Through the eyes of users: Children's destinations and well-being from child and parent perspectives

Background Access to diverse destinations is key to supporting children's well-being. However, the distinct ways in which children and parents link destinations to different domains of well-being are not well known. Additionally, destinations may have different levels of importance for children and parents, yet there is a lack of clear methodology to measure and incorporate these differences. Such information will aid child-friendly city planning.

Objective This research examines three key questions: 1) How do visit frequency and latent demand vary across diverse destinations from the perspectives of children and parents? Latent demand refers to the desired frequency of visits that children are unable to access due to barriers such as safety concerns, distance, or limited independence. 2) How are different destinations associated with different domains of well-being for children including physical, social, psychological, and cognitive development? 3) How do children’s perspectives on well-being compare to those of their parents?

Methodology Surveys were conducted across Canada with children aged 8-12 years and with parents of children aged 7-13 years. Parent respondents were not necessarily the parents of the surveyed children. The surveys addressed two themes from the perspective of parents and children: 1) destination frequency and children’s desired increases or decreases in frequency, (n = 583; parents, n = 422); and 2) perceptions of how destinations relate to the four domains of well-being (children, n = 215; parents, n = 438).

Results and conclusion A wide range of destinations were considered important to children’s daily lives, with differences noted between parents’ and children’s perspectives. Children rated 18 destinations (13 were informal destinations) as more important than parents. In contrast, parents rated 7 destinations higher, mostly formal, scheduled-activity locations (5 out of 7). This contrast underscores children’s preferences for familiar, accessible, informal spaces, while parents emphasize structured environments. The results help inform child-friendly city planning from a child-centered understanding of well-being.