Table 2.
Nature-related concepts derived from associative words provided by survey respondents (n = 666). The concepts are grouped according to corresponding ideas of nature that summarize the respondents' nature definitions (n = 668), in the order of rough prevalence. Frequency refers to the number of associative words related to each concept, including words with shared root forms and/or meaning (see Appendix S3), as exemplified in the third column. To shorten the table, 43 concepts based on one to two mentions (freq. = 1–2) are omitted
| Concept | Freq | Examples of words in data | Idea of nature as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diversity | 134 | Diverse, diversity, varying, complex, different, forms | Ecological elements (24 related concepts) |
| Plants | 100 | Plants, vegetation, berries, moss, flowers, grass, photosynthesis | |
| Animals | 96 | Animals, birds, mammals, fishes, reptile, fauna | |
| Water | 95 | Water, waterways, lakes, sea, stream, wet, dew | |
| Forest | 78 | Forest, wooded, grove, spruce forest, pine forest, forestry | |
| Trees | 60 | Tree(s), deadwood, pine, spruce, birch, aspen, linden, oak, apple, cherry, resin | |
| Landscape | 34 | Landscape(s), view, picturesque, terrain, hill, ravines, mountain(s), countryside | |
| Mire | 24 | Mire(s), bog, fen | |
| Rock | 21 | Rock(s), cliff, block field | |
| Weather | 20 | Weather, rain, fog, storm, thunder, clouds, clearness | |
| Fungi | 19 | Mushroom(s), fungi | |
| Insects | 18 | Insect(s), bugs, butterflies, mosquitos, flies, horseflies, dragonflies, ants, ant hill | |
| Ground | 13 | Soil, ground, sediment | |
| Meadow | 9 | Meadow(s) | |
| Shore | 9 | Shore, beach, reedstand | |
| Field | 8 | Field(s), crops | |
| Fjell | 8 | Fjell(s) | |
| Organisms | 8 | Organism(s), species, biota | |
| Habitat | 6 | Habitat | |
| Climate | 5 | Climate | |
| Island | 4 | Island, archipelago | |
| Microbes | 4 | Microbes, bacteria, viruses | |
| Lichens | 3 | Lichen, beard moss | |
| Park | 3 | Park(s) | |
| Beauty | 204 | Beauty, beautiful, aesthetic, admirable, wonderful | Sensed and valued (21 related concepts) |
| Greenness | 157 | Green, greenness, lush, verdant | |
| Silence | 69 | Silence, silent, quiet | |
| Sound | 62 | Sounds, sighing of trees/wind, rustle, birdsong, waves lapping, water tinkling | |
| Scent | 56 | Scent(s), fragrant, smell | |
| Colors | 45 | Colors, colorful, blaze of color, fall colors, blue, purple, white, grey | |
| Closeness | 33 | Friend, close, own, personal, private, lap, approachable, pleasant | |
| Love | 24 | Dear, love, gentle, endearing | |
| Touch | 21 | Soft, warmth, cold, prickly, hard, hot, dry, feel | |
| Goodness | 16 | Good, goodness, nice, ok, positive, caressing | |
| Fear | 14 | Scary | |
| Light | 14 | Light, bright, dusk, sunshine, sun, moon, stars | |
| Senses | 14 | Senses, sensuous, perceptible, look, see | |
| Joy | 12 | Joy, gratefulness, pleasant, amiable, exhilarating, entertaining | |
| Worry | 11 | Worry, stress, restlessness, depression, solicitude | |
| Feeling | 5 | Emotional, feeling(s) | |
| Happiness | 5 | Happiness | |
| Ease | 4 | Easy, easily | |
| Hope | 3 | Hope | |
| Liking | 3 | Like | |
| Shadow | 3 | Shadow(s) | |
| Surprise | 128 | Surprising, unpredictable, miraculous, incredible, unknown, secret |
Essence of life (13 related concepts) |
| Life | 127 | Living, life, vitality, vibrant, provider, biotic, organic | |
| Continuity | 100 | Age-old, eternal, time, continuous, permanence, origin, death, reproduction | |
| Strength | 71 | Strength, strong, empowering, force, powerful, energy | |
| Vastness | 51 | Space, open, infinity, vast, wide, high, large, deep, emptiness, sky, feeling small | |
| Being | 36 | Is, would, be, subsistent, present, presence, essential | |
| Inspiration | 35 | Interesting, fascinating, inspiring, invitation, calling, curiosity, creativity | |
| Richness | 25 | Richness, rich, abundant, abundance | |
| Balance | 24 | Balance, harmony | |
| Respect | 18 | Respect, respectful, majestic, mighty, sovereign, sublime, stunning, grandness | |
| Sacredness | 17 | Sacred, deity, temple, church, creator, devotion | |
| Spirit | 7 | Spirit, spiritual | |
| Wisdom | 3 | Wise | |
| Change | 135 | Changing, renewing, seasons, cycles, adaptation, growth |
Living systems (7 related concepts) |
| Connection | 51 | Connection, connective, common, network, rootedness, impact, interaction | |
| Place | 17 | Place(s), site, location, region, area | |
| Action | 15 | Function, action, acting, actively, practicing | |
| System | 9 | Ecosystem, system | |
| Environment | 7 | Environment, surrounding | |
| World | 4 | World, earth, globe, Gaia | |
| Value | 110 | Important, crucial, priceless, valuable, intrinsic value, best |
Wild and free (6 related concepts) |
| Wilderness | 61 | Wild, wilderness, untamed, uncontrollable, unoccupied | |
| formidability | 60 | Rough, harsh, austerity, dangerous, menacing, rugged, atrocious, merciless | |
| Freedom | 56 | Free, freedom, freely | |
| Vulnerability | 47 | Vulnerable, wounded, needing protection, threatened, fragile, sensitive, victim | |
| Wrongdoing | 4 | Undervalued, misunderstood | |
| Peace | 337 | Peace, peaceful, soothing, meditative, tranquil, rest |
Source of wellbeing (5 related concepts) |
| Purity | 155 | Pure, purity, purgative, fresh, freshness | |
| Wellbeing | 70 | Refreshing, stimulating, healing, nurturing, therapeutic, wellbeing | |
| Safety | 69 | Safe, shelter, refuge, approval, familiar, home, mother, cradle | |
| Movement | 14 | Movement, wanderer, walk, roll | |
| Integrity | 170 | Independent, unworked, whole, entire, complete |
Related to culture (5 related concepts) |
| Nature | 50 | Nature, natural, naturalness, organic, native | |
| Human | 45 | Human, people, us, mind, body, thought, observation, opinion, consciuos, intellect | |
| Meaning | 5 | Meaning, figurative, defining | |
| Particularity | 4 | Particular, details, detailed | |
| Giving | 48 | Give, giving, giver, generous, fulfilling, enabler, possibility, rewarding |
Provider for people (5 related concepts) |
| Air | 45 | Air, oxygen, oxygenous, wind, atmosphere | |
| Breathing | 17 | Breath, breathing, breath-taking, lungs | |
| Nutriment | 16 | Nutriment, nutrition, food, nourishing, fishing, hunting, collectables, food chain | |
| Receiving | 16 | Benefit, use, want, need, demanding, productive, exploitable, ecosystem services | |
| Dualism | 26 | No-/not-/non-, other(s), outside, alien, dichotomy | Unbuilt environment (3 related concepts) |
| Path | 14 | Paths(s), routes, way, duckboards | |
| Building | 3 | Build, building(s) |