UK households love their home gardens
UK households love their home gardens: A survey commissioned by STIGA to YouGov reveals that UK zoomers seem to love spending time in the green room of the house, although it shows different attitudes towards gardening among the generations.
Gardens represent small ecosystems, little patches of biodiversity that require a great dose of love (and responsibility). This is why it’s important that expertise in taking care of them is passed down through generations, but how do those of us in younger age groups really feel about gardening? The second chapter of the survey “Gardens of Europe” from YouGov, commissioned by STIGA, reveals new data regarding different approaches among GenZ, millennials, GenX and boomers in the UK.
UK households love their home gardens
UK Zoomers (age 18-24) show great interest in activities related to spending time in the garden with family and enjoying the open air, the interest in actual gardening jumps significantly when the age groups move up a notch to (age 25-34) to 70%, with this age group coming out top when they were asked if they wanted to experiment by growing new plants. GenX and boomers (age 55+) remain the most invested, with nearly 8 out of 10 saying they like spending time doing gardening. There was seen to be a wide gap between GenZ and seniors’ perception of the green room of the house, with 77% of GenX and boomers showing interest in gardening and only 52% Zoomers saying the same.
What about millennials (age 25-34)? Early millennials show more interest in all activities related to the garden than their younger counterparts, with 78% in the UK (vs 64%).
Although technology and innovative tools have changed gardening – making it less hard and more enjoyable – taking care of a patch of green, especially if it’s a large one, takes time. How much time are different generations willing to spend on growing green? In the UK a wide generation gap between GenZ and seniors’ perception toward the “burden” of gardening can be seen, with 4 out of 10 British Zoomers saying it takes too much time and only 18% of GenX and boomers stating the same.
What is the perception of gardening in relation to gender roles? Is gardening still perceived as “just for men” and are Zoomers more open-minded and willing to break this stereotype? The survey reveals that GenZ’s maintain a stronger gender bias toward gardening than their senior counterparts in some countries other than the UK. The younger generations in the UK, however, seem to be less biased, with 87% saying gardening is not a strongly male activity, while 97% of seniors say the same.
A green thumb has no age… Gardening is no longer perceived as an activity for “old people”, with a general and strong agreement on this matter among all generations. Anyway, zoomers, also in this case, are less keen to bypass this conception, with British (13%) zoomers agreeing to the same question. Whilst seniors (age 55+), understandably do not think gardening is “just for old people”, with a percentage of agreement as low as 1% (UK).
Younger generations show interest in gardening-related activities and seem up to learning how to take care of a patch of green, an attitude that pairs well with GenZ’s sensibility on sustainability and climate change issues. Through the current year, STIGA and YouGov are about to release new insights on the UK’s use and perception of their patch of green, as well as on their approach and vision towards sustainability in relation to gardens and gardening: stay tuned.
For the latest industry news visit landscapingmatters.co.uk/news
Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.
You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Landscaping Matters
