When you breathe, your heart breaks: air pollution, environmental awareness, and political trust in China

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the joint effect of air pollution and environmental awareness on Chinese people’s political trust. We argue that severe air pollution conveys new information to the Chinese people, enhancing their understanding of the deficiencies in authoritarian governance and reducing the support of environmentally-aware individuals for the government. In other words, the impact of environmental awareness on political trust depends on the gravity of air pollution. When people perceive air pollution as severe, it can directly cause those who are environmentally conscious to reduce their trust in the government. On the other hand, the impact of new information regarding severe air pollution on political trust also relies on the level of individuals’ environmental awareness. When environmental awareness is low, individuals may prioritize economic growth. However, when environmental awareness is high, an increase in air pollution will elicit negative sentiments towards the government.