Data for: 'Cultivating biophilia: Domestic gardens foster positive emotions towards wildlife, with gardening influence shaped by species’ ecological functions'

The attached dataset was used in a study published in People and Nature (Dutertre et al., 2026) investigating relationships between nature experiences—particularly domestic gardening and vegetable gardening—and four emotions (compassion, perceived beauty, fear and disgust) elicited by 53 pictures of vertebrate and invertebrate species, summarised in a biophilia index. Our hypotheses were (1) that gardening activities would be positively associated with positive emotions (compassion and perceived beauty) and negatively associated with negative emotions (fear and disgust); and (2) that these relationships would vary according to species characteristics. Specifically, we expected engagement in vegetable gardening to be positively related to biophilia toward beneficial garden species (pollinators, decomposers and natural enemies of pests) and negatively related to biophilia toward pest species. We also hypothesised that time spent gardening would be more strongly associated with biophilia for species commonly encountered in gardens than for species absent from them.
Full methodological details are provided in the Methods section of the article
The sample consists of 1,000 French residents aged 18 and older, stratified to reflect the demographic structure of the French population. The design ensured that 60% of respondents were domestic garden owners (i.e., living in a dwelling with access to a private vegetated outdoor space), consistent with national estimates.
Each respondent rated five randomly selected animal pictures on four emotions: compassion, perceived beauty, fear and disgust. The 53 pictures represent 49 species (43 species by a single image; five species shown in both adult and larval forms). Each image showed a single stationary individual against a background as consistent as possible. Species belonged to six morphogroups identifiable by the general public: adult arthropods, arthropod larvae, gastropods, earthworms, mammals and birds. Invertebrates represented functional groups relevant to vegetable gardening (decomposers, natural enemies, pollinators and pests) plus two functionally neutral species. Half of the vertebrates were species commonly observed in urban environments and the others were typically absent from gardens.
Respondents reported whether they lived in a dwelling with a domestic garden and, if not, whether they would like one. Garden owners reported their gardening frequency, and the area (m²) of their vegetable garden as a proxy for investment in vegetable gardening. All reported the frequency of visits to public greenspaces (excluding domestic gardens), and provided socio-demographic information and the level of urbanisation of their municipality.

Dutertre, Q., Lachaise, M., Collard, B., & Baudry, E. (2026). Cultivating biophilia: Domestic gardens foster positive emotions towards wildlife, with gardening influence shaped by species' ecological functions. People and Nature, 00, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70283