Man or bear? How gender affects experiences of natural environments with varying levels of vegetation density and different danger threats

Perceived safety is a crucial aspect of environmental experiences in natural environments. While it is well established that dense vegetation and danger threats can hinder safety perceptions of natural environments, relatively little research has examined the role of gender in environmental experiences of these features during nature visits. In parallel, the recent “Man or bear” trend on social media has sparked conversation among the general public, as it appeared that women are more afraid of encountering a stranger in the woods than a bear. This study aims to explore the role of gender in perceptions of danger, fear and preferences in natural environments and how it may interact with density of vegetation and the presence of different danger threats. It is based on three experiments conducted with adults predominantly from the Southeast of England. In Studies 1 (n = 269) and 2 (n = 414) participants were shown a slide show of woodlands with varying levels of density. We examined perceptions of, and anticipated experiences in perceptions of danger, fear and preferences in natural environments with three levels of density (open, medium, and dense), with Study 2 being a replication of Study 1. Studies 1 and 2 both indicated that women were more likely to experience fear, feel at risk in natural environments than men, and more likely to express concerns about dangers. Based on the effect sizes, social dangers emerged as a key concern for women. Study 2 also found evidence that the effects of density were stronger among women than among men. In Study 3, 300 participants watched videos of woodlands under five different social and physical danger scenarios, and we assessed the impact of density and different dangers on perceptions of fear, risk and preferences. We found, again, that women felt more fearful in all environments, especially dense settings and those with social danger threats, while men's experiences were not impacted by danger threats. Overall, the results indicate that women's experiences of nature can be affected by safety concerns to a larger extent than men's, and that these concerns are related to the density of vegetation and the presence of dangers. Social threats emerged as a key barrier for women's (but not men's) enjoyment of nature, and also significantly more important than other types of dangers, including animal threats. In order to ensure nature experiences which are universally positive, it is crucial for land managers to address these safety concerns.