ABSTRACT

Studying air pollution provides an opportunity to explore public opinion about the environment from a health perspective, and examine how the often-siloed fields of health, environmental, and science communication might inform each other to generate a more holistic understanding of these issues. This raises an important question for social scientists: what is the best way to understand public perception of hazards that rest at the intersection of health, the environment, and science? In this study, we examine the extent to which risk perceptions and environmental values predict individual-level protective behaviours and civic action surrounding air pollution in Portland, Oregon. We find that risk perceptions significantly predict individual-level protective behaviour, civic action, and engagement preferences to varying degrees. We also find that the inclusion of environmental values offers additional explanatory power. Results demonstrate that combining approaches from health, environmental, and science communication offers a more holistic understanding of public perception of and engagement with environmental risks.

摘要

研究空气污染提供了一个机会，可以从健康的角度探索公众对环境的看法，并检查经常孤立的健康、环境和科学交流领域如何相互告知，从而对这些问题产生更全面的理解。这为社会科学家提出了一个重要问题：了解公众对健康、环境和科学交叉处危害的看法的最佳方式是什么？在这项研究中，我们研究了风险认知和环境价值观在多大程度上预测了俄勒冈州波特兰市围绕空气污染的个人保护行为和公民行动。我们发现，风险认知在不同程度上显着预测了个人层面的保护行为、公民行动和参与偏好。我们还发现，包含环境价值提供了额外的解释力。结果表明，将健康、环境和科学传播的方法结合起来，可以更全面地了解公众对环境风险的看法和参与度。