Personal Income Level Research Articles

CONTEMPORARY MANIFESTATIONS OF COMMON THREATS AND ECONOMIC RISKS DERIVED FROM THEM

In this article, our goal is to identify the need for cooperation, particularly regio-nal and global strategy development in the context of neutralizing common threats and increasing competitiveness, and to present the prerequisites for its implementation. Therefore, we look at the connection between threats – econo-mic risks - competitiveness, we will consider the role of cooperation in reducing these threats. Finally, the threats that cause certain economic risks with their pos-sible impact on the country's competitiveness will be presented. As soon as firms lose high-order competitive advantages, there is a decline in production in the local industry, and then local firms turn to price competition. Slowing wage and job growth, rising unemployment further reduce interest in increasing production efficiency, leading to further weakening of market positions. The level of personal income of the population begins to decrease compared to other developed countries, which has a negative impact on the quality and variety of domestic demand.

Investigation of the Relationship Between the Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem Perceptions and Leadership Orientations of the Faculty of Sports Sciences Students

This research was carried out to investigate of the relationship between the two-dimensional self-esteem perceptions and leadership orientations of the students of the faculty of sports sciences. In this context, the relational survey model, which is consistent with the main purpose of the study, was used in this quantitative study. A total of 323 students, 125 females and 198 males at the Faculty of Sports Sciences of Bartın University constitute the sample of the research. Convenience sampling method, one of the non-probabilistic sampling approaches, was used in the selection of the research group. Questionnaire form was used as data collection tool and this form consisted of three parts. The first part includes the “Personal Information Form,” the second part includes the “Two-Dimensional Self-Esteem: Self-Liking/Self-Competence Scale” and the third part includes the “Multidimensional Leadership Orientations Scale.” The descriptive statistics of the raw data obtained through the questionnaire form were first calculated by considering the data type. Then, the reliability of the scales related to the obtained data were investigated, and the difference and correlation tests were used in the statistical evaluation. In this direction, it has been determined that there are significant correlations within the scope of age and family income level variables. However, there was no significant relationship within the scope of personal income level variable. On the other hand, it was found that there are significant differences in the scope of department and actively doing sports variables. However, it was observed that there were no significant differences in the scope of gender, grade, and place of residence variables. On the other hand, it was determined that there were positive and moderately significant correlations between the participants’ scores of self-liking and political leadership, human resources leadership, charismatic leadership and structural leadership. In addition, it was found that there were positive and moderately significant correlations between the self-competence scores of the participants and the scores of political leadership, charismatic leadership and structural leadership. On the other hand, it was understood that there was a statistically significant positive and low-level correlation between the participants' self-competence scores and their human resources leadership scores. As a result, it can be said that as the self-esteem of the participants increases, their leadership orientation also increases. In this context, it can be said that increasing the self-esteem of the participants is an important concept in the context of leadership orientations.

Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index and Obesity among Korean Adults

Examining the socioeconomic vulnerability–obesity relationship is a different approach than comparing obesity rates according to the socioeconomic level. This study explored the socioeconomic vulnerability–obesity relationship among Korean adults. This secondary analysis used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which were collected nationwide from participants aged 30–64 years. Seven socioeconomic indicators (education level, residential area, personal income level, household income level, food insecurity, house ownership, and national basic livelihood security beneficiary status) were used to create the socioeconomic vulnerability index. The prevalence of obesity was higher in the lowest socioeconomic vulnerability index quartile than in the highest socioeconomic vulnerability index quartile (odds ratio = 1.31; 95% confidence interval = 1.13–1.52) after adjusting for gender. When developing future interventions for the prevention and management of obesity, health care providers and researchers need to consider the differences in socioeconomic vulnerability index in adults.

Psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 measure of depression among Brazilian older adults

Objectives: To obtain evidence on the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire − 9 (PHQ-9, one of the most extensively used tools for assessing depression) in the Brazilian older population. Method: Data on 3,356 Brazilian adults aged 60+ years living in Guarulhos, São Paulo state were used. The factor structure of the questionnaire was analysed using a factor analysis approach. The questionnaire’s measurement equivalence was tested across gender, age, personal income, and education level groups. The scores were compared across groups based on the highest level of equivalence achieved. The questionnaire’s internal consistency was analysed considering its factor structure. Results: A one-factor solution was identified as the most adequate factor structure, with the factor explaining 57.6% of the items’ variance. The correlation of the resulting latent score with the overall raw sum score in the PHQ-9 was r = 0.96. Measurement equivalence regarding thresholds and loadings was achieved for all tested groups. On average, women, older, less educated, and poorer people had higher latent scores on the depression factor. The measure showed a good internal consistency with Revelle’s omega total ω t =0.92. Conclusion: The results suggest that, among Brazilian older adults living in Guarulhos, São Paulo state, the PHQ-9 measures depressive symptomatology equivalently across different sociodemographic subgroups. Moreover, it can be scored using the raw sum of the item scores to adequately reflect different levels of depressive symptomatology.

Sociodemographic factors associated with the first administration of anti-seizure medication in patients with focal epilepsy in Western China

BackgroundEpilepsy is a severe chronic neurologic disease with a prevalence of 0.7% worldwide; anti-seizure medications (ASMs) are the mainstay of epilepsy treatment. The effects of sociodemographic factors on the characteristics of initial treatment in patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy in Western China are unknown. This study was conducted to explore sociodemographic factors associated with initial treatment characteristics.MethodsPatients with focal epilepsy on continuous ASM treatment who visited to our epilepsy center at Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019 were recruited. Data on initial treatment status and sociodemographic variables were obtained from the patients with a questionnaire designed by our researchers. We examined whether sociodemographic factors were associated with epileptic patients’ access to neurologists and prescriptions of individual ASMs.ResultsA total of 569 patients completed this study. We found that patients with a higher education level, aged < 16 years, and with a higher household disposable income were more likely to receive treatment from a neurologist than their counterparts. Patients with a lower personal income level and who were treated at a junior hospital were more likely to receive prescriptions for carbamazepine, and those who were younger than 16 years were less likely to receive prescriptions for carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine. Patients with a higher education level, with a higher household disposable income level, who were younger than 16 years, and who were treated at a senior hospital were more likely to receive prescriptions for levetiracetam than their counterparts. Adult, female patients with focal epilepsy treated at a senior hospital were more likely to receive prescriptions for lamotrigine.ConclusionsThis observation suggests that sociodemographic characteristics are associated with access to neurologists and prescriptions of individual antiepileptic drugs. These data may help public health officials establish guidelines for doctors and distribute resources according to the needs of different patient groups.

Экономическая доступность продовольствия: региональные и социальные различия

&lt;span&gt;В статье обсуждаются проблемы, связанные с экономической доступностью продовольствия, которая понимается как возможность приобретения продуктов питания по сложившимся ценам, обеспеченная соответствующим уровнем доходов населения. Выявляются региональные и социальные различия этого показателя. Чрезвычайно важным фактором обеспечения экономической доступности продовольствия является наращивание отечественного производства, в части которого выявлена положительная динамика. Установлено, что по основным группам продуктов питания страна достигла продовольственной безопасности. Показано, что первоочередной задачей на пути повышения экономической доступности пищевых продуктов для всех групп населения является борьба с бедностью. Однако предпринимаемые в этом направлении меры, судя по статистическим данным, не приносят ощутимых результатов.&lt;/span&gt;

