Nature and well-being in seven European cities: The moderating effect of connectedness to nature.

Well-being is transversal to different urban-related challenges such as increasing urbanization or adaptation to the effects of climate change. One possible response to these challenges is the use of nature in cities. The aim of this study is to investigate how the objective quantity of natural space near the home, the perception of these natural elements, and their perceived availability, moderated by the effect of connectedness to nature, could explain levels of well-being. A survey was conducted among a sample of 1343 participants living in seven European cities. Data were collected online via a questionnaire. Indicators of the objective quantity of urban natural space based on remotely sensed satellite imagery were also used. Regression models highlight the association between well-being and perceived amount of nature, accessibility to a community garden, and level of connectedness to nature. A moderating and negative effect of connectedness to nature on the association between the perceived quantity of nature and well-being was also identified. Perception of nature seems to be a better indicator of well-being than the objective one. Results highlight the importance of the social dimension of collective gardens in enhancing well-being. Connectedness to nature could facilitate appropriation of natural elements and its effects on well-being.

Application of Item Response Theory to the Assessment of Coping in an Environmental Risk Situation: Perspectives and Limits.

Classical test theory does not have a clear superiority over the item response theory (IRT) framework, as these approaches are meant to address different kinds of objectives. However, the use of the IRT framework makes it possible to take into account two different parameters in the assessment of coping willingness: the extent to which individuals declare that they use the different strategies and the level of difficulty of these strategies. Also, the IRT framework is strong enough to cope with inconsistent behaviors or missing data and can take into account the social, legal, and cultural influences on the ability to cope of respondents. The data set used in this study was obtained from different areas at risk from coastal flooding located in France. The sample was composed of 315 adult participants (mean age = 47; standard deviation = 15). In the present case, it appeared that just 10 items from an initial pool of 23 were sufficient to assess active and passive coping willingness because these had a good discriminatory power. Also, it appeared that the estimation of participants' level of coping willingness was linked to their risk perception and anxiety toward the risk. This result has several implications. Firstly, if the IRT calibration is well performed, IRT can be used to compare scores across assessments with different properties and difficulties/locations. Also, the maximum likelihood estimate of participants' level of active and passive coping willingness using an IRT model makes it possible to study the links between coping willingness and other factors of interest.

Impact of Place Identity, Self-Efficacy and Anxiety State on the Relationship Between Coastal Flooding Risk Perception and the Willingness to Cope.

Inhabitants of coastal areas are constantly confronted with minor or major events such as storms, erosion or flooding. This article investigates the predictors of coping willingness among citizens exposed to coastal flooding. Coping can be defined as a set of cognitive and behavioral efforts to master, reduce or tolerate a given risk and these strategies are generally regrouped into two different categories: active coping strategies oriented toward the risk to reduce or master it, and passive coping strategies focused on the reduction of internal tensions such as anxiety or fear. In this paper, we focus especially on how place identity, perceived self-efficacy, anxiety-state and coastal flooding risk perception shape both active and passive coping willingness. Data were obtained from different areas at risk of coastal flooding located in France. The sample is composed of 315 adult participants (mean age = 47; SD = 15). Two competing models were tested using path modeling. We expected a direct relation between risk perception and the willingness to cope actively and that a higher perceived self-efficacy would increase active coping willingness. Concerning passive coping strategies, we expected that a higher anxiety-state increases passive coping willingness, and that place identity would act as a mediator and increases the relation between anxiety-state and passive coping willingness. Results suggest that place identity increased when the living place is threatened and that the use of passive coping strategies also increased. Also, we demonstrated a direct relation between risk perception and active coping willingness but it appeared that self-efficacy has no effect on this relation. Model fit indices suggest the good fit of our model and Bayesian model comparison reveals a very strong evidence of the best fit of this model compared to its saturated and independent equivalents.