Urban-rural differences in perception of trees described by parents bringing up children in Warsaw and Jedlińsk, Poland

Magdalena Wojnowska-Heciak; Magdalena Błaszczyk; Marzena Suchocka; Joanna Kosno-Jończy

doi:10.7717/peerj.8875

Urban-rural differences in perception of trees described by parents bringing up children in Warsaw and Jedlińsk, Poland

PeerJ. 2020 Apr 8:8:e8875. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8875. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Magdalena Wojnowska-Heciak^#¹, Magdalena Błaszczyk², Marzena Suchocka², Joanna Kosno-Jończy^#³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Kielce University of Technology, Kielce, Poland.
² Department of Landscape Architecture, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland.
³ Unaffiliated, Warsaw, Poland.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Parents' attitudes to trees and nature are reflected not only in their children's outdoor activity, but also in the way they perceive, learn and value the environment. One hundred and eleven respondents, divided into two groups by place of residence, assessed statements in a survey questionnaire. Two groups of questions aimed at evaluating tree benefits and disservices as perceived by urban and rural parents, and identifying their preferences concerning outdoor activity of their children. Tree benefits and disadvantages were grouped into five categories (social, economic, environmental, health and aesthetic). Both urban and rural parents presented similar attitudes to trees as well as to their children's play environments. Among 37 statements concerning tree benefits, only five revealed statistically significant differences. The most important difference appeared in the way urban and rural parents perceived the aspects of danger. Trees were not perceived as posing any risk on playgrounds for city residents, who-unlike villagers-opposed to the removal of trees from playgrounds.

Keywords: Attitudes towards trees; Parents; Preference of trees; Social survey; Sociodemographic differences.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Kielce University of Technology, Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.