Spatial, temporal, and motivational changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a nature-based leisure activity - A global survey of birders

Christoph Randler; Jukka Jokimäki; Maria de Salvo; Renan de Almeida Barbosa; Naomi Staller; Piotr Tryjanowski; Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki; Jo-Szu Tsai; Raúl Ortiz-Pulido; Arash Rahafar; Laura Giuffrida

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107483

Spatial, temporal, and motivational changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a nature-based leisure activity - A global survey of birders

iScience. 2023 Jul 27;26(8):107483. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107483. eCollection 2023 Aug 18.

Affiliations

¹ Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 24, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
² Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland.
³ Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
⁴ Graduate Program in Science Education, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
⁵ Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
⁶ Department of Life Science Systems, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
⁷ Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany.
⁸ Department of Biological Resources, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan.
⁹ Population Ecology Laboratory, Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, Pachuca, Mexico.

Abstract

Birdwatchers contribute an immense amount of data to citizen science databases. Thus, birding is important from the leisure perspective and from nature conservation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we studied birdwatchers on a global scale in over 50 countries by applying the model of behavior change, which focuses on changes in opportunity (spatial, temporal), motivation, and capability (avoidance behavior). The sample consisted of 5051 participants (3437 men, 1575 women, mean age 49 years). Birders changed their spatial behavior to more local birding and to avoidance behavior by choosing different places and different clock times. Concerning motivation, being outdoors showed the highest increase and being with friends the strongest decrease. Higher specialized birders experienced a stronger shift toward regional birding. Birders that focused on new, local, or unrewarding places experienced an increase in motivation. Our study empirically supports the behavior change model and highlights the need to address the heterogeneity of the recreationists.

Keywords: Physical activity; Social sciences.