Actual Air Pollution, Environmental Transparency, and the Perception of Air Pollution in China

• Author: Hui Zhang,Minggang Peng,Xiaohui Zhong,Kun Yang,Richard D. Evans
• Published date: 01 March 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/1070496518821713
• Date: 01 March 2019
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Actual Air Pollution,

Environmental

Transparency, and the

Perception of Air Pollution

in China

Minggang Peng

1

, Hui Zhang

1,2

, Richard

D. Evans

3

, Xiaohui Zhong

4

, and Kun Yang

5

Abstract

Using data from the China Social Survey 2013 and statistics from the Ministry of

Environment Protection of China and the Institute of Public & Environment Affairs,

this study empirically examines the relationship between actual and perceived air

pollution and the moderating effect of environmental transparency on that relation-

ship with a multilevel ordered logistic strategy. Estimations indicate a significant

congruence of actual (both particulate matter less than 10 mm in diameter and

sulfur dioxide) and perceived air pollution. More importantly, environmental trans-

parency of local government is found to moderate the relationship between actual

and perceived air pollution by neutralizing the halo effects and building more alert

perceptions when local air quality deteriorates. Our findings not only challenge the

work of identifying a mismatch of actual–perceived air pollution in some developed

countries but also suggest that, apart from abating actual air pollution, environmental

transparency should be emphasized and strengthened in institutional buildings to

help address pollution challenges in developing countries.

Journal of Environment &

Development

2019, Vol. 28(1) 78–105

!The Author(s) 2019

Article reuse guidelines:

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DOI: 10.1177/1070496518821713

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1

School of Public Administration, Guangzhou University, P. R. China

2

Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, UK

3

College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University, London, UK

4

Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P. R. China

5

South China Institute of Environmental Science, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou,

P. R. China

Corresponding Author:

Hui Zhang, School of Public Administration, Guangzhou University, 5/F WenYi Building, No. 230,

Guangzhou University City Outer Ring Road, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China.

Email: zhangh3377@gmail.com

Keywords

perception of air pollution, actual air pollution, environmental transparency,

multilevel ordered logistic model, China

Severe air pollution is causing major health problems and consequences in China

(Chen et al., 2017), with it posing a serious threat to the country’s economic

sustainability (Vennemo, Aunan, Lindhjem, & Seip, 2009). As a predominant

subjective measure of environmental performance at local levels (Schachter,

2010; Shingler, Van Loon, Alter, & Bridger, 2008), public perceptions of air

pollution are critical for inf‌luencing emotional and behavioral responses to air

pollution (Bresnahan, Dickie, & Gerking, 1997; Qin & Zhu, 2018). Unlike pro-

fessional air quality evaluations, based on a variety of scientif‌ic indicators,

public perceptions of air pollution appear to be heterogeneous, complicated

by various inf‌luential factors and mechanisms. Although the associations

between actual air pollution and subjective evaluations of air quality and

between various macrolevel factors and perceived air pollution have long been

focuses for researchers in developed countries, the related associations have not

yet been thoroughly examined in China and other developing countries.

In this study, we empirically examine the congruence of city-level air pollution

and individual-level perceived air pollution and consider how environmental

transparency af‌fects the actual–perceived air pollution relationship. To this

end, we use large nationally representative data from the Chinese Social

Survey (CSS) 2013 (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 2013) together with

archival data regarding air pollutant concentration levels and an independent

assessment index on the environmental transparency of 62 Chinese cities. Two-

level ordered logistic models are used to investigate the direct and moderating

ef‌fects on public perceptions toward air pollution.

This study of‌fers unique signif‌icance for the literature on the perceptions of

air pollution. First, most existing literature conducted in developed countries

suggests a mismatch between actual and perceived air pollution (e.g., Graves,

2003; Schwartz, 2003). Their f‌indings, however, are not necessarily applicable in

the context of China, where the institutional settings, contextual features, and

public mentality have a signif‌icant impact on public perceptions. It remains

unclear whether actual air pollution at the city level can af‌fect the public per-

ceptions of air pollution in China. Second, prior studies have predominantly

focused on public pollution awareness as well as whether air pollution is a

matter of concern among people from dif‌ferent social strata in developing coun-

tries and have found socioeconomic characteristics at the individual level, such

as poverty, livelihood, and environmental knowledge to be the inf‌luential factors

(Bladen & Karan, 1976; Egondi et al., 2013; Z. Li, Folmer, & Xue, 2016;

Muindi, Egondi, Kimani-Murage, Rocklov, & Ng, 2014; Mukherjee, 1993;

Saksena, 2011). However, few attempts have been made to systematically

Peng et al. 79