Americans visit nature most to refresh their mind
Core finding
Americans go to nature mostly for what it does inside their heads: 57% say a wish to 'refresh' their brain or attention motivates their visits, with changing their mood close behind at 55%, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey.
About half (51%) go to connect with the physical environment, and 47% go to exercise. Smaller shares say visits are part of their routine (23%) or a way to connect with other people (17%), while 9% say none of these reasons applies.
Selected responses
Americans visit nature most to refresh their mind.
When you visit nature or engage with natural environments, what reasons motivate that visit?
n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.3% |
| Module | politics |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
When you visit nature or engage with natural environments, what reasons motivate that visit?
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.