Conservation organizations are increasingly aware of the need to motivate pro‐environmental behavior by connecting people with nature. However, to maximize the effectiveness of the limited resources available, there needs to be a better understanding of the variability in people's connection to nature shown at different ages. We examined connection to nature among people aged 5–75 years, using two popular measures, in a cross‐sectional UK sample, based on the hypothesis that there would be clear, age‐related patterns in people's connection to nature, with specific “breakpoints” associated with differences in feelings of connection. Data were collected across a variety of locations. Analysis of generalized additive models revealed similar age‐related patterns for both measures, with connection declining from childhood to an overall low in the mid‐teens, followed by a rise to the early 20s and reaching a plateau that lasts to the end of the lifetime. Both measures also showed that females generally had higher connection scores than males. These findings have implications for conservation action.

中文翻译：

---

年龄和与自然的联系：何时参与至关重要？

保护组织越来越意识到需要通过将人与自然联系起来来激励亲环境行为。然而，为了最大限度地发挥有限可用资源的有效性，需要更好地了解不同年龄段人们与自然联系的差异。我们在英国横断面样本中使用两种流行的测量方法检查了 5-75 岁人群与自然的联系，基于以下假设：人们与自然的联系存在明确的、与年龄相关的模式，并具有特定的“断点” ”与联系感觉的差异有关。数据是在不同地点收集的。对广义加性模型的分析揭示了两种测量的类似年龄相关模式，联系从儿童时期下降到十几岁中期的整体低谷，然后上升到 20 岁出头，并达到持续到生命末期的平台期。这两项措施还表明，女性通常比男性具有更高的联系分数。这些发现对保护行动有影响。