Plural values of nature drive support for nature restoration across Europe

Plural values of nature drive support for nature restoration across Europe | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Plural values of nature drive support for nature restoration across Europe Arjen Buijs, Sabrina Dressel, Angus Smith, Christopher Raymond, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427377/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Growing political backlash against nature restoration highlights the need to understand public values of nature. We present the first cross-national mapping of instrumental, intrinsic and relational values of nature held by citizens across 30 European countries (n = 13,763). Endorsement of all values is generally high, but also heterogeneous across countries and individuals. Moving beyond theoretical accounts of value diversity, we provide empirical evidence for a cumulative effect of values: support for nature restoration does not rely on any single value, but is significantly higher among citizens who endorse multiple value categories simultaneously. Conversely, a politically salient subgroup—young men—exhibit significantly lower value endorsement, and consequently reduced support for nature restoration. These results suggest that visible opposition coexists with widespread, underlying support. Ultimately, bundling diverse value justifications is more than an ethical requirement for inclusive transformations, it is also a promising strategy for strengthening public support for nature restoration. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Psychology and behaviour Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Government Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SUPPLEMENTARYValueplurality191225.pdf SUPPLEMENTARY Value plurality Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8427377","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":584544682,"identity":"3c61872e-eae1-4d52-92ff-5392204bdf69","order_by":0,"name":"Arjen Buijs","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Forest and nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arjen","middleName":"","lastName":"Buijs","suffix":""},{"id":584544683,"identity":"6d13ccbc-af40-4fcb-837f-14ea3ce11dba","order_by":1,"name":"Sabrina Dressel","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0675-8114","institution":"Wageningen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sabrina","middleName":"","lastName":"Dressel","suffix":""},{"id":584544684,"identity":"45fe69b0-2ee9-4bbf-84e7-cd310596ff4a","order_by":2,"name":"Angus Smith","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Forest and nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Angus","middleName":"","lastName":"Smith","suffix":""},{"id":584544681,"identity":"1246b101-fc1e-437a-82ba-6bd449a06ddd","order_by":3,"name":"Christopher Raymond","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7165-885X","institution":"University of Helsinki","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christopher","middleName":"","lastName":"Raymond","suffix":""},{"id":584544685,"identity":"db8b8c43-7e2d-400b-a12a-1795670ba269","order_by":4,"name":"Jette Jacobsen","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1313-6228","institution":"University of Copenhagen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jette","middleName":"","lastName":"Jacobsen","suffix":""},{"id":584544686,"identity":"eeed3625-2f9a-4194-98d5-d04013100af4","order_by":5,"name":"Christian Gamborg","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3150-8280","institution":"University of Copenhagen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christian","middleName":"","lastName":"Gamborg","suffix":""},{"id":584544687,"identity":"6d13d673-fd18-41d3-98f4-7d0b22703746","order_by":6,"name":"Arndt Hampe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"INRAE, University of Bordeaux, BIOGECO","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Arndt","middleName":"","lastName":"Hampe","suffix":""},{"id":584544688,"identity":"059a7082-f3ec-446d-a203-3a3c75736ee5","order_by":7,"name":"Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wageningen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sylvia","middleName":"","lastName":"Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen","suffix":""},{"id":584544689,"identity":"50f3dbb1-9367-474e-8ebc-f3a8434077c9","order_by":8,"name":"Jan Kuiper","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Stockholm University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jan","middleName":"","lastName":"Kuiper","suffix":""},{"id":584544690,"identity":"5632a709-77dc-4fc7-8e48-463324e9d92a","order_by":9,"name":"Unai Pascual","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Basque Centre for Climate Change","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Unai","middleName":"","lastName":"Pascual","suffix":""},{"id":584544691,"identity":"15929c37-eac0-4da3-a4ea-67ccb362c8dc","order_by":10,"name":"Georg Winkel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wageningen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Georg","middleName":"","lastName":"Winkel","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-22 17:26:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427377/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427377/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102964011,"identity":"c4e1905e-dbfe-4d7f-a232-3080cb9267d1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-19 04:21:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1152096,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"VPNEuropepaperFINAL22122025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8427377/v1_covered_6467367f-51a5-436d-990c-d28c8319a274.pdf"},{"id":101763008,"identity":"da009f27-8731-4e44-ac64-6dad4942b28a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-03 11:37:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":587767,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"SUPPLEMENTARY Value plurality","description":"","filename":"SUPPLEMENTARYValueplurality191225.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8427377/v1/caf3693e4e568302d211c373.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Plural values of nature drive support for nature restoration across Europe","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427377/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427377/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Growing political backlash against nature restoration highlights the need to understand public values of nature. We present the first cross-national mapping of instrumental, intrinsic and relational values of nature held by citizens across 30 European countries (n = 13,763). Endorsement of all values is generally high, but also heterogeneous across countries and individuals. Moving beyond theoretical accounts of value diversity, we provide empirical evidence for a cumulative effect of values: support for nature restoration does not rely on any single value, but is significantly higher among citizens who endorse multiple value categories simultaneously. Conversely, a politically salient subgroup—young men—exhibit significantly lower value endorsement, and consequently reduced support for nature restoration. These results suggest that visible opposition coexists with widespread, underlying support. Ultimately, bundling diverse value justifications is more than an ethical requirement for inclusive transformations, it is also a promising strategy for strengthening public support for nature restoration.","manuscriptTitle":"Plural values of nature drive support for nature restoration across Europe","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-03 11:37:21","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8427377/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-sustainability","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"natsustain","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Sustainability](http://www.nature.com/natsustain/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Sustainability","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Research","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f8fdb8a8-099a-41ff-9e7d-8c6af199a034","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 3rd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":62185418,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Psychology and behaviour"},{"id":62185419,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability"},{"id":62185420,"name":"Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Government"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-07T14:05:24+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-03 11:37:21","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8427377","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8427377","identity":"rs-8427377","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}