The issues

We are losing something we all value
We all want the countryside to be tranquil so that we can continue to enjoy peace and quiet, sweeping green views, the sounds of birdsong and wind in the leaves. But we don’t always take decisions that ensure it remains tranquil. It is getting harder and harder to experience tranquillity and ‘get away from it all’. Aircraft and cars disrupt the calm, roads dissect the landscape and swathes of buildings and ‘anywhere’ housing dominate the view (and it seems things are getting worse).
> Threats to tranquillity

The loss is a big problem because tranquillity is so important for so many reasons. It’s good for our mental and physical wellbeing, it improves our quality of life and it’s critical to rural economies.
> The value of tranquillity

Why have we allowed something so valued to be diminished? Partly because we haven’t known how to measure it. Tranquillity hasn’t been easy to define or pinpoint, because it arises from a combination of physical features and human experience. If you can’t measure something, it’s that much harder to make the arguments for protecting it.
> What is the solution?

We value tranquillity
A new opinion poll commissioned by CPRE shows people most value tranquillity.

The qualities which our survey found people valued most were:

Tranquillity, tranquil, calm, solitude, peace and quiet, say 72% of people
Fresh air, say 34%
Scenery, say 20%
Nature, wildlife or flora and fauna, say 19%

YouGov poll, October 2006