Impact of the Number of Siblings on Income Levels—Based on CFPS Microdata

Based on the CFPS micro database, the influence direction and degree of the number of brothers and sisters on the income of the sample after adulthood were analyzed, and the heterogeneity between urban and rural areas, between men and women, different marital status and different birth years was analyzed. Studies have shown that the effect of the number of brothers and sisters on the income level after adulthood is significantly negative, that is, with the increase of the number of brothers and sisters owned by individuals, the income level of individuals after adulthood will decrease significantly, and the personal income level will fall by about 1663 yuan per year. The effect of the number of siblings on individual income level is significantly different between urban and rural areas and between samples of different birth years, as follows: for each additional sibling, the reduction of income level in urban areas is 972 yuan more than that in rural areas; the reduction of income level born before the implementation of the one child policy is 1067 yuan more than the after ones. This paper does not find that the influence of the number of brothers and sisters on personal income level is significantly different between men and women and between different marital states. The effect of the number of brothers and sisters on the level of personal income is that more brothers and sisters occupy family resources, reduce the education level of individuals, and disperse the care of parents, which makes the personal health condition worse.

Социальный и инновационный поворот российской экономики: планы и реальность

The black swan of the coronavirus pandemic confused all plans for 2020 and created a global recession unprecedented for the last century. Russia managed to limit the scale of the GDP’s and population mortality’s fall, but the losses provoked, in particular, by the seven years of stagnation, are great. Russia will be able to restore pre-crisis production levels in a year and a half, perhaps faster, but it will be extremely difficult to compensate for the population’s losses. There is a consensus that a transition to sustainable long-term growth with the growth rates exceeding the global ones will require powerful systemic changes and a high level of public trust. The most acute societal challenge is a low level of personal income, along with high inequality of income, wealth, and social opportunities. The formation of a new model of development, combining resource and hydrocarbon advantages with a new model of human capital, infrastructure and technologies, is decisive for long-term growth. We can do this only under condition of creation a new financial and managerial system in the country.

Misuse of Prescription and Illicit Drugs in Middle Adulthood in the Context of the Opioid Epidemic

Background: The United States’ opioid epidemic continues to escalate overdose deaths. Understanding its extent is complicated by concurrent misuse of other prescription or illicit drugs, increasing risk for overdose. Current surveillance using electronic medical records and police data has limitations and frequently fails to distinguish middle-aged adults from other age groups in reporting. Objectives: The purpose of this analysis is to (1) describe characteristics of middle-aged US adults who report misusing prescription and illicit drugs and (2) evaluate if misusing prescription opioids increases risk of misusing other drugs. Methods: We analyzed data from 12,300 adults ages 32–42 from Wave V of the Add Health study collected from 2016 to 2018. Self-reported past 30-day misuse of prescription sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, and opioids as well as cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, heroin, and other illicit drugs were analyzed for associations with demographic characteristics in weighted bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Those misusing prescription opioids were more likely to misuse prescription sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants compared to those not misusing prescription opioids. Those misusing prescription opioids were also more likely to misuse heroin, crystal meth, cocaine, and other illicit drugs. Higher levels of education and personal income were protective for prescription opioid misuse, any prescription drug misuse, and any illicit drug misuse. Race/ethnicity was not significantly associated with prescription opioid misuse. Conclusions/Importance: Our analysis shows those misusing prescription opioids are at high risk of misusing other prescription and illicit drugs. Practitioners and researchers should consider concurrent drug misuse when treating and studying opioid misuse disorders.

