sense of 'being there' in VR linked to higher likelihood of actually attending the hiking tour
Exact: ρ=.37
Participants' sense of presence ('being there') correlated with actual attendance at the hiking tour
Beyond self-reported intentions, the subjective sense of presence in the virtual nature environment predicted real-world behavior: those who felt more immersed were more likely to physically attend the organised hiking tour. This points to presence as a key mechanism linking virtual nature experiences to actual nature engagement.
The participants' changes in nature connectedness (ρ=0.35; P =.03) and attendance on the hiking tour (ρ=.37; P =.02) correlated with the presence item "being there."
Related findings
1.52×
Less greenspace linked to higher odds of cases accepted for child protective services
Census blocks with <10% greenspace had 1.52× the odds of a case being accepted for CPS services compared to blocks with >30% greenspace
Yuan He et al., 2024, Child Abuse & Neglect
1.52×
Less greenspace linked to higher odds of substantiated child maltreatment reports
Census blocks with <10% greenspace had 1.52× the odds of a substantiated CPS report compared to blocks with >30% greenspace
Yuan He et al., 2024, Child Abuse & Neglect
16.1%
nature exposure around schools offers the highest financial return of all interventions tested
Nature exposure achieved the highest return on investment at 16.1% with a 6.2-year payback period
Yingjie Li et al., 2026, SSRN Electronic Journal
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