Welsh speakers report stronger connection to nature in survey

People who identify as Welsh speakers reported a stronger connection to nature in a survey of 2,000 people across Wales, according to Bangor University. The university says the difference remained after researchers accounted for age, gender, socioeconomic group and region. Its account of the study reports a 15.7% stronger connection among Welsh speakers than among people who do not speak the language. That is a comparison of survey responses, not proof that speaking Welsh produces the difference.

Language, landscape and belonging

The research looked at how language relates to people’s connection with nature and attachment to place. Bangor describes the sample as nationally representative and says it included people with different Welsh-language abilities. Professor Thora Tenbrink led the work with colleagues at Bangor, Reading and Cambridge. The university says the paper appears in Cogent Arts & Humanities. The research grew from Public Map, a project helping Anglesey communities create digital maps of what matters in their local areas. Tenbrink suggests that linking Welsh learning with local place names and the environment could make lessons more relevant to young people.

What the survey cannot explain

The researchers say the survey cannot establish why the association exists. Cultural identity, the meanings carried by language and place names, where people live and their access to landscapes could all contribute. The university’s summary does not provide the full questionnaire, response scale, fieldwork dates or uncertainty estimates. Cover has read that summary, but could not access the full paper. The finding should be read as an association reported by the research team, with those methodological details still to examine.