Subjective well-being determinants in Russia: a regional perspective

This article reveals that, despite Russian regions being very different from each other when it comes to a great many socio-economic and socio-cultural properties (population income level and living standards, various features of the socio-cultural environment, social optimism, degree of religiosity and so on), those who live in regions far removed from the capital cities, given their lower level of personal income, tend to be more satisfied with their lives and demonstrate a higher level of social wellbeing, according to data from various sociological surveys. Based on empirical data, the authors argue that material aspects are not the only factors which affect subjective wellbeing in any given region. The goal of the study is to analyze the differentiation in the level of subjective wellbeing of the population of various Russian regions, which implies identifying and comparatively analyzing those factors which help interpret these differences. The primary research method is regression analysis of data from sociological surveys conducted in 2012 using the World Values Survey method in nine regions and towns of federal significance: Moscow, Saint- Petersburg, Leningrad Province, Tambov, Tatarstan Republic, Chuvashia Republic, the Altai Krai, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, Bashkortostan Republic. The analysis showed that there is indeed a connection between one’s personal income level and their subjective wellbeing, while there is no such connection between one’s subjective wellbeing and how wealthy their region is. This could be explained by the fact that people are more concerned with their personal income level than their region’s income. Aside from income level, there are other factors which determine subjective wellbeing in any given region. Moscow is considered to be the wealthiest region, however, it also has the highest level of income inequality. Both individual income and income level in comparison to the reference group considerably affect respondents’ subjective wellbeing, regardless of their region of residence. However, individual income has a stronger influence. That said it is in Moscow where subjective evaluation of one’s income level and satisfaction with one’s material status affect subjective wellbeing to the greatest extent, which is due to the fact that in Moscow both living standards and one’s sense of subjective inequality are somewhat higher. The influence of other socio-demographic factors also varies from region to region. For the most part this study confirms Ronald Inglehart’s concept of material factors playing a significant role in subjective wellbeing.

НАЯВНІСТЬ ВІЛЬНОГО ЧАСУ ЯК ЧИННИК ФОРМУВАННЯ ПОПИТУ НА ТУРИСТИЧНІ ПОСЛУГИ

The article considers the mutual influence between the amount of free time as a mandatory resource for leisure and recreation, the level of personal income and the expenditures for tourism services made by the population. The correlation between these indicators is analyzed in selected OECD countries; an additional indicator is the factor of satisfaction with the balance of free and working time. The reverse correlation between labour intensity and willingness of employees to spend money on leisure has been revealed. This is due to the actual lack of free time for people who are forced to work more than 50 hours a week, and the social policy of the state. It is proved that the problem of excessive growth of labour intensity leads to negative economic consequences, and is not exclusively a socio-demographic problem, because households do not have time to consume products. It is determined that the profile of the consumer of tourism services is formed as a result of a combination of welfare, labour legislation and attitudes to leisure. It is proposed to build a marketing strategy and assortment policy of travel companies on the basis of a matrix approach (the method of strategic groups mapping); an example of grouping consumers by a three-dimensional model is provided. At the level of the public employment policy, the consequences of two alternatives are described: increased labour intensity and export intensification, which leads to a growth in the state budget burden (the need to allocate funds for subsidies to medium-income industries and social programs), and reducing the workload and supporting the national producer by the help of the tertiary sector (households). The type of recreation and readiness to spend personal income on leisure depends, among other factors, on the balance of work and leisure; this criterion is more important for the citizens of most OECD countries than the level of income. With the increase in labour intensity and the corresponding decrease in the amount of free time, reduction or complete absence of annual vacations for several years, the content component of tourist services and organizational aspects of travel need to be reviewed. Prospects for further research are a comparative analysis of employment policies, incomes and expenditures on tourism services in other countries of the world in order to identify groups of countries with the same economic indicators and patterns of consumer behavior, which will help tourism companies to build effective marketing strategies and create a market-specific tourism product.

