StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada
Access and use of parks and green spaces: The potential impact of COVID-19 on Canadian households
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by Gordon Dewis
Among other physical distancing measures taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19, one of the first responses taken by various levels of government was the closure of parksNote to the public. While necessary, these restrictions may adversely impact the physical and mental health of people who are not able to visit them. Considering that a growing body of research has noted the beneficial association between access to parks and green spaces and one’s mental health, these spaces play an important role in the lives of Canadians. (Houlden, et al. 2018) (Vanaken and Danckaerts 2018)
Within this context, many Canadian households make use of parks and green spaces, especially when they are close to their homes. The reasons for this are varied; however, all contribute in some way to the mental and physical well-being of Canadians. Limited access has the potential to negatively impact health, particularly when other stressors exist in a person’s life.
The 2017 Households and the Environment Survey included questions about a household’s access to and use of parks and public green spaces, both those close to homeNote and elsewhere. Examining the responses to these questions in terms of socio-demographic variables such as location, household composition and dwelling type may provide some insight into how much of an impact the restrictions due to COVID-19 may have on Canadian households.
Proximity to and use of parks and public green spaces
Most Canadian households reported having a park within a ten-minute journey of their home in 2017 (87%). Of those households that reported this, 85% reported that they had visited it within the previous twelve months.
Data table for Chart 1
| 2017 | |
|---|---|
| percent | |
| Canada | 87 |
| Large urban centres (CMAs) | 90 |
| Cities and towns (CAs) | 85 |
| Rural areas and small towns | 75 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Households and the Environment Survey (2017) | |
There are some households (13%) that reported they did not have a park or green space close to home. Of these, 39%Note reported that they visited a park or green space nevertheless, during the previous twelve months.
In urban areas, where parks serve as the predominant nearby green space, restrictions to access may be felt more acutely. The higher the urban density of where a household lived, the more likely the household was to report having a park close to home. Ninety percent of households in large urban centresNote reported having a park close to home, compared to 85% of households in cities and townsNote , and 75% of households in rural areas and small townsNote .
Households with children
Families with childrenNote may find the restrictions on access to parks due to COVID-19 particularly challenging if a park was used regularly as a venue for outdoor play and activities. Of the households with children that reported a park close to home in 2017, 95% visited the park. In comparison, only 82% of households without children that were near a park visited it.
Data table for Chart 2
| Had a park or public green space close to home | Visited a park or green space close to home (% of households close to a park) | |
|---|---|---|
| percent | ||
| All households | 87 | 85 |
| Children in household | 90 | 95 |
| No children in household | 86 | 82 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Households and the Environment Survey (2017) | ||
Household income
How likely a household reported a park close to home was related to the household’s total annual income. The higher a household’s total annual income, the more likely it was to have a park or public green space close to where they lived in 2017. About three-quarters (76%) of households with an income of less than $20,000 per year reported having access to a nearby park, compared to 95% of households with an annual income of $150,000 or more. Similarly, the likelihood that a household with a nearby park had visited that park ranged from 73% of households in the lowest income bracket to 94% in the highest bracket.
Data table for Chart 3
| Had a park or public green space close to home | Visited a park or green space close to home (% of households close to a park) | |
|---|---|---|
| percent | ||
| Less than $20,000 (includes income loss) | 76 | 73 |
| $20,000 to less than $40,000 | 83 | 76 |
| $40,000 to less than $60,000 | 87 | 81 |
| $60,000 to less than $80,000 | 90 | 88 |
| $80,000 to less than $100,000 | 91 | 85 |
| $100,000 to less than $150,000 | 94 | 92 |
| $150,000 or more | 95 | 94 |
| Not stated | 75 | 81 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Households and the Environment Survey (2017) | ||
In the absence of having access to a park as a result of COVID-19 physical isolation measures, households with a lawn or area with grass around their property may have been able to use it for limited outdoor activity, in lieu of a park. Of all households, those with an income of less than $20,000 per year were less likely to have a lawn as part of their property (40%), compared to 86% of households earning $150,000 or more per year.
