7 Questions with Researchers Michael Barnes and Kristen Jakstis
Michael Barnes, PhD, Department of Horticulture Science, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota, and Kristen Jakstis, MSc, Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology, University of Stuttgart, recently coauthored a paper that should pique the curiosity of anyone living in colder climates.
Their paper, titled Winter–Nature Interactions Elicit Positive Sentiments in Urban Millennials: A Cross-Cultural Analysis in Minneapolis-St. Paul, USA, and Stuttgart, Germany, sheds light on a rarely investigated area. We asked them about their findings.
Can you summarize your article and what you uncovered?
The article focused on assessing the common themes and sentiments of outdoor winter experiences among millennials during both childhood and adulthood. The main motivation we had was to see if individual experiences of winter shifted from childhood to adulthood related to overall sentiment (positive, neutral, negative) and the content of those experiences (themes). Broadly, we found that outdoor winter experiences were largely positive, however, childhood experiences were more positive than adult experiences. The most common themes of outdoor winter experiences involved small group activities in which people interacted with natural elements out in nature.
Why did you select millennials for this research?
We selected millennials as a focus for this research as they are the first generation to be impacted by some of the more noticeable impacts of climate change from childhood to adulthood. In our winter-focused study this primarily involves the decreasing amount of days with snow cover and shifting precipitation from snow to rain.
What did you find notable about their interactions with nature as children versus as adults?
The most notable differences were the differences in the themes or the types of things people were engaging in during the wintertime between childhood and adulthood. In childhood, interactions were more socially focused and often involved direct contact with nature and natural elements (e.g., snow, ice). In contrast, adulthood experiences were more focused on travel related activities, and also concerns about weather (e.g., winter storms). Broadly in terms of sentiments, childhood experiences were more positive than adult winter experiences. But importantly, both childhood and adulthood outdoor winter experiences were generally positive.
Were there any differences in themes or sentiments between the two cities studied?
Related to sentiment, the Stuttgart sample was more consistent from childhood to adult versus the Minneapolis-St. Paul sample, which reported substantially more positive experiences in childhood which became more negative into adulthood. As far as specific interactions, there were a handful of unique experiences, which wasn’t too surprising. For example, individuals in Stuttgart frequently mentioned visiting Christmas markets which are a staple of the winter season in Germany. Similarly, individuals in Minneapolis-St. Paul mentioned niche sports such as broomball, which is similar to ice hockey. In terms of contrasts, individuals in Stuttgart had noticed a trend towards less snow in the winter from childhood to adulthood. Additionally, participants from Minneapolis-St. Paul reported a much higher proportion of social activities across childhood and adulthood compared to participants in Stuttgart.
Did anything in your research surprise you?
We framed the questions in the survey in the most neutral way possible, asking participants to share a "notable" outdoor winter experience as both a child and an adult. Even with this intentional neutral phrasing, we received highly vivid narratives of experiences—positive, negative, and everything in between. We were surprised, for example, by some of the very dangerous activities and experiences reported. There were a few instances of pulling sleds behind speeding vehicles (that were positively perceived!), getting lost while winter hiking in the forest, and even a very intense memory of someone’s mom jumping into a frozen lake to rescue a child that fell through the ice.
What types of interventions might emerge from this study to enhance engagement with and connection to nature?
Our results begin to unwind the narrative that winter is a miserable time of year—a time to simply be endured. In contrast, we found that in both childhood and adulthood, across both locations, people shared overwhelmingly positive experiences with wintertime. Many of these positive memories centered around social and recreational activities that are unique to winter (e.g. visiting Christmas markets, sledding with family, playing broomball). This suggests that interventions should focus on enhancing the experience of such season-specific characteristics to embrace the aspects of winter nature that make it special—ideally in a fun way that also involves building social relationships with others!
Where would you direct folks who want to read the study or more of your work in this area?
You can read this study in more detail, however, we would direct people towards our review of human-nature interactions in winter, which is open-access and provides a much more accessible introduction to the topic. If folks would like to learn more about the different ways in which people engage with urban nature in winter, you can check out this Stuttgart case study.
Michael Barnes teaches "Where People and Plants Meet: Social Dimensions of Horticulture" (APS 5105, offered each fall), an elective in the MPS in Horticulture program at the University of Minnesota. His work specializes in using interdisciplinary approaches to understand complex socio-ecological-technological systems and works at the intersection of social science, sustainability, and health.
Kristen Jakstis is a doctoral researcher at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Her work focuses on understanding human-nature interactions and relationships in urban settings from a socio-ecological perspective. She teaches urban ecology focused courses primarily for students of the international study line Integrated Urbanism & Sustainable Design and Environmental Engineering.
Banner photo courtesy of Michael Barnes
