Cheryl Charles, along with colleagues from the Children and Nature Network, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and many others, has recently published the most comprehensive review of research on the benefits of nature connection yet. The report comes in two versions.

The longer, more comprehensive report is called: Home to us all: How connecting with nature helps us care for ourselves and the Earth. Top level findings supported by tons of research include:

Positive, direct experiences in nature during childhood and role models of care for nature by someone close to the child are the two factors that contribute most to individuals choosing to take action to benefit the environment as adults.
People of all ages who participate in nature-based activities tend to be happier and healthier than those who do not.
Social experiences in nature foster connectedness to each other and to nature.
People who develop a sense of place are more likely to want to protect it and to oppose the degradation of the environment.
Knowledge is very important but is not enough on its own to cause people to take action to benefit nature.
Meaningful, positive experience in nature is a powerful way of developing a connection with, or love of, nature that can in turn guide people toward care for the Earth.
Connectedness to nature is a strong predictor of positive conservation behaviour.

A summary version distills things down, includes even more emphasis on recommendations and actions, and is presented in a very easy to assimilate graphic format.

Meanwhile, Steven Kellert and colleagues recently published results from a survey of over 11,000 Americans about their attitudes toward and experiences with nature. Top level findings from this Nature of Americans report include:

Americans face a significant gap between their interests in nature and their efforts, abilities, and opportunities to pursue those interests.
Experiences in nature are deeply social.
Adults and children differ in where they locate unforgettable, authentic nature.
Access to nature is as much about the quality of places as their quantity.
Americans value nature in remarkably broad, diverse ways.
Americans support nature-related programming, funding, and conservation.
Americans’ relationship with nature is complex and nuanced.
Americans perceive tremendous benefit from experiences in nature.

Taken together, these two reports provide a very strong collection of empirical findings and important policy and practice implications for anyone interested in making the case for why nature-based programming is a good thing.

New research on the benefits of nature