2025 Connect by Nature report
Understanding Americans’ Relationship with Nature
Nature is deeply woven into the fabric of American life – shaping health, well-being, and cultural identity. Across the country, people’s connections to nature are personal and powerful, rooted in family traditions, community values, and national pride.
It is important to understand Americans’ view on nature because these perspectives shape how people value, prioritize and act on environmental issues in the US. The insights in this report provide a foundation for action allowing organizations and decision-makers to inspire collective action, build public will, and create lasting change for both people and nature, ensuring nature remains a priority for future generations.
Key report insights include:
Nature is unifying – Americans deeply value time in nature, seeing it as essential to health, well-being, enjoyment, and identity. This connection cuts across age, gender, region, and politics.
- Eighty-four percent of Americans are concerned about threats to nature.
- Three out of four Americans feel nature is part of America’s cultural identity, and 64% believe it defines their region or state.
Nature is a necessity – Nature is seen as critical for both personal and societal well-being. It provides clean air and water, supports health, sustains food systems, reduces climate change, and protects wildlife.
- Seventy-two percent say spending time in nature is important for their health.
- Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe protecting nature is critical for a steady food and water supply.
- Seventy-one percent of Americans associate nature with relaxation and calm.
A concern for nature – While Americans are concerned about threats to nature, they tend to view local environments as healthier than national or global ones. Perceptions of top threats vary widely.
- Eighty-four percent of Americans are concerned about threats to nature.
- Fifty-seven percent of Americans believe that nature in the US is in a strained, critical, or catastrophic state.
Protecting nature is a shared responsibility – Most Americans believe caring for nature is a collective duty that requires action from individuals, communities, businesses, and government. People feel personally responsible but also want leadership from national and state governments.
- Seventy-three percent of Americans agree it’s a civic duty to take care of nature.
About the Research
This report is based on a nationally representative online survey of 2,000 adults in the US. The survey was designed by GlobeScan and World Wildlife Fund and made available to respondents in both English and Spanish (US). GlobeScan recruited survey respondents from nationally recognized online panels for n=2,000 adults 18+ in the US. The survey was conducted between July 11-21, 2025.
The sample is representative of online populations and weighted to reflect general population census data in terms of age, gender, education, and ethnicity. The data was weighted to reflect balanced census data and to include additional factors of political affiliation and voter status of the US population, based on census data and nationally recognized polls. Percentages are rounded to whole numbers; subgroup insights are indicative where base sizes are small.
For further information and media inquiries, please contact World Wildlife Fund – news@wwfus.org
