Perceived Air Pollution Research Articles

Air Quality - Recognition and Perception of Problems by Individuals

The article presents the results of a study on subjective opinions of Europeans in two generations Y and BB. Due to the lack of data, the assessments made by residents of only 23 EU member countries were analyzed. These assessments concerned air quality, actions taken by decision-makers to improve air quality, and knowledge and awareness of the threats related to air pollution. The data came from the Eurobarometer surveys conducted in 2012 and 2019. A correspondence analysis of concatenated tables with supplementary points and aggregate measures of development were used to find relationships between generations from different countries and to indicate changes in the perception of air pollution. The aim of the study has been achieved. The areas where differences and similarities between generations occur, and where opinions expressed by a generation change over time have been identified. The Problems that require solving have been indicated so that individual actions leading to the improvement of air quality could be assessed.

Exploring the Institutional and Bottom-Up Actions for Urban Air Quality Improvement: Case Studies in Antwerp and Gdańsk

The article presents the results of qualitative studies concerning the presence of air quality management in the process of urban planning and in the public discourse in Antwerp, Belgium, and Gdańsk, Poland. We focused on the way urban planners, environmental experts, and stakeholders perceive the problem of air pollution, especially with respect to urban development policy, and whether they consider it one of the major factors determining the quality of the urban built environment. The analysis was empirically based on free, partially structured interviews with experts. With that aim, we referred to certain assumptions of the multidimensional concept of environmental protection and integrated urban planning, highlighting the knowledge gained through interview analysis, literature review, and comparative case study research. The approach brings to light the difference between the perceived and measured air quality and to what extent it is affected by the spatial conditions. The research reveals how the range of perceptions of air pollution is embedded in several sociological, urban planning, and cultural perspectives and how these perceptions differ between the different profiles of the stakeholders and experts.

Perceptions and knowledge of air pollution and its health effects among caregivers of childhood cancer survivors: a qualitative study

BackgroundEmerging research suggests that survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers are at risk for morbidity and mortality associated with air pollutants. However, caregiver perceptions of the effects of air pollution are unknown. Thus, to address this gap we described caregivers’ perceptions of air pollution’s impact on general population health and specifically on childhood cancer survivors, and caregivers’ air pollution information-seeking and exposure reduction behaviors.MethodsParticipants were Utah residents, ≥18 years, and caregiver of a childhood cancer survivor who had completed treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers to describe their perspectives on air quality, how air pollution impacts health (general population and survivor health), and their information seeking and exposure reduction behaviors. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through two rounds of structured coding.ResultsCaregivers (N = 13) were non-Hispanic white and primarily females (92.3%) between 30 and 49 years old (46.2%). Most families lived within the Wasatch Front (69.2%), the main metropolitan of Utah. Two categories emerged pertaining to caregiver’s perceptions of air pollution: 1) Limited awareness about the health effects of air pollution, and 2) Unsuccessful information seeking and minimal exposure reduction behaviors. All caregivers held negative perceptions of air pollution in Utah, but most were unaware of how pollution affects health. While some families limited air pollution exposure by avoiding outdoor activity or physically leaving the region, few practiced survivor-specific exposure reduction. Nearly half of caregivers worried about potential effects of air pollution on survivor health and wanted more information.ConclusionsDespite negative perceptions of air pollution, caregivers were divided on whether air pollution could impact survivor health. Few caregivers engaged in exposure reduction for their cancer survivor. As air pollution levels increase in the U.S., continued research on this topic is essential to managing cancer survivor respiratory and cardiovascular health.

A study on students’ perceptions of air pollution, particulate matter, and indoor air quality in classrooms

A study on students’ perceptions of air pollution, particulate matter, and indoor air quality in classrooms

Negotiating air pollution as a travel constraint: an exploratory study

Air pollution can be considered a form of travel constraint that influences tourists’ choice and behaviors during their entire travel experience. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study explored tourists’ negotiation with air pollution at different stages of their trip: destination choice, pre-trip planning, and on-site experiences. Through data collection in China, the study identified six strategies tourists used to cope with air pollution: considering air pollution in destination choice, evaluating travel plans under a smog threat, making advanced plans for air pollution, avoiding air pollution, optimizing the experience, and looking on the bright side. The negotiation strategies tourists used are associated with their perceptions of air pollution, the specific context, and the presence of other constraints. In addition, the study distinguished three types of tourists with different negotiation strategies towards air pollution: avoider, attempter, and ignorer. Overall, the study contributed to the conceptual understanding of air pollution as a new form of travel constraint to modern tourists; it suggested that most tourists treat air pollution as a negotiable constraint and that it can be managed with effort. Instead of being subjected to the constraint of air pollution, tourists negotiate air pollution during their trip to optimize their experiences.

