Wild green spaces study from Durham University Psychology Department

12 November 2025

Sustainability

A new study from our Psychology Department has found that people prefer grass to be mown less often and would like to see more wild green spaces.

The research, which involved Jack Hughes as lead author and Dr Michael Lengieza as a co-author, involved the surveying of more than 900 residents, workers and visitors in County Durham. The results demonstrated strong public support for rewilding and other environmentally friendly land management practices, such as our No Mow May and wildflower areas on campus, provided these spaces appear neat and visually pleasing.

Read the full article here.

greenspace.students@durham.ac.uk

greenspace.staff@durham.ac.uk