Project Discovery

The Land Rover Discovery SUV has been helping families have adventures for more than 30 years. So Project Discovery was the obvious name for an international survey about families.

Land Rover researched how we have all managed to explore the world and find new things in a challenging 12 months. Project Discovery looks at personal resilience and reveals how we can all build that resilience – whatever the circumstances.

It’s about family and friends, a hunger to make and learn, and an appetite for exploration.

Land Rover launched Project Discovery to find out more about families around the world. What had they learned about themselves over the last year? And what new things do they hope to do together when pandemic restrictions ease? The answers, from 7,000 people in seven countries, were revealing.

Not just revealing, but helpful.

Project Discovery’s findings will support people in making positive changes to their lives. Why? Because the results reveal what we can all do to become more resilient. Being more resilient has clear mental health benefits.

Not many people meet a scientific definition of ‘highly resilient’. Just 7% in Project Discovery. But the ability to cope with challenging situations is something we can develop over time. Three factors help to build resilience. We can call them Friends and Family, Enrichment with Purpose and Spirit of Discovery.

Friends and Family first. One of the best ways to build resilience is through relationships. Highly resilient people have an increased desire to connect with others. They enjoy a close‑knit support structure. More than half of those scoring highly for resilience in Project Discovery said they always put family time first. That’s 44% higher than among people with low resilience.

A similar proportion said they liked finding new places to explore. And 72% of highly resilient people find joy in learning new things – 41% higher than people who returned low resilience scores.

Lockdowns have affected people all over the world. Social restrictions have forced communities everywhere to change and adapt. Project Discovery found that many of us have tried new things during the pandemic. That’s Enrichment with Purpose.

Since restrictions began, 73% of people surveyed have taken up a new pastime, exercise regime, hobby or habit. Better still, people with the lowest resilience scores were the most likely to have started something new. And 93% of them said they intend to keep it up. That suggests people are making deliberate changes to address the situation. Indeed, more than half of respondents (56%) said they have taken greater care of their mental health since the beginning of the crisis.

Learning new skills – mental and physical – is key. So is focusing on activities with a clear goal. Project Discovery found 72% of people with high resilience scores enjoy learning new things. That’s 41% higher than people in the study with low resilience scores. And 57% of highly resilient people take physical health seriously – 73% higher than people with low resilience scores.

Project Discovery also underlines the importance of a third factor: Spirit of Discovery. Exploring and being aware of what’s going on around you is a good way to build resilience. More than half of people with high resilience scores like finding new places to explore. That’s 41% higher than people with low resilience. It’s also telling that highly resilient people are 61% more likely to have an active interest in news and current affairs.