The Effect of an Active Plant-Based System on Perceived Air Pollution.

Active plant-based systems are emerging technologies that aim to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). A person’s olfactory system is able to recognize the perceived odor intensity of various materials relatively well, and in many cases, the nose seems to be a better perceiver of pollutants than some equipment is. The aim of this study was to assess the odor coming out of two different test chambers in the SenseLab, where the participants were asked to evaluate blindly the level of acceptability, intensity, odor recognition, and preference at individual level with their noses. Two chambers were furnished with the same amount of new flooring material, and one of the chambers, Chamber A, also included an active plant-based system. The results showed that in general, the level of odor intensity was lower in Chamber B than in Chamber A, the level of acceptability was lower in Chamber A than in Chamber B, and the participants identified similar sources in both chambers. Finally, the preference was slightly higher for Chamber B over Chamber A. When people do not see the interior details of a room and have to rely on olfactory perception, they prefer a room without plants.

Residents’ preferred measures and willingness-to-pay for improving urban air quality: A case study of Hanoi city, Vietnam

PurposeThis purpose of this paper is to understand residents’ choice of preferred measures and their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the measures to improve the air quality of Hanoi city.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire surveys were conducted to collect the opinions of 212 household representatives living in Hanoi City. The survey tools were tested and adjusted through an online survey with 191 responses. Multivariate probit and linear regression models were used to identify determinants of respondents’ choices of measures and their WTP.FindingsRespondents expressed their strong preferences for three measures for air quality improvements, including: (1) increase of green spaces; (2) use of less polluting fuels; (3) expansion of public transportation. The mean WTP for the implementation of those measures was estimated at about 148,000–282,000 Vietnamese dong, equivalent to 0.09–0.16% of household income. The respondents’ choices appear to be consistent with their characteristics and needs, such as financial affordability, time on roads and their perceived impacts of air pollution. The WTP estimates increase with perception of air pollution impacts, time on roads, education and income; but are lower for older people.Practical implicationIncrease of green spaces can be the measure to which policy makers should pay more attention. The match-up of residents needs and well-informed plans will be an important key to success.Originality/valueThis appears to be the first attempt to test the validity of public opinions on choices of measures for improving urban air quality in Vietnam. Our WTP estimates also contribute to the database on the values of improved air quality in the developing world.

Left behind in perception of air pollution? A hidden form of spatial injustice in China

In recent years, the smog problem has aroused wide concern in China. However, people have different perceptions of the severity of air pollution, even in similarly polluted environments. Based on a quantitative analysis of Chinese General Social Survey data, air quality index data, news reports in 2013, and multi-site anthropological observations, this paper demonstrates that the public perception of air pollution is not determined by physiological feelings and the external environment, but rather by the media, social networks, and other sociocultural factors, which are highly localized. This creates a hidden form of spatial injustice—people living in regions that lack a social milieu of smog awareness are less likely to sense smog and to take precautions; they are therefore left behind in the perception of air pollution and in their chances of preventing illnesses associated with air pollution.

From Black to Blue Skies: Civil Society Perceptions of Air Pollution in Shanghai

AbstractThis paper explores the perception and politics of air pollution in Shanghai. We present a qualitative case study based on a literature review of relevant policies and research on civil society and air pollution, in dialogue with air quality indexes and field research data. We engage with the concept of China's authoritarian environmentalism and the political context of ecological civilization. We find that discussions about air pollution are often placed in a frame that is both locally temporal (environment) and internationally developmentalist (economy). We raise questions from an example of three applications with different presentations of air quality index measures for the same time and place. This example and frame highlight the central role and connection between technology, data and evidence, and pollution visibility in the case of the perception of air pollution. Our findings then point to two gaps in authoritarian environmentalism research, revealing a need to better understand (1) the role of technology within this governance context, and (2) the tensions created from this non-participatory approach with ecological civilization, which calls for civil society participation.

Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

As largely documented in the literature, the stark restrictions enforced worldwide in 2020 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic also curtailed the production of air pollutants to some extent. This study investigates the perception of the air pollution as assessed by individuals located in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the USA. The perceptions towards air quality were evaluated by employing an online survey administered in May 2020. Participants (N = 9394) in the ten countries expressed their opinions according to a Likert-scale response. A reduction in pollutant concentration was clearly perceived, albeit to a different extent, by all populations. The survey participants located in India and Italy perceived the largest drop in the air pollution concentration; conversely, the smallest variation was perceived among Chinese and Norwegian respondents. Among all the demographic indicators considered, only gender proved to be statistically significant.

Public awareness, perceptions and attitudes on air pollution and its health effects in Muscat, Oman

ABSTRACT A survey was conducted in Muscat/Oman between February and May of 2020, with a total of 1289 respondents to investigate public knowledge, behavior, and attitudes about the air pollution via online questionnaire. We considered the disparity among gender, age and education level in four main aspects, viz. sources of access to information, knowledge and risk perception about air pollution and willingness to change and act for mitigation. Social media was a primary source of access to information regarding air pollution in Muscat. Further, the majority of the respondents were aware of the meaning of air pollution and interested in the issue of air quality, while females have a higher level of air pollution awareness than males. Over 94% of respondents were disturbed by air pollution from vehicles and other sources. Males and older participants have significantly higher level of interest about air quality information. The majority pay attention to air quality when they move outdoors but females are more susceptible than males to the effects of air pollution. Majority recognized the air pollution is always dangerous to their health, yet participants with higher education level have a higher risk perception of air pollution. Breathing contaminated air was the most common pathway of exposure to the toxic air pollutants reported by participants. Over 90% of participants care about air quality when they are performing outdoor sports activities. Most of the participants reported that they did not use public transportation to move within Muscat Governorate, their major transportation mode being private vehicle. Meanwhile, females, older participants (over 35) and postgraduate holders significantly expressed their willingness to reduce the duration of driving vehicles. Implications: This work is the first study in the country that try to investigate perception, attitude and behavior of the public about air pollution in Muscat, the capital of Oman. Use of private vehicles is a popular mode of transportation in the city and is the major contributor to the air quality issues. Any future directions by the government toward sustainable transportation need a better understanding of people’s perception on the issue. The results show that most of the respondents were aware of air quality and related issues and they also expressed willingness to change their behavior to reduce air pollution.

Workers’ Acquiescence to Air Pollution: A Qualitative Study of Coal Miners in China

Coal extraction releases pollutants to the air that affect the health and well-being of not only the coal communities but also societies at large. However, coal also provides people with stable livelihoods. Given this, how do coal workers perceive air pollution that is produced by their own industry? To answer this question, I interviewed coal miners in China. My findings present a paradox: Although miners identify certain sources of air pollution, these same miners nevertheless deny the existence of air pollution. My findings reveal that, in order to collectively avoid the mention of any air quality issues, the miners must avoid a direct confrontation with authority—that same authority that has forged a formulated acquiescence among miners at work. Acknowledging air quality issues could disturb the miners’ employment stability by creating anxiety and fear, challenging their ontological security.

Misperception and pro-environmental behaviors of the Chinese public toward air pollution

This study analyzes the misperceptions of the Chinese public about air pollution levels and other potential predictors of participation in pro-environmental behaviors based on the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS). In this paper, misperception is defined as the difference between subjective perceptions of air pollution and measurements through objective monitoring. We find that pessimistic respondents are more likely to participate in pro-environmental behaviors. The media use and evaluation of the environmental performance of the local government significantly stimulate pro-environmental participation. The results reveal that knowledge and concern about the environment can mitigate the negative effect of optimistic bias on pro-environmental behaviors. In regions where environmental information is widely available, environmental pessimists are especially more likely to participate in such activities. This finding suggests that the government should provide not only accurate information about environmental pollution but also relevant education to enhance the environmental awareness of the public and stimulate pro-environmental participation.

