“What about us?”: Diversity Review evidence – part one Challenging perceptions: under-represented groups’ visitor needs (CRN94)

The Rural White Paper (2000) identified that certain groups are underrepresented amongst users of the countryside and green outdoor spaces. People from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, disabled people, young people, people who live in inner cities, women, older people and people on low income all make limited use of the countryside and green outdoor spaces. This research examined the reasons for under-representation of three key groups and found that while sharing a common representation of the countryside, their specific attitudes to dimensions of this common representation varied significantly. They all thought that making more use of the countryside would be beneficial to them, but there were significant factors limiting their access and use. These factors affected different groups in different ways and had to be understood in the context of each individual group.