Well it depends. I've gotten plenty of ticks from the manicured county fairgrounds lawn, and all soil has some degree of insect and microbial life in order to support plant roots. As long as you are outside and the earth is not a desolate hellscape, there will always be some critters in the dirt. If you don't want them touching you (and you don't want the dirt getting on you and your stuff), consider a picnic blanket.

The issue with lawns is that they're incredibly hostile to things like caterpillars, which need actual leaves (and often very specific ones— Google host plants for more info) in order to survive. Caterpillars are like the secret diet that is crucial for bigger animals like birds, whose babies love them because they're loaded with protein and don't have hard choking hazard shells. This means that if all you have is flat lawn and a few ornamental trees, your caterpillar population— and bird population— plummet. 

Not to mention the obsession with cleaning away leaves and dead plant matter in the fall, which are where a lot of insects go to hibernate through the winter. I know insects freak people out sometimes, but as long as you reap the benefits of their services to the environment and to agriculture, you kinda have no choice but to tolerate them.