Characterizing air pollution risk perceptions among high-educated young generation in China: How does risk experience influence risk perception

Psychometric paradigms have been developed and extensively applied in risk perception analyses, but relatively few studies have examined risk perception of air pollution in developing countries where the public is exposed to extremely high pollution levels. We conducted a stratified sampling questionnaire survey among 1988 college students from throughout China studying in Nanjing, to examine how risk perceptions are influenced by socioeconomic factors and historical exposure among the high-educated young generation who will become leaders in future air pollution risk management and communications. First, a six-factor confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to estimate risk perception levels from the observable indices. 40 % of the participants felt air pollution levels in Nanjing were unacceptable, which suggested that air pollution control actions do not meet public expectations at the survey time. Hierarchical k-means clustering demonstrated difference in the spatial distribution of risk perception. Results showed that students from the northern part of China had higher risk acceptance, lower perceived risk, and higher government trust than other regions. Females, older participants, participants with higher education, and participants with higher economic levels were identified as risk-sensitive groups to air pollution by using linear regression analyses. The regression coefficients of risk perception and historical exposure decreased as the days tracking back to a pollution episode increased. The cut-off point where regression coefficients turned from significant to non-significant was around 60 days for risk acceptance, 10 days for perceived benefit, and 30 days for government trust. This indicates that a 2-month time window is a prime time for risk communication after a pollution episode.

Does real-time and perceived environmental exposure to air pollution and noise affect travel satisfaction? evidence from Beijing, China

Poor air quality and noise pollution have become major environmental risks in urban China. However, the effect of personal exposure to air pollution and noise in various traffic microenvironments on individuals’ daily travel satisfaction has rarely been investigated. Drawing upon real-time data collected using portable sensors and GPS tracking devices in Beijing from December 2017 to February 2018, this paper explores the variations in the co-exposure to real-time air pollution and noise among various transportation modes. It then employs structural equation models to investigate whether and how the objectively measured and subjectively perceived exposure to air pollution and noise in different traffic microenvironments influences individuals’ daily travel satisfaction. Findings show that travel satisfaction and co-exposure to real-time air pollution and noise vary greatly among different transportation modes. People travelling by public transport experience high personal noise exposure and tend to have lower levels of travel satisfaction. While perceived air pollution and noise have significant direct effects on travel experiences, the pathways between objective pollution and travel satisfaction differ for air pollution and noise. Objective air pollution negatively affects travel satisfaction indirectly by influencing perceived air pollution, whereas objective noise has a positive and direct effect on travel satisfaction. Moreover, people with different socio-economic backgrounds tend to bear unequal burdens of air pollution and noise during their daily travels. These findings indicate that more research should be conducted to enhance our understanding of the relationships between personal micro-environmental exposures and subjective wellbeing.

Using Social Media Mining and PLS-SEM to Examine the Causal Relationship between Public Environmental Concerns and Adaptation Strategies.

With growing scientific evidence showing the harmful impact of air pollution on the environment and individuals’ health in modern societies, public concern about air pollution has become a central focus of the development of air pollution prevention policy. Past research has shown that social media is a useful tool for collecting data about public opinion and conducting analysis of air pollution. In contrast to statistical sampling based on survey approaches, data retrieved from social media can provide direct information about behavior and capture long-term data being generated by the public. However, there is a lack of studies on how to mine social media to gain valuable insights into the public’s pro-environmental behavior. Therefore, research is needed to integrate information retrieved from social media sites into an established theoretical framework on environmental behaviors. Thus, the aim of this paper is to construct a theoretical model by integrating social media mining into a value-belief-norm model of public concerns about air pollution. We propose a hybrid method that integrates text mining, topic modeling, hierarchical cluster analysis, and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). We retrieved data regarding public concerns about air pollution from social media sites. We classified the topics using hierarchical cluster analysis and interpreted the results in terms of the value-belief-norm theoretical framework, which encompasses egoistic concerns, altruistic concerns, biospheric concerns, and adaptation strategies regarding air pollution. Then, we used PLS-SEM to confirm the causal relationships and the effects of mediation. An empirical study based on the concerns of Taiwanese social media users about air pollution was used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework in general and to examine gender differences in particular. Based on the results of the empirical studies, we confirmed the robust effects of egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric concerns of public impact on adaptation strategies. Additionally, we found that gender differences can moderate the causal relationship between egoistic concerns, altruistic concerns, and adaptation strategies. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of enhancing perceptions of air pollution and environmental sustainability by the public. The results of the analysis can serve as a basis for environmental policy and environmental education strategies.

