Internet usage, environmental knowledge, and the surge of air pollution concern in China

2024/10/21 by Shiwei Fan · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Environmental Science · #Risk Perception and Management #Climate Change Communication and Perception #Environmental Education and Sustainability

paper · doi:10.1080/09644016.2024.2415824

openalex publication_date 2024/10/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15

Abstract

Environmental pollution has become a serious public concern in China. What impact does the Internet have on people’s perception of pollution? This study evaluates the causal effect of the Internet usage on the perception of air pollution by scrutinizing data from the China General Social Survey 2013. The results indicate that people who rely more heavily on the Internet for information perceive more severe pollution. This amplification effect cannot be attributed to the contextual factors including economic development or pollution severity through increasing the usage of the Internet. This study concludes with an exploratory mechanism analysis which demonstrates that people acquire greater environmental knowledge by using the Internet which serves to raise the awareness and amplify the perceived seriousness of air pollution.

Citations

• Two-stage residual inclusion estimation: Addressing endogeneity in health econometric modeling
• The Social Amplification of Risk: A Conceptual Framework
• Unpacking the Black Box of Causality: Learning about Causal Mechanisms from Experimental and Observational Studies
• Risk Perception: Reflections on 40 Years of Research
• The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.

Discussions

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