PROPERTY TAX AS A TOOL FOR FINANCIAL REGULATION OF PUBLIC WELFARE

Introduction. With the approval of the concept of inclusive development, the demand for scientific research aimed at finding ways to implement it in financial practice is growing, which will have a positive impact on indicators of public welfare. In this context, an important task is to ensure the integration of the principles of inclusive development into the practice of property taxation, which will ensure an increase in its efficiency and fairness. The purpose is to reveal the social aspects of property tax, including assessing the compliance of the tax collection mechanism with the principles of fairness and inclusiveness of taxation, as well as the impact of property tax on the welfare of payers, taking into account their differentiation by the level of personal income. Methods. In the article, when studying the social aspects of levying property tax, general scientific and special methods are applied, namely, generalization, comparison, grouping, tabular analysis. Results. It has been substantiated that property tax has a varied effect on public welfare, acting as a tool for ensuring the redistribution of wealth between various social groups, attracting shadow incomes to taxation, withdrawn from it thanks to schemes to minimize tax liabilities, an instrument for curbing speculation in the housing market, as well as an important source of budget revenues, which are largely directed to social goals. It has been proven that in domestic practice, real estate tax has a pronounced regressiveness and discriminatory nature in relation to payers with lower incomes. Real estate tax rates are too low, which is more beneficial for wealthy citizens and leads to losses in local budget revenues. This made it possible to argue the advisability of switching to a cost approach to determining the tax base, but only available within an appropriate institutional environment. Perspectives. Further scientific research should be directed towards finding the optimal approach to establishing the base of real estate, as well as ensuring the inclusiveness of taxation, when opportunities for tax evasion will be minimized.

Demand and Driver Supply Implications of Regular Public Transportation System for Policy Makers: A Case Study of Kandahar City, Afghanistan

Kandahar city of Afghanistan being one of the largest cities of the country does not have any regular system of public transportation. Unfortunately, at the moment the entire picture of the current services and future plans is unclear due to the lack of travel behavioral data including trip rate, travel time distribution, modal share and so on. More serious is that mechanism behind the behavior has not been figured out, so that no comprehensive transportation planning was established from theoretical basis. As the unprecedented study in Kandahar city, this paper attempted to carry out a travel survey with Revealed and Stated Preference (RP/SP) approach to understand travel behavior for the first time, by focusing on determinant factors of demand for regular public transportation modes and supply of drivers using discrete choice modelling approach. The results revealed that travel time and travel cost are among the most influential factors for forecasting the demand of public transport. Other socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, monthly income, and vehicle ownership are also demand determinant factors. Furthermore, consideration of women in all processes of planning and operating public transit is very essential. On the other hand, due to low income, higher working loads and some other job related factors, the drivers of paratransit system are not satisfied with their current jobs and have shown strong willingness to become bus drivers in future. Their willingness to change their jobs is effected by their personal income levels, availability of other income sources, education and some other social factors.

Understanding farmers’ biosecurity beliefs and behaviours related to antimicrobial resistant bacteria in Michigan,USA

Context Antimicrobial resistant bacteria (AMRB) are transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa through many pathways, and AMRB has been an issue on farms and in food production systems. Aims The aim of this exploratory study was to understand what preventative measures farmers may or may not be using to decrease human and animal exposure to AMRB in Central Michigan, and develop a set of measures for biosecurity behaviours. Methods Participants selected for the study were involved in commercial animal husbandry in central Michigan. Data from farmers were collected via a mixed methods approach. Semistructured interviews and a structured questionnaire were administered, based on the theory of planned behaviour. Data were analysed using Spearman’s rank correlation and thematic analyses. Key results There were no associations between sex, level of education or personal income with biosecurity beliefs or behaviours. There was a positive correlation between farm revenue and the presence of pests in animal holding areas, and how often farmers quarantine new animals before adding them to their herd or flock. The farmers interviewed had increased perceived control over implementing biosecurity measures that are perceived as simple and fast to implement. Conclusions Generally, the farmers believed they could affect AMRB on their farms, but were not always engaging in biosecurity behaviours. Implications Understanding farmers’ perceptions and beliefs of biosecurity practices may help develop efficient and effective outreach, education and extension services.

