Black people are almost four times as likely as white people to have no access to gardens, patios or balconies.
That’s according to new data released by the ONS out today, which shows that one in eight homes in Britain has no garden.
Access to outdoor space – which studies have shown can benefit mental health – has become even more crucial during lockdown, as people have been forced to remain at home.
However, the new data shows there are large regional and demographic differences across Britain when it comes to accessing outdoor space.
Some 37% of black people have no access to outdoor space at home, compared to just 10% of white people.
And the ONS found that people in “semi-skilled” and “unskilled” manual occupations, casual workers and those who are unemployed were almost three times as likely to have no garden compared to those in managerial, administrative, or professional jobs.
Londoners also lose out: more than a fifth (21%) of homes in the capital have no access to a private or shared garden.
The gardens that do exist in London are also the smallest in the country – 197m2 on average, compared to 332m2 across Britain as a whole.
However, those in the capital are most likely to have a park nearby – with 44% of Londoners living within a five-minute walk of a park, compared to 28% of people across Britain.
