Three-fifths of respondents to a survey carried out by BMRB Social Research said they thought it was safe for children aged eight and over to play outside without adult supervision.
The findings contradict previous studies that paint a picture of children held prisoner to video games, rarely going outside to play or interact.
Research commissioned last month by the Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest found that nearly one-third of children questioned did not play outside, and three-quarters of parents said they thought children faced increased risk from unsupervised play compared to five years ago.
NCB chief executive Paul Ennals said the BMRB findings were "encouraging" but questioned why more children did not play outside. "The challenge now is finding out what stops parents from allowing and encouraging children to play outside," he said.
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