Correlation between exercise, personal income level and health-related quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed stable angina

BackgroundStable angina is one of the most common clinical types of coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, few studies have evaluated the risk factors associated with HRQL in patients with newly diagnosed stable angina.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 342 consecutive outpatients with newly diagnosed stable angina from October 2017 to January 2018 at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing, China. Eight dimensions of HRQL were evaluated via the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, including physical functioning, role limitation due to physical problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitation due to emotional problems, and mental health. Physical and mental component summaries were calculated. Multiple stepwise regression was performed to determine the factors associated with HRQL.ResultsPatients who were older, were females, did not exercise, had lower educational levels, had lower monthly incomes, had smoking/drinking habits, and had diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipemia showed lower physical HRQL scores, while those who were older with lower educational levels and lower monthly incomes showed lower mental HRQL scores. The results of the multiple stepwise regression analyses showed that physical and mental HRQL were positively correlated with exercise and monthly income and negatively associated with age. Patients with monthly income ≥5000 Yuan showed higher HRQL scores than those with monthly income < 5000 Yuan. Sleep quality and drinking were negatively associated with physical, but not mental HRQL.ConclusionsOur findings indicated that exercise and personal income level, both modifiable factors, were positively associated with physical and mental HRQL. These findings could have implications for clinical suggestions and strategies to improve HRQL in patients with stable angina.

Employment Status and Personal Income Before and After Onset of a Severe Mental Disorder: A Case-Control Study.

Individuals with severe mental disorders have an impaired ability to work and are likely to receive income transfer payments as their main source of income. However, the magnitude of this phenomenon remains unclear. Using longitudinal population cohort register data, the authors conducted a case-control study to examine the levels of employment and personal income before and after a first hospitalization for a serious mental disorder. All individuals (N=50,551) who had been hospitalized for schizophrenia, other nonaffective psychosis, or bipolar disorder in Finland between 1988 and 2015 were identified and matched with five randomly selected participants who were the same sex and who had the same birth year and month. Employment status and earnings, income transfer payments, and total income in euros were measured annually from 1988 to 2015. Individuals with serious mental disorders had notably low levels of employment before, and especially after, the diagnosis of a severe mental disorder. Their total income was mostly constituted of transfer payments, and this was especially true for those diagnosed as having schizophrenia. More than half of all individuals with a serious mental disorder did not have any employment earnings after they received the diagnosis. The current study shows how most individuals in Finland depend solely on income transfer payments after an onset of a severe mental disorder.

Improving Local Governments’ Financial Sustainability by Using Open Government Data: An Application of High-Granularity Estimates of Personal Income Levels in Romania

The availability of open government data has expanded considerably in recent years. This expansion is expected to generate significant benefits not just for increasing government transparency, but also for the economy. The aim of this study is to illustrate the use of open government data in estimating personal income levels for all 3181 municipalities, towns, and communes in Romania. The novelty of our work comes from the high granularity of the estimates obtained. We use tax revenues collected by local governments in Romania on vehicles and buildings owned by natural persons, as well as data on energy subsidies. The classification is conducted using the k-means clustering algorithm. We find three distinct clusters of communities, which we map. The results can benefit both businesses and policymakers. The former can use the income level estimates for market intelligence purposes, while for the latter, these may aid in determining the financial sustainability of local governments and a better allocation of central government resources at the subnational level.

Residents' Awareness of Family Doctor Contract Services, Status of Contract with a Family Doctor, and Contract Service Needs in Zhejiang Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

