Abstract
The progress of urbanization has drawn renewed attention to the importance of contact with nature. This study investigated the effects of contact with nature on five dimensions of subjective well-being. Participants were residents in a suburb of Yokohama. They responded to a questionnaire with items regarding the extent of their contact with nature, activity in the community, sense of community, place attachment, and five dimensions of subjective well-being. Both contact with nature and positive recognition of community were significantly correlated with all five dimensions of subjective well-being. A simple linear regression analysis with contact with nature as the independent variable indicated significant partial regression coefficients for all five dimensions of subjective well-being. A multiple linear regression analysis with contact with nature and positive recognition of the community as independent variables indicated significant partial regression coefficients of contact with nature on one dimension, and positive recognition on four dimensions of subjective well-being respectively. It is concluded that contact with nature contributes to subjective well-being among residents, mainly through the enhanced positive recognition of the community.
