In the UK, we are privileged to have a wide variety of ways to experience the outdoors. 65% of the UK will intentionally spend time in outdoor spaces every two weeks. But who makes up this 65%? Who makes up the other 35%, and why are they not going outside? In the UK, the prominent class system influences many walks of life. In this blog, I explore how the UK class system affects the way people engage with the outdoors in the UK. Written from the point of view of someone who loves time outside in nature, I want to see more engagement with the outdoors from all classes. I struggled to find strong statistics that dissect the differences between each class and how they relate to the outdoors. However, through investigation, I have built a strong understanding of these differences. Through these investigations, I have found that this blog could have easily been a series of books. I have only managed to outline some findings, and I may revisit some of the ideas explored in future blogs.
The UK class system divides people into three main groups: working class, middle class, and upper class. These three groups certainly have different experiences out in the outdoors, but let’s start with how accessible the outdoors is. In 2020, a survey by Ramblers found that those who earn over £35,000 a year live within five minutes of green space, whereas less than half of those earning £15,000 have the same access to green space. The same study showed that during Covid-19, people’s value for the outdoors increased as the benefits of spending time outside became more apparent.
The first big barrier the working class faces when it comes to spending time outside is accessibility. Having to travel further to get to outdoor space costs both time and money. Studies conducted by the UK government also support the idea that those from a higher socio-economic background spend more time outside. These studies also suggest that those from a lower-income background have less of a cultural association with spending time outside. For a long time, this disparity in spending time outside has been known, and there have been many attempts to make the outdoors more accessible.
Lots of these approaches have been aimed towards the youth, as it is widely accepted that younger people are spending increasingly less time outside. The UK education system is creating more opportunities for children to interact with the outdoors. Since the 90s, Forest Schooling has been giving children an opportunity to learn in a completely new way. The Forest School Association describes Forest Schooling as a child-centred inspirational learning process that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner-inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting. Forest Schooling is currently taking the state and private primary schools across England by storm. Forest Schooling is now available in over 200 state schools in England. Forest Schools give children opportunities to learn from and about the outdoors. However, Forest Schooling requires specialist training, so private schools are having an easier time when it comes to introducing Forest Schooling to the curriculum. Forest Schooling continues to rise in popularity and use across the UK, having many benefits for children from all classes but being more accessible to those from higher-income backgrounds.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) is where lots of young people in the UK will get their first opportunity to experience the outdoors as a hiker, a camper, a map reader. It’s an awards program with three levels (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) aimed to develop young people to be broader in skill set. One aspect of the DofE is the expedition, which involves hiking and camping skills, with each level of the award extending the length of the expedition. 2024 saw 545,910 young people participate in the program. In 2022/2023, 262 schools in the UK introduced DofE for the first time, with a staggering 98 of those coming from some of the most deprived areas in the UK. Three-quarters of the schools in the UK are now offering the award. On top of this, scout groups, youth groups, and faith groups offer DofE.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is very successful at getting young people outside and allowing them to experience nature in a whole new way. The Duke of Edinburgh Award can become expensive, especially when it comes to kit. If you need to buy new clothes, a rain jacket, and walking boots, the costs can quickly add up. Financial barriers can still get in the way of participating in DofE, making it harder for working-class young people to engage. Despite this, bursary programs aim to bridge the gap and make the award more accessible. The Duke of Edinburgh Award has vast success when it comes to getting more people outside. The expedition allows young people to experience the outdoors in a new and inspiring way. Statements on the DofE website also suggest that the award’s promotion of a more active lifestyle increases the participants’ regular outdoor activity. DofE manages to give young people a new experience of the outdoors and also encourages a lifestyle that incorporates more time spent outside.
Across the class system, people are spending more time outdoors, but often in different ways. Go Outdoors, one of the UK’s leading outdoor retailers, conducted research on the growth of outdoor activities in 2024. Interestingly, they found a significant rise in low-cost outdoor activities. Searches for nature walks grew by 53% compared to the previous year, suggesting that more people are exploring their local areas. Foraging saw a 20% increase, indicating a growing interest in the UK’s natural offerings. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have played a key role in spreading awareness of the country's natural beauty. This social media influence has led to increased participation in outdoor activities across all social classes, making the outdoors more inclusive and accessible than ever.
Walking has great popularity amongst everyone. With 76.5% of people across the UK going on a walk once a month, people seem to be united in their love of walking. However, everyone is not the same when it comes to outdoor activity. The upper class are known for their love of country sports. Currently, there are approximately 600,000 regularly taking part in shooting in the UK. The National Shooting Show 2024 had a record attendance, indicating that there is growing popularity for the sport. Interestingly, women are becoming more active in shooting, with more ethical shooting options becoming available. Shooting has become more available to middle-class members of society, which has been praised for its growing success. Other sports have seen similar success, like horse riding, which has traditionally been labelled as an upper-class sport. Stats from the British Equestrian Trade suggest the sport has also grown to be more accessible to the middle class, with an increasing interest and participation. Outdoor sports which have traditionally been loved by the upper class continue to thrive amongst the upper class, whilst middle-class participation is increasing.
All three classes engage with the outdoors through the use of recreational sport. These sports tend to differ based on socioeconomic background and how that lines up with cost of participation. Sports like football, fishing, and running are thriving in working-class areas—some of the most available sports in the UK, making for low-cost participation, often requiring little more than a pair of trainers or basic gear. The easy access gives people opportunities to spend time outdoors.
Sports like rugby, cycling, and hockey continue to be popular sports amongst the middle class. But the middle class have also seen an increase in diversity to other outdoor sports, as already seen with shooting. Post-Covid, golf has increased in popularity. More courses available without requiring a seasonal membership makes it easier to just turn up and play. With the introduction to the Olympics, rock climbing has seen a large increase in participation. Most people will train in indoor bouldering gyms; however, they take these skills outside to climb natural walls, giving people a whole new way to relate to their outdoor environment.
Camping is a personal favourite way to enjoy nature. Those who come from higher-income backgrounds tend to camp more often. In the UK, about 40% go camping once a year. Camping is more accessible to those who live amongst rural or suburban areas. Often, those who come from a lower-income background live in more urban areas, meaning they would have to travel further to be able to enjoy camping. On top of travel costs, there is the cost for kit and paying to use campsites. Similarly to DofE, there are other schemes to promote outdoor activities and make them more accessible. The Alpkit Foundation offers small grants ranging from £50 to £500 to community groups, schools, and organisations across the UK to get people outside and enjoying the beauty of the British countryside. There have also been pushes to make camping in wilder spots more accessible. CampWild offers campers the opportunity to pitch tents in previously restricted wild areas across the UK, increasing the growth in wild camping participation across the UK, allowing those that do camp to be more immersed in nature than they have been before.
It would be great to see more than 65% of people in the UK intentionally spending time outside every two weeks. The upper class and middle class tend to live closer to green spaces, making this much easier. Those in the working class tend to encounter more barriers when it comes to spending time outside. There are schemes aimed to get people outside; lots are aimed towards young people. Forest Schooling thrived in the UK since its introduction in the 90s and continues to grow in popularity. DofE has also had great success in getting people outside and experiencing nature in new ways. Both have reached people of all classes, however, they are more accessible to those outside the working class. The classes engage with the outdoors in different ways; this is most easily seen with their different interests in outdoor sports. It is encouraging to see a growing awareness of low-cost outdoor activities making the opportunities to enjoy the outdoors more accessible. Post-Covid, there seems to be a growing understanding of the benefits of spending time outdoors. Hopefully, this continues and transpires into more people falling in love with the great outdoors.
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