Biophilic Value Structure of Forests Perceived by University Students: A Text Mining Approach

Background and objective: With growing interest in intergenerational justice in the context of climate change, increasing attention has been directed toward how forests are perceived as resources that support resilience. This study investigates university students’ perceptions of forest values and explores the functional and structural significance of forests as biophilic infrastructure.Methods: Unstructured written responses were collected from university students and analyzed using text-mining techniques, including keyword frequency analysis, cluster analysis, centrality analysis, and sentiment analysis.Results: The results confirmed the presence of biophilic design patterns and their associated effects in university students’ perceptions of forests. Cluster analysis classified these perceptions into six distinct value types: Attraction, Reason, Affection, Spirituality, Utilitarian, and Symbolism. Centrality analysis revealed that Attraction and Reason emerged as core values associated with "Nature in the Space," reflecting sensory and cognitive engagement with forests. Spirituality and Affection functioned as key complementary values linked to "Nature of the Space," supporting emotional bonding and psychological restoration. Meanwhile, Utilitarian and Symbolism were identified as peripheral values associated with functional use and cultural interpretation. Sentiment analysis revealed a high proportion of neutral expressions, indicating that forests are embedded in everyday environments. At the same time, the predominance of positive expressions, particularly those related to diversity and richness, suggests that forests facilitate positive experiential responses. These findings demonstrate that forests function as experiential environments in which multiple biophilic values are hierarchically structured. The identified value structure reflects how forests are interpreted and experienced, highlighting their relevance to intergenerational justice in the context of climate change. Understanding these perceptions provides important insights into how nature-based environments can contribute to fostering long-term environmental awareness and resilience.Conclusion: This study is significant in that it empirically conceptualizes biophilia as a structured value system and frames urban forests as environments in which human experiences and meanings are formed. Although the findings are limited to a university student population, they provide a foundation for future research comparing different generations and types of urban nature.