Measurement of public interest in ecological matters through online activity and environmental monitoring

Abstract

Taking into account the global world trends in the development of digital technologies and their diffusion into the economic and social space, it is proposed to use indicators of social interest in ecological matters (environmental responsibility and environmental concerns) for the population of Russian regions. An original approach to the estimation of these indicators according to the online activity of the population was proposed. It was found out that the data on the number, prevalence and dynamics of search queries for keywords related to environmental pollution, cleanliness of water and air, reflect the degree of responsibility and concern of the population with the environmental situation in the region and can be considered as an indirect indicator of environmental ill-being. Dependencies have been established between indicators of environmental interest and environmental monitoring data.