Two in Ten Brits Have No Access to a Suitable Outdoor Living Space  

While many people have been spending more time than ever in their gardens during lockdown, new research has revealed that two in ten Brits (19%) have been unable to make the most of the recent fine weather as they have either no access to a private outdoor space, it’s too small or it’s unsafe.

Outside space was revealed to be incredibly important to the nation, with eight in ten (79%) people choosing to spend as much time as possible in their gardens, yards, or on balconies or terraces.

However, many have found themselves stuck inside over the past eight weeks as they have no safe access to an outside space they can enjoy.

Research into UK garden/outdoor living spaces by Cox & Cox found that one in ten people in the UK (24%) only have access to a windowsill to sit out on, and 14% only have a balcony.

Six in ten (59%) people have a garden (private or shared), one in ten (10%) have a yard and 7% have a patio or decking area.

Millennials are most likely to have no suitable outdoor living space with one in three aged 25-34 (34%) only having access to a balcony or a windowsill they could sit out on, and 23% having no access to any suitable space at all.

Those aged 65+ are the most likely to have a garden (93%), followed by 88% of 55-64s, 84% 45-54s, and 79% of 35-44s.

Unsurprisingly, those in London are most likely to have a balcony (29%) or windowsill (12%) only. Just one in five (19%) residents have a large or medium-sized garden.

A huge two-third (65%) of people living in Belfast have a large garden, followed by 46% of people in Manchester.

When it comes to looking after our outside spaces, four in ten people (41%) regularly tend to their spaces to ensure they look their best. One in five (20%) admit to never doing any work in their garden, yard or patio and a quarter (26%) claim to only sometimes ’make an effort’ to maintain the space.

Unsurprisingly, those with large gardens are most likely to look after their outside space, with 60% regularly gardening and doing maintenance jobs. Only 30% of those with a yard maintain it regularly, and just 20% of those with a balcony do any gardening tasks such as watering pot plants.

When it comes to gardening skills, we are a nation with green fingers. Half of Brits (49%) would rate their gardening skills as either “excellent” or “good”, with only 9% rating their skills as ‘poor’. However, two-thirds (63%) would like to improve their gardening skills.