In China, family doctor services originated in 2009. After two years, the Chinese government proposed the establishment of a family doctor contract system suitable for China’s national conditions. Then, in 2016, a multi-department jointly issued an important document, which further clarified the development goals of family doctor contract services in the next five years. Zhejiang Province has been exploring responsible doctor contract services since 2012, which was promoted throughout the province in 2015. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the residents’ awareness of Zhejiang Province, China, of family doctor contract services, the status of signing such a contract, and the demand for service items in the contracted service package. Further, we sought to explore the relevant influential factors in order to provide a reference and evidence-based recommendations for the further development of family doctor contract services. Design: We enrolled 3960 residents from nine counties in Zhejiang Province using a multistage stratified random sampling method. A survey using a self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the demographic data, residents’ awareness of family doctor contract services, the status of contracting, and demand for different items from October to December 2017. Data were analyzed by SPSS 21.0. Results: In total, 3871 residents returned valid questionnaires, with a response rate of 97.75%. The awareness rate of residents of family doctor contract services was 71.58% (2771/3871). Age, education level, and chronic medical history status were the influencing factors affecting residents’ awareness. The contracted rate was 50.43% (1952/3871). Age, education level, personal monthly income, chronic disease history, and awareness of family doctor contract services were the influencing factors. Residents who have a contract with family doctors have a higher demand for family doctor contract services, and different residents have different needs for the project because of their physical condition, education level, marital status, household registration, and personal monthly income level. The top three needs of the residents for contracted services were health consultation (84.64%), regular physical examination (81.71%), and increasing the proportion of medical insurance reimbursements (80.06%). Conclusions: The awareness rate of family doctor contract services and the contracting rate are unsatisfactory among residents of Zhejiang Province. It is suggested that the government should more heavily publicize family doctor contract services, expand the coverage, introduce personalized contract schemes to meet the needs of different groups, and promote the rapid development of family doctor contract services in Zhejiang Province.

The changing patterns and correlates of population-level polysubstance use in Australian youth: a multi-group latent class analysis of nationally representative samples spanning 12 years.

To (1) identify population-level classes of polysubstance use among young Australians between 2004 and 2016, (2) test if these classes changed over the same period, in terms of class prevalence and probabilities of substance use within each class, and (3) identify demographic and health-related correlates of polysubstance use. Repeated cross-sectional nationally representative household surveys. All Australian states/territories. Young adult samples (aged 18-30years; 58% females) from the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys (n=20 350) MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes were the extent of past-year use of 10 licit (e.g. alcohol), and illicit substances (e.g. cannabis) were used to derive polysubstance use classes. The correlates were gender, age, psychological distress, general health, language background, personal income, education level, remoteness of residence and socio-economic index for area of residence. Three polysubstance use classes were consistently identified between 2004 and 2016 (SSABIC: 188349): minimal users (MU, ~60%), mainly tobacco, alcohol and cannabis users (TAC, ~30%) and extended range polysubstance users (POLY, ~10%). There were substantial changes in use of different substances within each class over the study period. For example, smoking decreased in all classes (P<0.05), while harmful alcohol use only decreased in the first two classes (P<0.05). Factors associated with TAC and POLY were similar over the study period. These included: being male and having an English-speaking background, a high level of psychological distress, suboptimal health and high personal income. Living in an affluent area was associated with reduced likelihood of being TAC, but an increased likelihood of being POLY. At the population-level among young Australians between 2004 and 2016, six in 10 did not engage in polysubstance use; four in 10 used a limited range of substances (mainly alcohol, tobacco and cannabis) and one in 10 used an extended range of substances. Over time, the types of substance within the extended polysubstance use class changed substantially.

Factors governing the willingness to pay for air pollution treatment: A case study in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

Abstract Air pollution has attracted broad attention from the Chinese government, the public and academic researchers. With the economic development and the desire for a better life, public participation is of central importance to air pollution control. This study investigates public perception and the willingness to pay in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, one of the typical heavy smog polluted areas in China, through a combination of online questionnaire survey and field investigation. A multi-parameter quantitative regression model is employed to explore the drivers of the willingness to participate in air pollution treatment. The results suggest that the willingness to participate is influenced by personal income level and occupation, the awareness of air pollution in daily life, and governmental credibility regarding air pollution prevention, which are quantified by the causal relationships with willingness to pay for addressing air pollution. There are large differences in the public perception of the causes of air pollution, the satisfaction with present air pollution control and the ways to become personally involved in actions for pollution source control. Although the present willingness to pay for air pollution treatment is weak and substantially varies across the region, it would be higher if more satisfactory measures were enacted and practiced. The results sketch the residents’ desired clean air plans and practicable clean production actions. Some policy implications are advanced to enhance the efficiency of environmental regulation and public engagement in environmental protection.