Data table for Chart 4
| 2017 | |
|---|---|
| percent | |
| Canada | 70 |
| Less than $20,000 (includes income loss) | 40 |
| $20,000 to less than $40,000 | 57 |
| $40,000 to less than $60,000 | 63 |
| $60,000 to less than $80,000 | 68 |
| $80,000 to less than $100,000 | 78 |
| $100,000 to less than $150,000 | 84 |
| $150,000 or more | 86 |
| Not stated | 67 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Households and the Environment Survey (2017) | |
| Had a park close to homeTable 1 Note 1 | Visited a park close to homeTable 1 Note 2 | No parks close to homeTable 1 Note 1 | Visited a distant parkTable 1 Note 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| percent | ||||
| All households | 87 | 85 | 13 | 39 |
| Large urban centres (CMAs) | 90 | 86 | 10 | 37 |
| Cities and towns (CAs) | 85 | 84 | 15 | 47 |
| Rural and small towns | 75 | 80 | 25 | 38 |
| Tenure | ||||
| Home owned by a household member | 87 | 85 | 13 | 41 |
| Home not owned by a household member | 86 | 85 | 14 | 34 |
| Dwelling type | ||||
| Single detached home | 87 | 85 | 13 | 44 |
| Semi-detached, row | 87 | 88 | 13Note E: Use with caution | 25Note E: Use with caution |
| Apartments | 88 | 84 | 12 | 36 |
| Other | 84 | 85 | 16 | 34 |
| Household type | ||||
| Children in househould | 90 | 95 | 10 | 47 |
| Children-only | 95 | 90 | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published |
| Adult(s) plus children | 90 | 96 | 10 | 49 |
| Senior(s) plus children | 78 | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published |
| Adult(s), senior(s) and children | 92 | 88 | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published |
| No children in household | 86 | 82 | 14 | 37 |
| Adult(s) only | 89 | 84 | 11 | 45 |
| Senior(s) only | 82 | 75 | 18 | 26 |
| Adult(s) and senior(s) | 83 | 81 | 17 | 38 |
| Total annual household income | ||||
| Less than $20,000 (includes income loss) | 76 | 73 | 24 | 31Note E: Use with caution |
| $20,000 to less than $40,000 | 83 | 76 | 17 | 37 |
| $40,000 to less than $60,000 | 87 | 81 | 13 | 42 |
| $60,000 to less than $80,000 | 90 | 88 | 10Note E: Use with caution | 43Note E: Use with caution |
| $80,000 to less than $100,000 | 91 | 85 | 9 | 63 |
| $100,000 to less than $150,000 | 94 | 92 | 6 | 65 |
| $150,000 or more | 95 | 94 | 5 | 83 |
| Not stated | 75 | 81 | 25 | 22 |
|
E use with caution F too unreliable to be published
The term “park” includes “public green space”. Source: Statistics Canada, Households and the Environment Survey (2017). |
||||
| percent | |
|---|---|
| Total annual household income | |
| All households | 70 |
| Less than $20,000 (includes income loss) | 40 |
| $20,000 to less than $40,000 | 57 |
| $40,000 to less than $60,000 | 63 |
| $60,000 to less than $80,000 | 68 |
| $80,000 to less than $100,000 | 78 |
| $100,000 to less than $150,000 | 84 |
| $150,000 or more | 86 |
| Not stated | 67 |
|
Note: As a percentage of all households. Source: Statistics Canada, Households and the Environment Survey (2017). |
|
Methodology
The Households and the Environment Survey (HES) asks Canadian households about their activities and behaviours with respect to the environment. It covers a wide variety of topics including water and energy consumption and conservation, hazardous products used in the home, and the household's interactions with nature. Data from the survey are used by governments to guide policies and programs, by researchers to learn more about Canadians and by individuals to see how they compare with the rest of the country.
In 2017, the HES surveyed approximately 22,000 households between October 2017 and early-January 2018.
The target population of the 2017 HES consisted of households in Canada, excluding households located in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, households located on reserves and in other Aboriginal settlements in the provinces, and households consisting entirely of full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Institutions and households in certain remote regions were also excluded.
First conducted in 1991, the HES was subsequently conducted in 1994, 2006 and every second year starting with 2007. Some of the environmental variables from the first cycle continue to be measured, but many new topics have been introduced over the years.
References
British Columbia Government. 2020. "All BC Parks Closing." British Columbia Government News. 8 April 2020. Accessed 25 May 2020.
City of Toronto. 2020. "City of Toronto closing playgrounds and other parks amenities to stop the spread of COVID-19." City of Toronto Media Room: News Releases & Media Advisories. 25 March 2020. Accessed 8 June 2020.
Houlden, Victoria, Scott Welch, João Porto de Albuquerue, Stephen Jarvis, and Karen Rees. 2018. "The relationship between greenspace and mental wellbeing of adults: A systematic review." PLoS ONE 13 (9).
National Capital Commission. 2020. "Closure notice." NCC Twitter feed. 2 April 2020. Accessed 25 May 2020.
Parks Canada. 2020. "News release (24 March 2020)." Parks Canada. 24 March 2020. Accessed 25 May 2020.
Vanaken, Gert-Jan, and Marina Danckaerts. 2018. "Impact of green space exposure on children's and adolescents' mental health: A systematic review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15 (12).
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