Social media’s influence on air quality improvement: Evidence from China

Abstract

Social media is increasingly used to express people’s concerns regarding air pollution. Using simultaneous equation models to analyze data from Weibo (Chinese Twitter) posts concerning the environment, this study examines the influence of social media on environmental governance, particularly its effect on mitigating urban PM2.5 levels. We find that social media exerts a positive influence on air quality improvement, with the results remaining robust after controlling for endogeneity. Specifically, a 10% increase in the number of environment-related posts is associated with a 2.7% decrease in PM2.5 emissions. Further analysis suggests that government regulations act as a mediator in response to environment-related complaints on social media. The findings point to a new bottom-up force that might affect environmental governance in China and suggest the emergence of a new type of environmental injustice among regions with different levels of social media participation.