Health perception and commuting choice: a survey experiment measuring behavioral trade-offs between physical activity benefits and pollution exposure risks

Previous literature suggests that active commuting has substantial health benefits. Yet, in polluted regions, it can also cause additional health risks by increasing riders’ pollution exposure and raising their inhalation rate. We examine the effect of perceived air pollution on stated commuting choices using an on-site survey experiment for 2285 non-automobile commuters in Zhengzhou, a heavily polluted city in central China. We integrate a sequential randomized controlled trial in a survey where individuals in the treatment group received tailored information on their commuting-related pollution exposure, based on our 2 week peak-hour pollution monitoring campaign across transportation modes in the city. We find that travelers in Zhengzhou have already adopted pollution prevention actions by favoring indoor commuting modes on polluted days. Individuals receiving personalized pollution exposure information by mode further decrease active commuting by 8.4 percentage points (95% CI: 5.1, 11.6), accompanied by a 14.7 percentage points (95% CI: 10.7, 18.3) increase in automobile commuting. Travellers make sub-optimal, overly risk averse choices by reducing active commuting even for trips where epidemiological research suggests the exercise benefits outweigh pollution exposure risks. This pollution avoidance tendency significantly attenuates the effect of policies encouraging active commuting. Our findings show the intricately intertwined relationships between the public health targets of promoting active lifestyles and reducing pollution exposure, and between individual pollution avoidance and societal pollution mitigation.

Deconstruction of annoyance due to air pollution by multiple correspondence analyses.

Annoyance caused by air pollution is a matter of public health as it can cause stress and ill-health and affect quality of life, among other burdens. The aim of this study is to apply the multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) technique as a differential tooling to explore relationships between variables that can influence peoples' behaviour concerning annoyance caused by air pollution. Data were collected through a survey on air pollution, environmental issues and quality of life. Face-to-face survey studies were conducted in two industrialized urban areas (Vitoria in Brazil and Dunkirk in France). These two regions were chosen as their inhabitants often report feeling annoyed by air pollution, and both regions have similar industrial characteristics. The results showed a progressive correspondence between levels of annoyance and other active variables in the "air pollution" factor group: as the levels of annoyance increased, the levels of the other qualitative variables (importance of air quality, perceived exposure to industrial risk, assessment of air quality, perceived air pollution) also increased. Respondents who reported feeling annoyed by air pollution also thought that air quality was very important and were very concerned about exposure to industrial risks. Furthermore, they often assessed air quality as horrible, and they could frequently perceive air pollution by dust, odours and decreased visibility. The results also showed a statistically significant association between occurrence of allergies and high levels of annoyance.

Vartalaap

Air pollution is a global challenge for cities across the globe. Understanding the public perception of air pollution can help policymakers engage better with the public and appropriately introduce policies. Accurate public perception can also help people to identify the health risks of air pollution and act accordingly. Unfortunately, current techniques for determining perception are not scalable: it involves surveying few hundred people with questionnaire-based surveys. Using the advances in natural language processing (NLP), we propose a more scalable solution called Vartalaap to gauge public perception of air pollution via the microblogging social network Twitter. We curated a dataset of more than 1.2M tweets discussing Delhi-specific air pollution. We find that (unfortunately) the public is supportive of unproven mitigation strategies to reduce pollution, thus risking their health due to a false sense of security. We also find that air quality is a year-long problem, but the discussions are not proportional to the level of pollution and spike up when pollution is more visible. The information required by Vartalaap is publicly available and, as such, it can be immediately applied to study different societal issues across the world.

Exploring Inner-City Residents’ and Foreigners’ Commitment to Improving Air Pollution: Evidence from a Field Survey in Hanoi, Vietnam

Solutions for mitigating and reducing environmental pollution are important priorities for many developed and developing countries. This study was conducted to better understand the degree to which inner-city citizens and foreigners perceive air pollution and respond to it, particularly how much they willingly contribute to improving air quality in Vietnam, a lower-middle-income nation in Southeast Asia. During mid-December 2019, a stratified random sampling technique and a contingent valuation method (CVM) were employed to survey 199 inhabitants and 75 foreigners who reside and travel within the inner-city of Hanoi. The data comprises four major groups of information on: (1) perception of air pollution and its impacts, (2) preventive measures used to mitigate polluted air, (3) commitments on willingness-to-pay (WTP) for reducing air pollution alongside reasons for the yes-or-no-WTP decision, and (4) demographic information of interviewees. The findings and data of this study could offer many policy implications for better environmental management in the study area and beyond.