green social prescribing includes both what is known as green and blue activities.

These could include local walking schemes, community gardening projects, conservation volunteering, green gyms, open water swimming or arts and cultural activities which take place outdoors.

These activities may be 'prescribed' by link workers (and other trusted professionals) alongside other forms of support, for example, referrals to support for housing or finances, based on the needs and circumstances of each individual.