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.

摘要

2020 年 2 月至 5 月在马斯喀特/阿曼进行了一项调查，共有 1289 名受访者通过在线问卷调查公众对空气污染的知识、行为和态度。我们从四个主要方面考虑了性别、年龄和教育水平的差异，即。获取有关空气污染的信息、知识和风险认知的来源，以及改变和采取行动缓解的意愿。社交媒体是获取有关马斯喀特空气污染信息的主要来源。此外，大部分受访者了解空气污染的含义并对空气质量问题感兴趣，而女性的空气污染意识高于男性。超过 94% 的受访者对来自车辆和其他来源的空气污染感到不安。男性和老年参与者对空气质量信息的兴趣明显更高。大多数人在户外活动时会注意空气质量，但女性比男性更容易受到空气污染的影响。大多数人认识到空气污染总是对他们的健康有害，但受教育程度较高的参与者对空气污染的风险感知更高。呼吸受污染的空气是参与者报告的接触有毒空气污染物的最常见途径。超过 90% 的参与者在进行户外运动时关心空气质量。大多数参与者报告说，他们没有使用公共交通工具在马斯喀特省内移动，他们的主要交通方式是私家车。与此同时，女性，

启示：这项工作是该国第一项试图调查公众对阿曼首都马斯喀特空气污染的看法、态度和行为的研究。使用私家车是该市流行的交通方式，也是造成空气质量问题的主要原因。政府对可持续交通的任何未来方向都需要更好地了解人们对这个问题的看法。结果显示，大部分受访者都意识到空气质量及相关问题，并表示愿意改变行为以减少空气污染。